The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 1914.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3585, 10 March 1914, Page 4

The Gisborne Times . PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 1914.

An Artful Bit of Political Angling.

There are certainly many interesting statements in that new but not very imposing publication, “The N.Z.. Liberal.” which has seemingly been produced with the object of trying to rally the remnant of what was once the great Liberal party. It is the case, too. that none is more striking than that in which it is sought, editorially, to be matfe out that there will be but one great issue before the constituencies at the General Election. The ciioice. it is alleged, will be between Liberalism and Conservatism which, it is further stated, are the convertible terms for Progress and Reaction. Now this is really all very interesting—but does it happen to put the position exactly? Well, hardly! By “Liberalism” Sir Joseph Ward, or rather “Thu N.Z. Liberal,” wishes of course to define all parties' excepting the Massey party and by “Conservatism” no other party than the party which is at present in power! It would appear, however, that before the Leader of the Opposition or his satellite press would have any right to try and make out that what he says is correct he has himself a good distance to go. Nobody, for instance, will believe that Mr Massey’s Government could honestly be described as a “Conservative” Government until Sir Joseph Ward shall have shown, if it could he shown, that any new Government which he might be «ble to form would be mpre democratic than the party which at present occupies the Treasury Benches. Let him then straight-away declare the Liberal policy so that the electors may judge for themselves in the matter. We are afraid, too, that this assertion about there going to be only one real issue for decision at tlie General Elections will hardly suit Labor in the way that it is put, for if what is inferred be correct, it would seem that the permission of Labor bad been obtained to declare that that party intends to throw in its lot with the Liberals in a combined attempt to overthrow the “Reform Liberals” whom Sir Joseph Ward is so pleased to describe as “Conservatives” because tiie old Opposition did happen to contain quite a number of Conservatives in its ranks. Seemingly Sir Joseph Ward wishes to forget that Labor—or to be more exact say only the Social Democrats—have already declared themselves time and tune again just as hostile to Liberalism as they are to Reform Liberalism. As a matter of fact the “Maoriland Worker” is always talking about only one issue, too, but it is quite a different issue from that which the Leader of the Opposition and the “N.Z. Liberal” would prefer to see take place, for that journal invariably .places on one ; side only the workers and on the other side both the Reform Liberals and the Liberals! In this regard it is, for instance, the position that but recently the “Worker” was contending “that the workers must show unrelenting hostility towards both the Reform and ! Liberal parties of capitalism”'; “that the Social Democrats must stand or fall by their own platform”; “that we (the workers) stand for the abolition not for the patching up of the wage system,” etc, etc. Thus it would appear to be quite idle for “The N.Z. Liberal,” or for Sir Joseph Ward 01 for anybody else to attempt to make out that all parties opposed to the Reform party—for that is the real moaning of the comments under consideration—will at the time of the great electoral battle in November or December next be found in the same political camp. Such nice sweet words as are contained in the assertion that “there may be—there are—degrees and unauces and some of the. Liberals may call themselves Radicals, Progressives, Laborites, or" Social Democrats” must then ’ so far as the Social Democrats and maybe the other Laborites are concerned fall very flat. What is almost certain to happen is that notwithstanding this artful piece of Lib- . ' era! angling, Mr W. T. Mills and the other Labor organisers will assuredly proceed with their wrok, so that if Sir Joseph Ward is expecting a great deal oft help from the Labor quarter on tin's occasion, be stands as big a risk of being disappointed. The most interesting aspect of the whole situation is, it seems to us, that the Leader of the Opposition is afraid that if Labor goes on its own—as it lias declared it intends to go—it may secure a few extra seats; in the House and such seats could only be seats at present hold by members of bis own sadly attenuated band of active, whole-hearted supporters. As far as one can judge, it is not improbable that the House will net find time to thoroughly go into the whole question of electoral reform this season, in which event the system of election for the General Election would:, of course, be that which is known as “first past the post,” and the real issue would be — not Liberals, Labor,'etc., versus Reform Liberals, or Labor versus Reform Liberals and * Liberals—but Reform Liberals, Liberals,, Laborites, etc., all ou their own merits.\ If then Sir Joseph Ward wishes to have a chanoe of improving the position of his own very uncomfortable‘party he should lose no further time in placing before the electors, the best policy that ho can possibly devise, and.the matter

miglvt then safely be left to the people in whom ho now more than over before professes to trust and who aro not likely to misjudge the real merits ,of' the contending parties.