The Liberal Party and the Reds

Press, Issue 16678, 12 November 1919, Page 8

The Liberal Party and the Reds

Sir Joseph Ward and his supporters aro busying themselves explaining that the Liberals do not intend—if the opportunity arises—to carry on with the support of the Red Fed group. It is quite certain, however, that their assurances will convince nobody. They must feel themselves how extremely weak and pointless are their attempts to hide the facts of the case. Sir Joseph himself, in hiß speech on Monday night, could offer no tetter guarantee of his independence, present or future, of the Labour group, than the following statement: "As a matter of fact, I have "been responsible for a Liberal being "put up against Mr Holland and Mr " Fraser. They are against me, and I " am against them." / Sir Joseph naturally desires to win as many seats as he can, just as the Red, Feds do, but this does not affect the question of their ultimate co-operation in the very least. It did not do so after the elections .of 1911 and 1914, or the by-election for Grey, when, after seeing its own man defeated in the first ballot, the Liberal Party embraced Mr P. G. Webb and celebrated his triumph. Our morning contemporary is hardly happier than " New Zealand's foremost statesman." " The Leader of the Liberal Party will "have nothing to do with them," it says, referring to the Labour members. " The proof is clear enough in the fact " that Sir Joseph Ward is putting up "Liberal candidates against these dangerous agitators." But, as we have said, Sir Joseph has put up candidates against the Labour nominees before, and has nevertheless worked in conjunction with the Labour representatives., Tho, facts of the connexion be- , tween the two parties are perfectly well known, but we may recall the position i in 1914. Mr Massey, Sir Joseph Ward, and two representatives of the Labour ! Party were entrusted with the task-of '

allotting to individual candidates tho votes given for their respective parties by members of the Expeditionary Force. The Labour "111181663 gave their endorsement to the Liberal candidate in each of 66 constituencies; Sir Joseph Ward gave his endorsement, in seven districts in which he had not a candidate of his own, to tho nominees of the Red Fed organisation, selected from the list of approved candidates printed by the Reds' organ tho "Worker." But, wo are told, Sir Joseph really will not do it again. He will not have any commerce with the Labour extremists, but he is large-hearted enough to j agreo that "sane, moderate Labour j "should not an I must not be unrepre-j •' sented both in Parliament and in the j "Cabinet." "We are again quoting our morning contemporary, which goes on to say: "but men of the Holland-Sem- J " pie type are of another class." It is < astonishing that our Liberal friends should imagine, as such an argument 1 shows that they do imagine, that the people aro entirely ignorant of the simplest and plainest facts of politics. Sane and moderate Labour elec- i tors aro plentiful enough, but sano and moderate Labour simply does - '

: not exist in this country as a party, or ; as an organised force. It has no organisation, no leader, and no candi- ; dates —a fact which rather discounts : the magnanimity of the Liberal Leader, j since it is very easy to offer part of your estate to a claimant who you have been careful to ascertain has no existence. "Where are the standard-bearers of sano, moderate Labour whom Sir Joseph is not opposing? The Labour group in the new Parliament, as in the late Parliament, must of necessity be a group of men attached to the principles for which Messrs Holland ;ind Semple stand. Messrs Holland and Semple will be Labour Party nominees exactly as the others are. Sane and moderate Labour electors will not rote for the nominees of the Labour machine. They will vote either for the Government or for the Liberal Party, and since they will bo desirous of securing that tho official Labour Party shall not hold the balance of power, they will be unwilling to take the risk of voting for the Liberals. They may remember that in Juno, 1913, our morning contemporary declared that "the Liberals supported "Mr "Webb becauso they knew that " nine-tentiis of his policy was their " own," and they have taken note of the fact that by his adoption of a > wholesale plan of nationalisation Sir Joseph "Ward has approximated still more closely to the position of Mr Webb.