SILENCED!

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 684, 8 December 1909, Page 6

SILENCED!

. The desperate little band of figntihg, . leaseholders,'; who ; have "so' ' worried"'/ the' Peime MiNisTBR.; and his. Land, Bill during the past: week- appear/ to, have emerged from the party caucus ■■■ tamed ; and subdued,; When the Land Bill, camo befprb the. House* yesterday. v afternoon it was allowed to proceed, through, the formal .stage which tho' leaseholders 1 havb been' blocking, without even' a further murmur of protest. To thosel who imag- ! ined . that, the . leasehold section .; of tne Hoitse /were -honestly determined to stand or, fall by the principle about which they• have been- talking .so "eloquently, and - sofiercely during the past week their;attitude .must/occasion, astonishment. ,/ Wo' suspect, however, that,the subjugation of. the/leaseholders was not /accomplished entirely by pleadings or bythreatsi It is true that the Prime Minister could point to some, very unpleasant possibilities to damp the enthusiasm of! his errant followers. For instance,' Sin Joseph Ward might venture to'toll them that unless, they'- were willing, to dance to,the tune it pleased him to pipe, they would have to face their constituents again next year. This.threat would bo vory unpalatable to many of the ■'.■. Government following, but ; had'they; paused'to think a little they 'would have" realised that it would be equally distasteful to/ the Prime Minister.himself,; But, unjess wq are seriously; mistaken! it was promises rather than , threats that ■'•■.' silenced tho leaseholders.. What*/ tjien'j wore these promises?, It must bo obvious'that the only thing likely to,satisfy the belligerent little band of leaseholders would bo somo concession detrimental to the freehold. The journals 'which at one' time,-clam-oured vociferously for, tho leasehold, and ; nothing but the leasehold, are now advis-, ing the leasehold element in Parliament 1 to force out of tho Government as much' as they can,'and to/rest content/for. tho time being with what they can thus secure. And the leaseholders appear to bo not unwilling to takb this advice. At any-rate-thoir mouths have been closed for tho time being. The question then'arises: What have the;freeholders to say of this compromise? Are they',cbntopt to submit to this caucus arrangement which' has pacified the leaseholders, and which in consequence must bo antagonistic to.those who claim that the option of the'freehold should be given in connection with ' all Grown lands ?' This remains to be seen. For ourselves wp are not /over-pleased with, the- attitude of ;those pledged to so? cure the right to the freehold for the farmers of New Zealand. We should like to see a;straight-out contest oh the issue freehold ..v. leasehold, ':The /temporising, and compromising that is going: on be* hind,the sinues is merely an attempt'to smooth oveV party splits, and; irrespective of the fact that it discloses a sad lack of principle, Bhows; small regard for the interests of tjio-farming community. We quite recognise that the majority of the leaseholders.are honestly..of tho opinion that the system of; land tenure which they advocate' is 'the most desirablo in the interests,of tho country; arid their recent struggle, which the Prime Minister has now suppressed, bore evidence to the strength of th<sir,feelings. .But they are in a minority—a helpless minority so far as voting . strongth is concerned. Why then do not tho freeholders assert themselves? It is true that many of/the followers of the Government plodgcd to the freehold may, under pressure From their loader, seize on any protcxt which may present itself to break their pledges,. But what docs this matter to those-who stand firm to their plodgesj They '"are"'sufficiently strong to "hold up" tho Land Jill for as.long as they choose—they can,; by forcing a vote on tho 'direct issue, expose the traitors to the freehold cause, and the country constituencies : att least: can bo relied on to find redress, at the, polls iii 1011. Tho, Government having .silenced/.the .leaseholders,: it is time ,for' the froehold*r« to make.their, voices-heard,v - : ./;:; 'I