North Otago Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1913. THE FEDERATION OF DESTRUCTION.

North Otago Times, 4 February 1913, Page 2

North Otago Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1913. THE FEDERATION OF DESTRUCTION.

We caa understand Ifca reason for Messrs Semple, iWebb ami Rickey's ■desire to destroy the Government, with the assistance of Mr Steve Borohnm, Their occupation went with the shattering 0 f the • Federation of Labor, and it is natural that any man should feel aggrieved at someone or the World in general tl foe loses his pidans of llveli) hood. A deputation from tte Labor Conference waited on Mr Massey on Friday to place before him certain resolutions carried |jy that foody, Mr Massey could have held the deputation strictly to.th'e terms of its mission, but before tlie Premier had time to again comprehend tint life wad mflde up of.th'e crosses we have to (bear, Mr Semple 'had straddled his warhorse, couched Jiis lance, and was tilting for all lie was worth at the Massey Government.' His charge against the Government was just the same sort of charge that was brought against the Ward Government—that it. was favoring capital against labor. The gravamen of Mr Semplc's indictment lay in the fact that the Government bad. sent police to Waihi, ii o t so much, as Mr Semple said, ito Keep the peace, as to assist capital to s jiielclr ffha are known as the "red feds." It ■did not require tto assistance of capital to put down the predatory socialism that' lurked about Waihi. A large section of the men were becoming dissatisfied with its methods, and this statement is substantially proved toy tlve. fact that after the stri' is bad commenced the ■"rat feds" .tegaa to vfisitly shrink, while .foe artitratforfsts, - like Charles Dickeas's oharacter, began to visibly swell. - ;At the!beginning the federationists were ia the eeeen4ant. It ps at tils. Ibs 1

Polios were smt, and, according] to Mr Semple, they should not have been there, the inierence> leio™ that their presccice interfered with the methods tho federationists might nave adopted in bringing ths others tq the fold. However, the federationists fell away till only an attenuated band was left, and the ariitraticnists grew and multiplied till the positions were reversed. Then it was 'that Mr Scrapie, no doutt, made the discovery that the police wero an| absolute necessity. But tfe Government, at the request of the .people of Waihi, had to stad the pd ce, whether their going deprived Mr Sample? 0 f a 'billet or nob. Th'is was perfectly fair, for while they protected tire arbitrationists 'at the beginning they did the Hame gocdi turn for the kderatioriists at 'the end, when the talilss were turned. Had Sir Joseph Ward, Mr. Mackenzie, Mr Semple, or Mr Steve Bordiam teen in power the same procedure would have had to be followed. The positicn was dangerous, and the peop'e on the spot knew it. As it was a tragedy occurred, tuteven the prospect of disturbances was sulflckiat 'excuse tor the presence of the police at? Waihi, :