Mr Massey's Speech.

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2024, 13 March 1913, Page 2

Mr Massey's Speech.

The people of New Zealand generally, as Well as the politicians particularly, are in recess just now, so that this is really the close season for politics. Despite this iacfc, Premier Ma&sey went down to Christehurch and delivered a policy speech. Outside the Cathedral City, nobody got excited cn-er that speech. Why should they? It is good to have a- close season for politics. There are too many political speeches delivered in this little country. We require a good solid refit. We don't get it, of course: for the politicians roam the land looking for trouble which doesn't exist, and not throwing even a candleray upon the problems and things that matter. Mr Massey was looking for trouble when he took his, policy speech to the City of the Plains for deliverance, the dwellers of which are similar, to the Athenians of old in two matters: they are no respecters of persons and they are ever looking for a. new religion. Mr Massey was not treated a whit wortse than Premier Seddon by the Christchurch folks; but whilst tho one roared the opposition down with his big voice, the other genially smiled away the opposition. The anti-mili-tarist and the Socialist—he i s one and tho same—is the curse of our public life, and it i s a pity that the large hand of the Law and the bigger boot of the policeman cannot combine to squelch him every time he raises his raucous voice and his venomous head. And it is time, -too, that our city papers adopted the policy of treating these disturbers of the peace with absolute contempt. Leave all mention of their names and of their doings out of the papers, and they will soon cease to exist as a force. One-half, if not two-thirds, of these now so-called leaders have been made such by the publicity given them in our city papers. These. ••Rods" made the Premier's speech appear rather ridiculous, because tliv unseemly interruptions took away dignity and seriousness from the Prime Minister's utterance, and must also have had nn elfect upon the s~-"•!■•'■. "i?ufc we can see that M;;s:.-y siui'.: ;!o::unati.ng the meeting, n>id it w;-.s the *mile of the man who is u-w top looking down on those who envied hinf his position. Mr Massey , s best policy is to Make Good —and we believe he will try his best to do that.