PRINCIPLES AND PARTY

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 126, 23 November 1935, Page 10

PRINCIPLES AND PARTY

"It is not sufficient to speak in negative terms. A definite affirmative has been given by me and should be given by mv opponent," declared Mr. Butler (Labour) in criticising his Independent opponent for his "so many diverse tongues." We may pass over the contradiction of Mr. Butler's criticism and the attitude of Mr. Semple, who only a few days before was indignantly resentful of the "colossal cheek, confounded impudence" of requests for policydetails (from Labour). Mr.'Butler's complaint against Mr. Wright is not only that, being an Independent, he is not lied to a policy and a parly, but that in the last Parliament he refused to accept a policy of which he disapproved though it was submitted by a party he had formerly supported. "He condoned the actions of the Government in enforcing the exchange manipulation, the sales tax, wages and salaries reductions, reductions in old age and soldiers' pensions, and all other reactionary legislation," said Mr. Butler, "by repeatedly voting confidence in it." This is one way of describing Mr. Wright's actions; another, and fairer way, would be to say that he opposed exchange manipulation and other parts of the Coalition policy to which he had never subscribed, but he refused to be trapped by the no-confidence device into plunging the country into chaos, as it would have been plunged if the Coalition had been defeated when there was nothing to put in its place. Mr. Wright, in fact, followed Mr. Downie Stewart's precept and

practice. He tried to mend the policy, and, because he could not succeed he did not rashly end the Government. In this lie served the country better, and we think interpreted the wishes of Wellington Suburbs electors more truly, than if he had allowed weak pursuit of superficial consistency to lead him into the greater inconsistency of opposing exchange manipulation by the Coalition and supporting the Labour Party which proposed a worse measure of currency manipulation, j It is curious, however, to note how the politicians who are tied to party and policy rail at others who are strong enough to hold an independent opinion. Mr. Chapman, who has an Independent opponent in Wellington North, spoke on Wednesday night in the same strain as Mr. Butler. The Independents, he said, can be described as sitting on the fence, looking, when a vote is to be cast, which side will be the most popular. In a case of principle as far as the average Independent is concerned, it is usually a case of expediency. On what authority is this allegation of the moral inferiority of the Independent based? We do not criticise | the party voter. As we have stated before, team-work is essential for| achievement; but team work does not demand the complete surrender of individual judgment. And there is certainly no warranty, for charging a member or candidate who has the courage to express ■an individual opinion with being guided usually by expediency. Surely the inde-1 pendent-thinking person should be allowed possession of as much principle as the party automaton! who has left principles in the custody of the party. Political parties themselves contradict the view expressed! by Mr. Chapman, for they relax party discipline on issues of religion and morality into the decision of which high principle enters. . j