Grey River Argus and Blackball News SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 1915.

Grey River Argus, 12 June 1915, Page 4

Grey River Argus and Blackball News

SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 1915.

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THE " West Coast Times" is evidently badly affected with the Party microbe, and it takes us to task for venturing to assert that it would be a good thing for New Zealand in the present crisis to lay aside party bickering, and for all phases of political opinion to unite and work heart and soul in assisting the Motherland in the great struggle in which it is now engaged. This, the "West Coast Times" considers, is the direst treason'to the cause of ' Reform, and it accuses us of wobbling. Those who know us best are the best judges of the truth of this assertion. We yield to none in our loyalty to the Reform Party, but whereas the "West Coast Times" can see nothing that is good in the Liberal Party, we merely say that it has failings which do not justify it in presiding over the destinies of New Zealand. The ' ' West Coast Times, ' ' with an evident desire to display its knowledge of logic accuses us of begging the question. ' We ask our contemporary to be more explicit, and to show clearly in what way we have committed this fallacy. It sounds very erudite, no doubt, to accuse the other side of b- gging the question, but very often the person making this assertion is guilty of another fallacy of which our sapient contemporary is no n doubt aware. The "Times" says: — "It is essential at the present time that we should have in office the Government most likely to discharge New Zealand's part in the war effectively. Looking at the position from that point of view, here are two obvious reasons why the Reform Government should be retained in office during the war. The first is that the present Government is thoroughly familiar with th(i whole of the details of the war administration whereas the Opposition would come new and strange to the work. The . second reason is that the Reform Party displayed much more prescience in the past regarding miltary exigencies than did the Ward Party." . All this, no doubt, is very true ; but there is nothing in it as an argument against a Coalition Government being formed until the end of the war. We did not suggest that the Reform Government should resign so that a Ward-cum-Russel-cum-Webb War Ministry could come into

1 power. (>.;■• contemporary, with all its « ...' ;»,v of erudition, is evidently • „ o:*f.?it of. the term coalition. '.::,-»_ "cum" combination ™ at (^' contemporary harps about iiv r ).ms the Opposition, so that ii „ ,-y came office we would not have a Coalition Ministry at all. Every one admits that the Hon. J. Allen has carried out his duties as Defence Minister in a way that has gained the hearty approval of all parties No one would think of depriving him of -his office at the present juncture, but if. both parties agreed to sink their political differences for the time being it would be better for -the country No one but the most narrow minded Party hack would deny that the present Government would be greatly strengthened by the' inclusion of Sir Joseph Ward and several other members of the Opposition. We are now trying to rise above the low plane of party politics in which the "West toast Times" lives and moves and has its being. Sir Joseph Ward as an Imperial statesman, is second to none in the British Em* pire and it is only when he distends to the level of party politics that his weaknesses are ap- ™;,. Th * "West Coaft Times is so one-eyed that it tries to make its readers believe that everything that the Party that it supports does is right, and eveiytmng that the Opposition Party does must be wrong. We have never adopted such an illogical position. ? The best Government that ever held office was not without its faults, and the worst government was not without its redeeming features. We consider that the Reform Government stands for clean administration and progress, and we therefore support it. We have criticised the Liberal Party and.its leader when occasion arose, but we are not going to allow the "West Coast Times" or any other viru^ lent Party organ to dictate to us 1 what we shall say gii any matter affecting the weal of the Dominion and the Empire. We/ therefore, most emphatically repeat what wo said in our previous article, that in the present crisis it is advisable that a Coalition Government should be formed, and that, if both parties persist hi carrying on an unseemly wrangle about issues that are of no momen at the present juncture we say in the words of Mercutio : '"A plague 0' both your houses." If the '.'West Coast Times" continues to adopt its present one-eyed attitude the Reform Party will have eausc to say: "Lord preserve us from our friends."