THE GENERAL ELECTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 145, 13 March 1908, Page 5

THE GENERAL ELECTIONS.

Sir, —As tho .general ; elections. draw 1 nearer and nearer, politicalorganisations of, all sorts are born, and others are revived for a time only, to lapse back .into almost complete silence .until another election comes on. The worst feature of the whole'.play is that each and all of the ,existing parties are particularly 'absent' of;principles. The Opposition have at; least the best grasp,of tho tariff question, if they' would only support an. increase in :the; land 'tax in place of the pro-; posed remissions. ■ Tho Government have a stronghold l in tho fact that cheap money under . tho . Advances to Settlers and Workers Acts' has been a great boon to the .country ; - 'but : there is a.general feeling that they should; havo.-made more sweeping .-reduc.tions in the tariff, and that tboy aro too .'fond of making, unnecessary new. laws and restrictions; • .'This is tho. fatal objection .to all the aspiring,parties.- The bogus Labour party are again., going* to run many' of the seats, - but .their chances are not so bright as'they would like to make the. public believe, not. on account of the, apathy, but because they have , no abiding' principles. The workers ; are becoming too enlightened to support, wolves in sheep's clothing. A '.glance;at Australian, politics shows us tb&t when Jtho - self-styled Labourites are in power; or hold , tho balance of power, they prove an utter "frost,'' being just as hope- • lessly befogged as any of tho other poliare. ; Thero can be little doubt about <ui offort; beini; inade fo >ia Labom.

party and !the unions into the camp of Socialism. ' This is'bound to cause a split between the lukewarm and.tho more democratic parts of the Labourites. Tho idea that Labour should ""arbitrate about how much it shall get is repugnant to tho real democrat, who declares that Labour should got its full reward, and that thcro is nothing to arbitrate about on tho wholo. The Socialists and the Labourites will; probably qxhaust most of their; .energies between, themselves, ending in, a general set-to between tho Opposition and tho Government now in offico. —I ..am', etc., • • ' Ei; STEVENSON.. : ■ Hastings, March .9, 1908.