LAISSER FAIRE.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3191, 8 October 1867, Page 4

LAISSER FAIRE.

To tin Editor of tht Daily Southixn Caoss. Sir, —The ancient doctrine of " laisser faire," repudiated by the French in their Revolution, has not yet met its deathblow in the British Empire ; and in this colony, as a remote member thereof, the principle still obtains. "Let things take their course," is the order of the day. Good, let them so :on the whole, experience is the best teacher, even through a reign of terror, if need be "Paniset circensts" were guaranteed to the cilizen by the Roman Empire before Christiauity could even be planted : yet now within the British Empire, "bread" itself," let alone "games," can hardly be reckoned on ! Pity that we can turn the element, water, to such account as steam, and inorganic affinities as electricity ; but the divine element of humanity with its heart affinities can only go a-begging to wast c away in satisfying a chimera. " The few shall fatten like a fungus, while the many shall consume away disappear." Men of capital are breeding up oxen and sheep instead of leading men ; or, contemptible offspring of Mammon, lie in wait at the gorge to pounce upon the produce of the working man and levy black maii at its exit. Poor law and emigration are no remedial measures now: the former is toft 5 onerous, the latter surfeited, and the great Sphinx riddle of the organisation of labour is still unsolved. Artificial stimulus, as civil war or goldnelds, only add fresh blood to the ravenous monster, the rising generation. Government has fled from before the Sphinx through the whole world, and now, in this ultima Thule, of necessity must it stand at bay and answer it, or be eaten up. Are the unemployed simply a bore to the Government, who would fain be rid of them ? It cannot rid itself of them — no, but the question will become of greater significance from henceforth. Is humanity so deformed tbese times, that no one can be found to love it ? The "noli me taogere" of respectability, if earned too far, will become the leper's "Unclean, unclean." Indeed the appearance of humanity is of very ignoble sort, thanks to neglect of years and struggle in the du>t, but the hull has a "coral bank of beating becrts beneath," hearts that hope, and hope against hope for deliverauoe, wondering how such things can be, and why there is bo love left in the world. Indeed a man is more beautiful than a beast, but the latter are cared for, tho former pissed by. Blame not the men, because here and there a man stronger than his fellows is planting his land and breeding stock ; he is but an exception, as a straight line is in nature. Nature is all curves, the only straight thing in it is the lightning, and that looks crooked euough ; all curves, but governed curves, not curves running hither and thither playing fast and loose with eternity, sfo is humanity ; ungoverned, it is a seething mass of anarchy, breaking forth into spasmodic attempts at guillotine government : governed, it is a beautiful edifice, the garment of the eternal. This is one tide of the question ; on the other, acres upon acres, there they lie, — acres of land than which throughout the northern hemisphere you will not find land having more combined advantages of toil and climate. And yet these acres have all the Government tapu on them, " Touch vi not, we lie waiting the hour and the man that shall loose us." And our labourers must retire to paster in swamps looking for flax. And all the land lying idle. Think not this question is a mere contingent : it is the question of the day throughout the empire ; on ita solution depends the stability of the British empire. Is there no nobility left among us ? Not one of our men of capital that will volunteer to lead a band of trained labourers to cultivate' the waste and crying out acres, andjj with imp'ements of culture and teams subdue the soil, rendering it pro luctive, his men contented, and himself a nobleman ? Such a man would be the first lord of the soil, patented by his Maker, and an example to his brother captains of industry. Such a band, marching out of Auckland to their appointed station, would ,be a sight to the nations, an example for the colonies, and a lesson to the mother land ; and its leader would present a ■trange contrast to him who, building up his house, sacrifices to his " lares and penates " the blood of the working man. Or can the Government not create and commission such leaders to take men to the uncultivated acres ? A loan, on Government security, cou'd b» raised to meet the wants of 12 or 18 months, while the land could be raising crop 3 and atock. It is not such a question of money as selfdenial and energy of will. The first or volunteer remedy is the old English on«, that which has made Britain what she is. The second or Government leadership is the modern one, which enabled Napoleon to say, " I made my Generals out of mud." — Imp, &0., Andromeda. Drury, September 30, 1867.