AN OPEN LETTER.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1702, 16 December 1919, Page 5

AN OPEN LETTER.

TO THE ELECTORS OF PALMERSTON

NORTH

Wo aro now on the eve of polling day and the electors of New Zealand have to decide to-morrow who sliall govern and control the destinies of this country for the next three years. At liis meeting lost evening the official Labour candidate stated that the Reform Party had to stand or fall by their record in the past. Quite so, sir. no one wishes to quarrel with that statement, nor are the members of tho Reform Party afraid of the add test of things accomplished rather than vague promises made and organised bitter and disloyal obstruction. If the Labour Party want to apply that tcßt to the members of tho Reform Party so do tho electors of N.Z. desire to apply that test to the Parliamentary Labour Party, and ask themselves what is the past record of that Party in order that it may be judged, and stand or fall by that record; and what a record it is, a record of ecdition. disloyalty, obstruction to eyery proposal which had for its object the speedy and.. successful termination of the: war.' the engendering of class hatred., the fomenting of industrial unrest, strikes and the extension of tho goslow policy. Remembering tliis record, and remembering the fact that several members of this Party suffered terms of imprisonment for disloyalty and sedition, how can any loyal and proper thinking elector, of this community vote for its chosen representative in Palmerston North. . Mr Ayrton' has stated that' Mr Nash is bound hand and foot fb the Reform Party. It is pertinent here'to point out that Mr Ayrton, as explained by Mr W. A. Veitch, who speaks from experience, would have to vote according to tho dictates of Labour Party caucus or be expelled from tho party. He is not only bound hand and foot, but chained with fetters of steel to the Juggernaut of Revolutionary Socialism. Further, while sneering at Mr Massey'a reference to reconstruction, what really concrete proposals did Mr Ayrton himself bring forth which would foster that spirit of mutual love, admiration and the acknowledgment of tno rights of others for which tho Bolshovik and Soviet regimo has beconio fampus the world over. Two things ho mentioned. Firstly he said that.if elected ho could propound a better way for thosettling of industrial disputes than tho strike and go slow method, but refrained very carefully from explaining or even hinting what that bettor way was; and, secondly, when speaking of naval defence he advocated tho removal of tho Pacific danger by a demonstration of our feelings towards the other great Powers concerned. What? Shall wo again bo caught napping, ignoring the experience of the past; as in August, 1914, Blatantly bellowing our fellowship and love for the world in general whilst our enemies aro building Dreadnoughts and completing the moans of our speedy ultimate destruction. Tho only way to prevent war is to prepare for war. Defence was not mentioned by Mr Ayrton, but it is known that the Labour Party advocates a citizen army (it is hero interesting to note that " citizen " is tho acknowledged appellation of tho unit of the Bolshevik state) for the purpose, so say the leaders of the Labour movement, of enforcing tho decrees of the labour minority {should _ they get into power) upon the suffering majority. Much more might be said but will not this suffice: tho object of Revolutionary Socialism is to destroy and disrupt in order that out of the chaos and ashes of civilisation might be attempted a structuro architeeturised in tho fovered brain of fanatics. The object of responsible Government by the Reform Party is to build slowly but surely along tho patch of progress upon the j foundations that have been hammered out through the ages in tho building of our social industrial and commercial system. Need a choice be indicated. [Published by arrangement with the Welfare League.]