POLITICAL CHEAP-JACKS

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 92, 15 October 1927, Page 28

POLITICAL CHEAP-JACKS

TAKEN AT OWN VALUATION

The Welfare League writes:—

The secretary of one of the local branches of the New Zealand Labour Party, in replying to the Welfare League, quoted Mr. Baldwin, British Prime Minister, as a political cheapjack. The only reason for such criticism was that the views of the New Zealand Socialist differs from those held by Mr. Baldwin. Curiously enough the British Premier used the same term a little while ago. Not applicable to some particular person, he does not deal in personalities, but as applying to the class of politicians whose main stock-in-trade consists of great professions.

Whatever else may be said about the Labour Party no one can deny its right to be called the Party of Promise. It is so in England, and the same applies in New Zealand. There is no ill from which the body politic suffers for which it does not promise a cure. > . . .

The universal cure for all ills is given forth.constantly as "vote Labour." So confident is this party of the healing power of its remedies that it can even ignore the fact that where they have been tried they have failed to bring relief and sometimes proved fatal. Mr. Baldwin seized on this characteristic of the Labour 1 Party in his speech in Lincolnshire where he replied to the criticisms of the agricultural policy of the Government. That industry is admittedly in a serious condition, and all tho political cheap-jacks, he said, were rushing in' with, their quack remedies. «

"They are prepared to guarantee a change in the' climate to suit every farmer in every corner of the kingdom, a change' in the world markets to suit every seller, a rise in wages to suit every labourer, and a fall in prices to suit every household. , They promise you a policy which will satisfy at the same time the 10 per cent, of pur population who live in the villages and tho :90 per cent, who live;in the towns. They will import wheat free frora abroad,'but they will make arable farming flourish at Home, and out of the profits they. will, undertake to keep a regiment of, officials- and tell you how ■to conduct, your, own business."

That is an apt and not an exaggerated description of the Socialist land policy. If it does not quite claim to control the climate it at any rate ignores it, and suggests that, it can make the land flourish in spite of it.' Mr. Baldwin did not pretend to possess such powers of magic, but he' laid down very fairly : the only methods by which, in present circumstances, the Government can bring aid to agriculture. As for the; policy of the Labour Party, ho said, the one thing it might certainly be expected to do would be to make two weeds grow where one grows today, iln that' field of activity its powers are certainly unique, and it can justly say that they have.been proved by experience.

We are -often surprised to find now easily the people are taken in by the glib politicians who are ready to promise almost anything in order to -gain votes, ,It is not so'much that the people arc gullible as that- they are in the main simple and honest whilst the political cheap-jack is far from simple arid his honesty of profession, often :shows- a peculiar twist.

So' many, electors are ready to take the Socialist politician at his own valuation. He promises and professes so nicely that they.cannot think it is anything but correct what he tells them.

Strange, yet true it is, that electors who are firmly convinced individualists will vote for the Socialist candidate— because on the hustings the said candidate is wily enough to leave his Socialist doctrines out of the picture. Producers in the. country who hold 'strongly to the policy, of the private ownership of land will on occasions vote for the candidate of a party which puts.it down in cold print that its land objective is the "public ownership of land.'' One reason for the spread of political Socialism is that most of the Socialist politicians': are professionals with a special skill in presenting theij Red creed as if it were simply progressive Liberalism (when they deal with it at all), and in making appeals to sediment and cupidity on purely indiviuualist lines which always takes the mass. . ■ .-■"■■■

IIMITS OF POLITICAL ACTIOK.

' It is nearly time our people, who'havo had the franchise for many years, learned to understand that there aro limits to what can be done by politicians. There ; are economic laws which operate independent of all politi-

cal restrictions. ■ There, are natural conditions which- the ready: politicians may promise; to over-ride and give the people something out of" a hat that is not in it. ■ ■ . . . .

■ Just as the quack will propound miraculous remedies he can supply without reference to the natural laws governing man's body, so the; Socialists and, Communists profess to handle the body politic and do things which.are impossible without harmful reaction. ■

; We cannot make, the- supply of wealth greater by- more political regulations. It is the. economic factor which counts in that direction not the political. It is beyond the power of Government and Parliament to do certain things -with assured-results in tho direction hoped for.. Once ..we. realise the limits of. political action we shall, as a people, be less ready to blame tht' Government for things no Government could help. . '•;..' • Wjf s^ llalso. be less readily taken in by the political cheap-jacks who make impossible promises. and present their case in gilded tales of what they will do if only you will trust them, and not inquire too closely into -.their underlying objectives.

In politics as in business the test to be applied is how far the professions are honest and practical. c