New Zealand Legion

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 280, 23 August 1934, Page 11

New Zealand Legion

Sir, —I .shall be obliged if you will kindly allot me space to reply to the letters signed "Secretary, N.Z. Legion,” and “F.C.H.” in your issue# of August 9. The secretary, N.Z. Legion, states: — "To the views of one body alone is the Legion Fascist, and that is the Communist Party, and to that party everything that is not Communism is Fascism,” and goes on to say, “Are we to believe that both writers are Communists?” I only accept responsibility for what I write myself and always sign my name. I can afford to ignore the inference that I am a Communist. To suggest that all are Communists who believe the Legion to be Fascist is too absurd to be worthy of comment. I do not understand what the secretary means when he states: '"To suggest that the objects of the Legion printed on the back of the obligation card was an' afterthought and is deliberately misleading." I have never- seen the card mentioned and made no such statement. The secretary quotes from one of Dr. Begg’s first speeches to prove that the Legion has not altered its plans. Let me quote from a verbatim report from another Legion speaker: “The Legion ,is out to break the party system. It makes no bones about it—it is not a party move and not a new party, and it is a travesty of the movement, a libel and a lie, to call it .such,” and again from the same speaker: “The Legion has no policy—l say that deliberately, and I' will tell you why,” etc., and now the Legion’s “Twelve Point Platform” is published. Why did the secretary so carefully evade my questions? How can the Legion undertake to put through any policy if its members are unpledged to that policy? I do not refer to the change of the form of government. How does the Legion propose to discipline tlie unruly members of its 30,000— such as the Oamaruites —and the other few hundred thousand electors who are all out of step? Does tlie Legion propose to use the big stick in true Mussolini and Hitler style? How nnich will be saved by reduction of members of Parliament and how much added by the obviously paid Shire and Economic Councillors of Legion? “It would be fatal to return to the old party system, say the Leaders of the House of Commons,” is something attributed to them by tlie League's secretary, but which I have never seen in print. I have read many speeches by Mr. Stanley Baldwin and others winning the public not to be stampeded by the non-party Fascists, who overthrow the old and tried system of government just because times are abnormal. What is Sir Oswald Mosley’s Movement for if not io try and do exactly what the Legion is trying to do in New Zealand? Let the Legion secretary look up the English by-election results and he will see under which banners tlie candidates nre standing and whether the party system is in operation or not. . Human beings take sides in everything, and there is no middle course except as an ideal to people who take an active interest. The Legion must revert to a party or attempt to suppress those opposed to it. The faults of tlie party system are reflections of the faults of human beings, but I have yet to hear sound answers to my questions to show that there is an alternative without suppression and the inevitable .civil war which such action would bring. The Legion leaders say they will do many things which others have been unable to do. but without any explanation as to howjtliey will do them. .They should

explain how they will handle the present unemployment position before discussing the bringing in of millions of emigrants. How can there be the unity and co-operation which "F.0.H.” speaks .of with a body which, while claiming to.be a national movement, confined its activities to one small section of the community until criticism and failure to make headway compelled them to alter their tactics? —I nm, ec., H. M. CHRISTIE. Waipuktirau, August 20.