"THE STRAIGHT DEAL."
Tim Prime language is frequently best described in the phrase of Sydney Smith : "rather too closc an imitation of that language which is used in the apostolic occupation of trafficking in fish." But we arc not sure that wo would not rather hear him in his Billingsgate vein than in the vein.of Mr. Pecksniff. We quoted yesterday his remarkable statement to a Southern interviewer last week, and declared that it was the funniest tiling the Prime Minister had said for some time; but when the humour of it evaporates the offensiveness of it becomes somewhat nauseating. "Our people," he said, "do like a straight deal in all things, and some of this opposition is not' straight." We are not con : cerned to defend the Reform party, and that party will hardly think it necessary to defend itself, against a charge of crooked dealing preferred by Sir Joseph Wai:d. Ho long ago discounted his criticisms by furiously' hurling the . most extraordinary epithets at his opponents, and denouncing as traitors to their native land all those who insist that the Government is an extremely bad one and the present Prime Minister the very worst political head that the country could have. But we can do worse than give a few minutes' attention to the Prime Minister's claim that his people "do like a straight deal in all things." Everything turns upon what tho Prime Minister and his friends regard as "a straight deal," but if to that term we insist upon giving the meaning i ( t bears for the ordinary honest man, we are bound to say that nothing in the taste of'our "Liberal" friends is more conspicuous than their passion for crooked practice. .The Prime Minister, however, insists that lie loves a straight deal, and that his followers love it too.
It is "straight dealing," therefore, to refuse to allow the people who have to shoulder the responsibility a glimpse of the truth conccrning the huge and unceasing drafts that Ruxancf.'k successor has for five years been making on tho British money-lender.
A straight deal to whip up the, Ministerialist M.P.'s, the Hover of (his ruggedly honest and straightforward party, to uflirm in Parliament that the Pram: Minister may keep as his private, secret the, details of any loan transaction for years after it is completed and buried deep under other loan transactions. A straight (leal to subsidise the. Chief Justice to the time oi several thousands of pounds for doing strictly political work for a Ministry hard pressed to tind a. Native land policy. A straight deal to seek to burke charges of political malfeasance against Government members of Parliament; fo refer them to a partisan tribunal when complete burking was impossible; to deny the recorded proof of thcnH.hat even the packed jury was afraid not to furnish and nllirm; to shirk making the recommended provision against the recurrence of these abuses; and thereafter to pursue with rancour the member. Me, Hikl, who rendered
the high public service of exposing this political ulcer.
A straight deal to manipulate invitations In Urn Coronation; to say first that invitations had been fill, and afterwards that I,hoy had not been wnt; to suppress other invitations without giving any hint that they had been received; to mislead the public, and insult 110111 the senders of the invitations and the persons invited; and, finally, to refuse to obey an order by the branch of the Legislature, affected to furnish full information on the subject. A straight deal to pose as the enemy of la ml speculation and large estates and at the same time to slip into a statute a clause enabling the passing of a great estate into the hands of a speculative syndicate. A straight deal, in a time of depression, to buoy up the_ worried hearts of Civil Servants with assurances of safety and even of extra benefits, and a few months later, the elections safely over, to cast forth an army of these unfortunate people to battle with hard times.
A straight deal to use the public money to subsidise the newspapers that support the Government and penalise certain newspapers which refuse to abandon their function of safeguarding the public interest without fear or favour. A straight deal to pay to "Jin. E. A. Smith" thousands of pounds for doing the work that the High Commissioner's office is intended to do; to deny that the Government knew the identity of "Mr. E. A. Smith," and, when confronted with the ex-High Commissioner's proof that he had twice informed the Government fully as to "Mr.. E. A. Smith," to declare that Mit. Reeves's letters must have gone astray, since they were absent from the files. But why multiply the list? Why decorate with further examples the simple beauty of the Pkime Ministries plea of high and earnest devotion to the doctrine of 'the straight deal." "Our people do like a straight deal in all things/' he says. To be rigidly philosophical, we ought to admit that it is possib'c that there can exist a mind capable of believing that the pcrfornif.r.ces wc have referred to are models of straightforward action. But it is not a case for rigid philosophy; the appeal is to the ordinary honest man, and he will refuse to believe that the secrecy and trickery that ;,o deeply stain the Government's record can appear to anybody to bo rich and honourable decorations. As a matter of fact, we feel certain that a considerable number of the Govern-, ment's supporters outside Parliament do prefer an honest deal, but are misled by the official speakers and writers of the party.
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Bibliographic details
Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1291, 21 November 1911, Page 4
Word Count
941"THE STRAIGHT DEAL." Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1291, 21 November 1911, Page 4
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