TOPICS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 52, 29 August 1914, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY

"Men who go to the front in defence of the Empire should not be disfranchised," has been the exclamation of politicians and others during the past few days, and the argument is one to appeal to the general public. Naturally the Government has agreed to give heed to the various patriotic advisers, and a Bill will be introduced early next week to enable members of the Expeditionary Force to vote on the questions of license or no-license and general politics. The case presents no great difficulties in regard to the liquor issues. The men know that! the proportion of votes to decide any of the questions will not be changed, and they have not lacked opportunities to think about the principles and factors. But how are they to record their opinions, satisfactorily, on matters of general politics? The election campaign proper has not yet properly begun, though electioneering by both sides was vigorously done in the recess. The definite election policies of the Government and the Opposition have yet to be seen, and a full official list of candidates is stall to be disclosed. By an .examination Of the careers of parties, by a comparison of practice with precept, and by intuition, second-sight, or other means, a soldier may say :— " My vote is for the Government or the Opposition, and it is to be credited in due course to the official candidate," but this is not an "leal method of exercising the franchise. When the troops leave .New Zealand they will not spare much thought for the party politics of these islands, and "if they have neither time nor inclination (between the battles of Europe) to meditate, about rival schemes of humanitananism, would not their voting be a mere perfunctory process? Amid the bullets how are they to think of the ballots? If the .Government discovers an acceptable solution of the problem, then it will give proof of ingenuity to command universal admiration. Critics who may be disposed to carp a little at the personnel of the Food Commission should have proper regard for the special difficulties. Home days ago the Government began to sound men specially qualified for the work, and found that it was not .easy to secure all the experts desired. One bar is that many oi those whose knowledge and experience would be very valuable to the public are engaged in business which may be the subject of investigation by the Commission, which has a very wide order of reference. ' The range of the enquiry will meet any reasonable demand of the public in any part of New Zealand, and we believe that the people can have confidence in the ability and courage of the Commission to do its duty well. The Premier remarked yesterday that he had hoped it would not be necessary to set up the Commission ; he thus conveyed his original belief that the Apt, giving the Government power to regulate prices, would have the desired effect on those traders who rmght be apt to exploit the public. Jlr. Massey seems to have been disappointed; the Government's action amounts, in the circumstances, to a declaration that the Commission has not been appointed without cause. «VU the men fairly describable as "strike prisoners " have been released by the Government. Four persons, convicted and sent to gaol for offences committed during the strike, remain in custody for very good reasons. They were well known to the police before the waterside!* began their industrial war. One of the quartette has the brand of thirteen convictions, another has a list of eight, and another's tally 1 is seven. Red Federals, not satisfied with the clemency shown to the men whose records, prior to the strike, had no criminal stains, have been agitating persistently for the liberation of the lour old offenders. By a ory of " strike prisoners " an attempt is being made to excite public sympathy, and apparently part of the plan is to suggest that the Government is guilty of gross cruelty in refusing to obey the requests for mercy. Yet even the Reds must admire the _ courage of the Government in its refusal to take the easj'j emotional, sentimental , line of least resistance. The Minister of Justice, the Hon. A. L. Herdman, has firmly declined to be swayed by the sophistry of deputations and petitions. Indeed, no Minister with a due sense of respect for his position and justice fdr the public has any alternative. If men with bad records were to have a portion of their sentences remitted, merely because their last criminal offence happened to be connected with the strike, how would the Government answer appeals for similar kindness to other prisoners? Why should the four persons in question have pre* ferential treatment? By the recent remissions- the Government went to the limit of indulgence, because every man worthy of the favour was set at liberty. It is absurd to apply the terni " strike prisoner" to the four culprits, who thoroughly deserved every day of the term assigned to them.

When the House of Representatives met last night, the Minister of Defence, in answer to Mr. Dicksoti, said he had as yet got no report to make on the subject of Auckland complaints as to the quality of the boots served out to members of the Expeditionary Force.

Votes for Volunteers.

Strike Prisoners and Old Offenders.