BAITING A PREMIER.

Evening Star, Issue 13003, 24 December 1906, Page 2

BAITING A PREMIER.

On the night of December 10 the Prime Minister (.Mr Deakin) addressed, or. to bo literal, attempted to address, a. gathering uf 1,700 persons in the Fitzroy Town Hall. The proceedings (says an Australian exchange) became disorderly at the outset, and tho Prime Minister did not obtain a hearing. The uproar began when Mr Deakin dvamatieally sprang to his feet, and essayed to answer a quesiiou which had been put to ihe candidate for Batman, Mr Jabez Coon. The crowd resented this, and tho Prime Minister was advised to "go back to Ballarat." Cheers were given i'or Mr Scullrn. At length Mr Deakin, stooping over the Press table, shouted the- answer to the question into the ears of the reporters. " This meeting/' shouted Mr Deakin above the din, '" disproves tho allegation that we are in alliance with the Socialists." There was a renewed outburst of the wildest disorder. Men shouted hoarsely in the dustladen atmosphere. The shrill sound of a few women's voices reached the platform. Many of the .audience stamped their feet incessantly, and others dumped chairs up and down on tho floor. The row v.\i.s almost deafening. Several persons brandished sticks and umbrellas. This state of confusion lasted several minutes. The rrinie. Minister- folded his arms, ami assumed the air of a suitue erected by naticTial subscription. Then, lii.i patience booming exhausted, he tinned lu's back en \-:-> audience before him, and addressed the few score of people—ni'-.stly ladies—on the pbtt'erm. Mr Deafcin coi;tr:r.>tod ihi' meeting with the meetings of Labor i -mlidattv. " You must not breathe a word at their meetings," lie said, "and van must- iv-t heat- a word at your own. They have no cause, no principle—nothing but noise, noise, noiss! This is an organised attempt in defeat free spe-evh out i-.f Parliament. In Parliament they organised the vote to defeat the rule of ill-.' majority."

Mr I .'en kin f.hmited (turning angrilv to crowd) : You are a party of bellow:;, and nerhing but bellows.—(Renewed bellowing, l A Voice : You've been a loafer all vour life.

Another Voie : You loafed on. the Labor party for eighteen months. A Third Voice: Yes. Mr. Watson. .A Woman's Voice : You onghter to bo in a political benevolent hasylum. As Mr Deakin proceeded those of the. audience who wished to hear him gathered in front of the platform, and tho Prime Minister, by swaying his body from side to side, managed at the cost of great physical exertion to reach a few hundred sympathisers, while tltosc further away stamped and shouted with no intermission.

" They." he cried, waving his hand at the crowd behind, " havo no policy but cat-calls."

This so delighted .in enthusiastic sup ; porter of Mr Deakin that he pressed forward to the platform and heartily patted that statesman on the calves, exclairning : "Well done, Alf!" Another man jumped forward and shook hands with the Prime Minister. _ ..

"Against the policy of catcalls," continued Mr Deakin, greatly encouraged, "we put a policy of solid work." Bv this time the Prime Minister was apparently much fatigued. He resorted to strategy. When the uproar became louder than usual he postulated, opened and closed his mouth, and went through all tho actions of oratory without uttering a word. Tho great crowd below howled themselves hoarse, while the supporters on and about the Dlatform shrieked with laughter. _ At length tho comicality of the situation irresistibly siezed upori Mr Deakin, and he became almost doubled up with laushter at his own trick. The speech was finished in dumb show, Mr Deakin pulling Mr Cool) up from his chair and presenting him to the audience for approval.