AT THE HELM

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 34, 9 August 1934, Page 14

AT THE HELM

POLITICS AT HOME

THE STAND FOR LIBERTY

(From "The Post's" Representative.) ;. ' LONDON, July 6.

' Mr.: Neville Chamberlain^ Chancellor o£ the Exchequer, spoke at a public meeting on the possibility of a General ■Election. ■ .

"People say to the National Government,- 'Get off the perch.' There seem ■to be people in this country who forget ,what;has happened during the last two ;and a half years," he said. "Presently ,we shall be coming to you again for a further mandate. The Socialist Party will not remember to tell you that the last time they had a j6b they mismanaged i affairs so much that they very nearly brought their employers to the workhouse. . Sir Herbert Samuel will be another applicant, and will need to be-reminded that he has not got a very good reputation, as a stayer, and that he possesses a very gloomy temperament and is apt to be frightened. •''you will have another applicant in a foreign sort of livery—all shirt and no collar. • He will not be able to give any'references, for he was'only a short time in service, and then it was in a minor post. , But he will give you a long. speech and sSy that if you will ,only shut' your eyes and leave things to = him ,he will make you happy, wealthy,' and wise before you can say 'Jack Bobinson.' It is said that this Government has now exhausted. its 'mandate' and'finished its programme, and is drifting along not knowing where it is going. If I thought that was 'true, I would be the first to say, 'It is time we had a change,' although I. do not fcnqw where wo could find a better lot to take our placo. There is no' foundation for thai; statement. because, busy as this Government is on problems of the moment, it is at the same time spending much thought and Btudy upon problems of tho future. ' "We must make all our liberties safe against'dictatorship. We do not want suppression of free speech and wo do not want rowdyism at public meetings. The Government is quite determined that it is going to preserve law and order, and so long as wo are in office there .shall be no dictatorship. "Wo will do what wo can to sec that there is,no-'dictatorship after us. We canyjqt guarantee the people of this oouniiy against that unless they give us their- 'support."