The Elections.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 42, 22 December 1911, Page 10

The Elections.

We cordially congratulate Mr. J. Robertson on his victory at Otaki. A pledged and labelled Socialist, he is the first returned as such to any Australasian Parliament. Though victorious by the grace of the Opposition, if Mr. Robertson is equal to his great cause and does his duty, he will soon be anathema as much to the Opposition as he has been recently to the Government —or to be more precise, to the Government candidate at Otaki and some Government newspapers. As far as these latter are concerned the fullest publicity was given to Mr. Robertson's endorsement as Revolutionary Socialist, and this was trumpeted forth with the usual sort of references to the Red Flag and with much emphasis of the awful doctrines of confiscation and land nationalisation upheld by Socialists. However, Mr. Robertson is now a member of Parliament, and dare he be Revolutionary Socialist in deed as in name, a New Evangel indeed will make history in New Zealand and earn a world's attention and a movement's joy and co-operation. To some extent the future of political Socialism in this country is in Mr. Robertson's hands, and in the light of his grave responsibilities we very strongly hope he will be careless of consequences to himself, but fastidiously careful of his cause. He can be Success or Failure for all time by what he attempts and achieves for Socialism and its movement. His pathway will be thorny, and denunciation and abuse his lot if he adheres tenaciously to principle and avoids the •pitfalls inevitably to be set for him. True to his party he will be the forerunner of his party's power and will live aer landmark and proclamation of the awakening of the working-class to claim its own. In the nature of things we shall have occasion and need to further discuss our comrade and his trust, tactics, and obligations •— but here and now he is entitled to hearty congratulations and best wishes, and these we tender him in the fervent hope that he is conscious of his call, aims to do credit to the working-class party and be good servant to the divine master men have named Socialism.

Mr. Hiclvey put up an excellent fight aut Ohinemuri—-a, fight of JBt<raig&toese amd of pluck. Ohinemtiri is one «€ several electorates wliicli at fcto? flc&fc ©tectioue tihould supoorfc avowed and dan-

gerous Socialists; and put them into Parliament to establish Production for Use and restore to the worker the full product of his labor.

As to the composition of che newParliament, the significant and basal feature of it is the presence of four men symbolising the coming political independence of the working-class. "Whatever these four —Messrs. Roberteon, Hindmarsli, Veitch, and Payne—«3o not represent, they at least stand for a n-ew political party and a new political development. If they are wise enough to avoid all emasculating alliances, and hold stedfastly to the idiea of independence 'they may do much for, the unionists and workers generally. We observed that the "Times" and the "Post" of Wellington classified Mr. Payne as a Socialist, and we shall watch his actions, with interest. He stood as Independent Labor, unendorsed, v.c understand, by .either Socialist Party or Labor Party. With one of these he had to identify himself, for in the borders of either there is not even standing-room for the unpledged and uuendorsed candidate.

And this statement leads us to remark that the political machinery of both Socialists and Laborites has been proven woefully faulty, and that whe- r ther we are to have- Labor Party or Socialist Party., or both, all in either camp mu-st realise the necessity for agreement and cohesion and discipline within each. As far as the I*abor Party goes, its election procedxire was confused and chaotic. Mr. Moore, for instance, first vigorously condemned the Ward Government and then sought the. support of its followers. Mr. Young, ■on the night of the first ballot, practically handed on a shovel the Labor vote to Mr. Fisher, Oppositionist —and then had to excuse his indiscretion. The Auckland executive issued a manifesto against Mr. Findlay, and Mr. Mack (Labor defeated candidate) a manifesto for Mr. Findlay. In the name of the Labor Party the Auckland executive attempted to swing the workers behind Massey and in the name of the Labor Party the Wellington Labor candidates attempted to swing the workers behind Ward. True, the national executive at Wellington sensibly handled the <; second ballot" vote by leaving dictation severely alone, but Mr. Edward Tregear wired backing Millar (M.) at Dunedin and wired repudiating Robertson at Otakj. At Dun--edin Labor champions opposed each other over Millar. At Grey, Labor officials nominated Sir Arthur Guinness.against Webb. At least two of the successful Labor candidates (Mr Hindmarsh excluded),- as did.Mr. Robertson, we believe, pledged themselves 'to the Opposition to vote against the Government on a no-confidence motion. Mr. Hindmarsh very properly insisted that the vote of the party upon such a matter was to be determined by the caucus. Mr. McLaren virtually handed himself and prospective parliamentary votes owr to the Liberal Party in order to get Liberal election votes. It ought to be obvious that with such confusion no party could grow or last. No party with safety can speak with two or mor« contradictory voices. At any future election tiie working-claes candidate who endeavours to placate or treat for the vote of the parties he is equally combating must be acclaimed guilty of treachery. Either a workingclass' party is in the Held against All Comers or it has no justification for. being in the field., and little excuse for existence. It is ejuite evident that within the , LjUwi' Party there arc two mark wily autai£oiiwtic elements. The oa«j seeks |

to hold Laborism to Liberalism and the other to escape the tentacles of Liberalism. Already, too, certain Liberals, noting the tendencies of Labor tio break from Liberalism;, are reaching out to revive the Liberal-Labor Party. There is danger ahead, perhaps disaster. Assuredly the Liberal Party ha* to be fought down, if there is to be a Labor Party—-and the Laborite who would betray . his class by organising for Liberalism and Liberalism's party is a.noodle or.-a rascal. His opponents within the party will possibly see that the real breakaway from Liberalism' is by the Socialist Party and Labor Federation.

We are against the Labor Party (only against it, never let it be forgotten, because in favor of its Socialist alternative within the working-class kingdom), but rejoice to see the increased Labor vote.

That vote, we are confident, would not have been appreciably less had the men who got it been avowed Socialist candidates, and we are convinced that & Socialist Party (in name as well as in policy) would e-re long be much more acceptable than a Labor Party, providing the workers united and were sufficiently courageous to avow their objective (which is and must be Socialism) and operated in its spirit and name. We are more than ever hopeful that the Socialists within the Labor Party will see that working-class advancement in New Zealand will come by leaving Liberalism to the Liberals, and not by taking over Liberalism and calling it the platform of the La"bor Party.

Anything may happen politically, but no government under the circumstances is likely to live long. Sir .Joseph Ward has possibly realised that in the long run Dreadnoughts and Titles and-Con-scription come home to roost. Nemesis is like the mills of God. With the consent of Labor, Mr. Massey may turn out Ward, but only by concessions for support can he govern. Not the least instructive, if contemptuous and cynical, aspect of the rival leaders' bid for place and power was the pathetic appeal for the workers' vote —pathetically outdone, 'tis true, by the workers siding with their foes and cheering ius,tily for spurious Reform and swindling Liberalism. And, oh the promises!— if candidates and leaders of both Opposition and Government who, to beat each other at the second ballot, extravagantly promised the working-class voters anything and everything but meant to perform a tenth of the promise, why New Zealand would be a real paradise and the worker a god.