FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

Free Lance, Volume XIX, Issue 1013, 26 November 1919, Page 10

FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

But Not for the Other Fellow. IT is amusing to read of Mr P. Fraser' s piously expressed regard for " good form." At one of his meetings last week the Labour extremist candidate for Wellington Central said he would have liked to - have gone to Mr Pirani's meeting, but it would not show "good form," does not try to But although Mr Fraser did not go, a mob of his supporters _ duly rallied up at Mr Pirani's meeting, and indulged in what was clearly an organised and deliberate attempt to prevent the Liberal candidate from expounding his political views. Similar treatment was meted out to Mr' J. P.. Luke at his initial meeting in the Wellington North campaign, and at Colonel Mitchell' s meeting in the Wellington South electorate the Red Feds # were equally prominent in causing disorder and trying to prevent the candidate from putting forward his. programme.

It is a great pity that Mr Fraser, with all his quite touching anxiety to show "good form." does not try to put an end to this organised blackguardism on the part of some of his supporters. The fact that Mr .T. K. Sidey had to suffer the same kind of treatment the other night at Dunedin from the same class of opponent seems

to show that " freedom of speech,' 5 " concerning -which the extremist Labourleaders are so fond of canting, no more exists at Dunedin than it does> in Wellington.

If the advocate of " good form "lean spare an hour or so from blowing his own trumpet, he might do worse "than give an address to his supporters and enjoin some common decency of behaviour upon these- worthies. "Freedom of speech" is all very well, but it should apply all round, and not be monopolised by the Red Feds..