A CHALLENGE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 214, 3 June 1908, Page 8

A CHALLENGE.

' SOCIALISM ' AND REVOLUTIONARY < ; SOCIALISM. ; Following ,up of Mr. • Tom ■/Manri's,..; in..:,his.,.' recent ' speech .'in ;.the .Town ; Hall,; that tho . New Zealand Socialist party-should challerigeitherHon. Dr. Findla'y to a debate', -ori." Revolutionary Socialism," the Socialist ; pdrty [duly, forwarded tho cliallonge.'- Mr. Tom-Mann was 'named as the Socialists'" nominee,''arid the - suggestion - was that the' debate , bi); hold in the Town Hall .orany public hall in, Wellington. .. Any date within .'. the; next four- or five weeks would satisfy, -,If, Mr. -Tom) Mann's' nomination was objected,,.to,-.a,' momber of the Wellington Branch would bo selected. : Failing either of theso-. suggestions, the Minister was invited to attend, at His' Majesty's Theatre on a Sunday evening to hear a "full arid exhaustive" reply to. his attack on Revolutionary Socialists and Socialism. ' '

, Dr. Findlay replied, that he failed to see what good .could come ,of such a debate. Ho at least could not hope to convince the party of hisibelief that, revolutionary Socialism was a real onemy of true progress—especially. in this country, because it enabled political reactionaries to .disturb'the real friends ' of social,reform by needless alarm. Even if : frea from official objections,,he should decline the kind inyitatipii as'one serving no. good purpose.', .'..' v' : ■ i : To -this :the Socialists'replied suggesting, inter alia, that'the "Minister's attitudo scarcely showed .that ho had. the courage of hi a opinions.. Dr. Findlay further replied that he was free, to say that ,in his opinion such a .revolution in , New Zealand ..as suggested was' but . the "counsel , of ■ fanaticism, sincere arid' disinterested: he 1 conceded, but; still fanaticism. Henco he- repeated his former refusal.