A STINGING REPLY.

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 December 1911, Page 2

A STINGING REPLY.

(Published by Arrangement.) [to tat abirdh.] in aiiswer to an article, which appeared in your issue of Saturday, December 2nd, headed “Political Matter, published by arrangement.” An article culled from the Voice of Labour’, the alleged official organ of the New Zealand Labour Party, with headlines as follows 1 THE RED TERROR; ANARCHISTS IN NEW ZEALAND. \ Destruction of Life, Property and Machinery openely advocated on Street Corner’s.” 1 It then goes on to describe the doings of one Bakouin and his followers, whose I cachings were said to fall on fertile giound and that for a time these anarchists terrorised Europe, ■ Outrage followed outrage. The cowardly bomb, the assassin’s dagger, the blow in the dark/ alternated in rapid and ghastly succession. The writer then goes on to "state that the New Zealand Socialist Party and the Netv Zealand Federation of Labor are of this brand. We wish to openly declare that the article in question is a deliberate and malicious effort to poison 'A e minds of the people as to the true aims and ideals of the organisation which our candidate represents, just on the eve of the election. A meaner and more despicable action it is impossible to think of. As our finances are limited and all insertions from tills date have to be paid for, it is impossible for us to go into detail in answering'the article. We have ■volumes of evidence in our possession to prove that the party who are responsible fcr this article have attacked in a cowardly and malicious manner the Leader of tno very Government whom this article is i sed to support. Tnere are only two candidates in the field —one a supporter of the Government and one the nominee of Labour. And it is very evident that whoever is responsible for this article (published by arrangement) appearing in your paper was influenced by no other motive than furthering the candidature of Sir A. R. Guinness and crucifying in a cowardly fashion the chances of a young man, P. C. Webb, who lias a dean and honourable career, and whose mission in life is the emanicipation of his class. The duty which he is called upon to perform by his organisation is not the destruction of life and property, but the contrary, the protection of human life. The sole object of our organisation is to bring to the worker' more of the product o f his labour, in order that the children of the coming generation may be betterfed, colthed, housed and educated, permitting the full development of their God-given faculties. It may be news to the people to know that one of the individuals on the staff of this paper “Voice of Labour,” was the writer of that scurrilous rag known as the (‘Black Pamphlet/’ in which the Premier was ridiculed as ’ a public robber. The supporters of the Government candidate for the Grey electorate have our .sympathy if they cannot find matter other than that which comes from the same quarters as the pamphlet in question, which was a direct attempt to discredit the party which they support and directly branded the head of that party as not being fit to hold public office. We ask the electors of Grey, men and women, what would they think of Webb and his supporters if they used that scurrilous pamphlet in order to seenrt votes? We know what you would think as honourable men and women who believe \in honourable, straightforward tactics, and you would at the ballot box exercise your protest by striking out the oame of the candidate, whose supporters were guilty of such corrupt practices. Tlie organisation, which is so maliciously attacked came into being in the little town of Runanga. Its officers are well known to the electors of Grey. They have been listened to on the box at the street corner, also in the union meeting, also in the lecture halls. Their political and industrial opinions have appeared in the columns of the local papers. And we right now challenge the authors or author of this scurrilous article and also those responsible for its publication in your paper to prove that at any time or anywhere such advocacy as that stated in the article ever came from the lips of any officer or member of the New Zealand Federation of Labour. We also wish to defend Mr Scott-Bennett, who is attacked in this article, and declare that ho is one of the cleanest living and lawabiding citizens in New Zealand. He occupied a seat in the Victorian Parliament fcr Ballarat, and resigned on his own account in order to preach a doctrine which he believed to be, if carried into effect, “the solution of the social problem” of modern times. As a member of Parliament he had not full scope for his abilities, and found it necessary to resign. He i? now actively engaged in preaching a scientific doctrine. His stay in New Zealand has been about eighteen months, and vrp again challenge these individuals to prove that this cultured orator ever advocated the destruction of life and property. Mr Savage, of Auckland, is just such another man, and is respected and loved by all who have come in personal contact with him as a clean, honourable and honest man. I myself am accused of making use of language at a meeting in the Opera House, Auckland, that appealed to the lowest passions of the people. This is an nnmitigaed falsehood, and in keeping with other such reports that have appeared in the Press from time to time. At the meeting in question over 2000 people were present, regular attendants at the Opera House; and at any time I am prepared to apeal to the same audience for their opinion as to the effect of my utterances on the night in question. And if the audience agrees with the article in question I am prepared to resign my position and leave the country. Complaint is made of some supporters of the Unity scheme being brutally treated. This we know nothing cf and it is cowardly to attempt to foist I the blame on the officers of our organisation.

In conclusion, we declare that the article is a malicious and cowardly attempt to injure the candidature of P. C. Webb, who is at the head of the organisation (President) and has the confidence ot thousands of working men and women. A clean-living, honourable young man, who has burned the midnight oil after many a hard day’s toil in the mine for the purpose of fitting himself for the great intellectual battle that is to-day in e'. jdence and will become more arduous until the whole human race is emancipated from modern exploitation; also an effort to discredit and strangle an organisation ' of men and women, whose chief purpose in life is to imporve the material conditions of their kind. We appeal tn the electors to use their own intelligence, not to be influenced by such treacherous tactics. To use the intellect that has been given them by Providence. We wish to emphasise the fact that history proves that all great movements have been dealt with in such cowardly fashion. All great men and women of the past who have solved some great problem or discovered some great secret have been misunderstood and disregarded by the very class that they have attempted to uplift. The New Zealand Federation of Labour and their candidates believe that the earth should be owned by the people; that nature has provided a sufficiency for everyone. To-day the masses are not getting their share of the good things of this world, which we consider is their national heritage. And despite the misrepresentation and scurrilous attacks, onward is. our-march, and we have sufficient confidence in our human kind that when polling day comes you will give our candidate and movement due and honorable consideration, whose object is not to destroy but to protect human life, not to destroy machinery, whic his the product of human effort, but to use the machinery to the best advantage for the great human family. If any of the statements in tlarticle in question can be proved to

be true we are prepared to forfeit the sum of £IOO to the Grey River Hospital. R. SEMPLE, Orgartiser of the New Zealand Federationof Labohf; ’ v J. GLOVER,

Secretary.