"Re-creating Liberalism."

Press, Volume L, Issue 14909, 6 March 1914, Page 6

"Re-creating Liberalism."

These "Liberal" leaders would do better for their party if they kept silence until Sir J. G. Ward has found that "policy" -which he is afraid to publish lest it should be "stolen" by Mr Massey and carried into effect, to tho great advantage of the country. We arcinclined to think, however, that it was not with the object of doing good for the party that the member for Avon read (or practically read) the queer speech which he delivered last night. Whatever it may appear to be to the esoteric eye, to the common people beyond the "Liberal" pale it looks exceedingly like a long stride towards independence—a first step towards the foundation of a new party led by Mr Russell under the name of "Re-created " Liberalism." Mr Russell, like everyone else, knows just as much about Sir J. G. Ward's "policy" as he knows about the avifauna of the moons of Jupiter; but he probably expects us to infer something besides that from this passago of his essay in the art of .recreating: "He thought there ought to "be a clear definition of the principles " for* which the Liberal Party stood. " When Sir J. G. Ward declared the "policy of the Opposition, he hoped it " would be so clear-cut in its Liberalism " that no Conservative Party would ap-' " proprinte it. Liberalism must be " founded on principles. They were "now engaged in re-creating the "Liberal Party." The largo bold lines in which ho drew what he considers "re-created Liberalism" were, ho explained with significant emphasis, his own lines, and not the lines of the party as it exists, or appears to exist, at present. The. o 'inns make up a picture of State Socialism ofr a large, confused, expensive and irresponsible pattern. He insists in so many words that he-is a State Socialist. ' For the moment we need not explain to the poor man • that State Socialism of that sort . not Liberalism, created or un-created. What we may be allowed to feel interested iv is the strong suggestion running through the speech that the official "Liberal" Party may soon lose its loudest shouter. If this is not what tho member for Avon means by his queer programme, which must not be taken (ho explains) as the '"Liberal" Party's programme, we really cannot think*, what he does mean. Of that unhappy Party's beliefs, he tells us- nothing (beyond, 'of course, its theory that Mr Massey and his colleagues are unparalleled villains), excepting that it "stands for the transferable vote," as demanded by Mr MeCombs. But even in the process of re-creating, Mr Russell Jiad time to be absurd in passing. For it really is a little absurd of him, after his long, fidelity to that Prime Minister who, in his six years of office, increased the public debt by £22,000,000, to object to borrowing in London because "in doing this, to quote " the words of John Ballance, they " were placing the country in a state of " servile dependence on the London " money market." Nor is it extremely sensible in a leading ''Liberal," even if he is in process of re-creation, to follow up his passionate denunciation of the Government's policy of local naval effort as a blow at tho Empire and at naval unity by advocating the building of fleets of torpedo boats and submarines. The "Liberals" who had hoped that they would be presented with a policy and a battle-cry ought by now to be able to bear their disappointments in a spirit of resignation, and one more should not matter to them, but it must rather irritate them to find tho "Liberals" having a shot at a policy one after the other, and all carefully explaining that it is, of course, "not the "policy of the Party."