MORE POLITICS FOR THE PEOPLE .

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14806, 9 October 1911, Page 4

MORE POLITICS FOR THE PEOPLE .

Sir.Let us keep the pot boiling, because -; | the elections for a new Parliament will take place shortly. The Harvest ..•will soon be past, the summer ended, and wo not poli-" § t-ically saved unless we look alive. The' ; ; implication is that we are lost; .so we 'an®! although not absolutely and finally, J But&ajff only relativejy - and temporarily.^!Then 1 what must we do to be saved? - Ah, i that's!® I the » rub.»- Echo :» answers; " What?" We 1 must-, tof course, know •what is the matter f| with. lis. As a political ' doctor I "have, : if studied the subject,' and discovered f thatlsS the Sovereign People's f backbone lis but of joint, and : that is why we wriggle ? and wobble so. - Sometimes we! wake up, tubing our eyes, arid j. resolve to show the natives fr§§|| ihow to "co it; " but' the least flutter- in the - papers- or the nightmare of losing a' Government soup-ticket makes us collapse like a \- pricked bladder. • Poor things! How.- sad. Very.,« ... -'•/■. ! The cure required* is an Ideal. Look at | my Socialist; friends V- who i have an ideal. They, have drunk a very deep"" draugh; ra the cup, of hope::and can ?already, in -vision?- r ; see universal compulsory co-operation, each for ; all and all 'for each, ■ instead >oi'|alt«f||w throat, pitiless, j and I wasteful misdirected. competition. And knowing what they want, . they mean : to have it, or know the • reasca ' ' why. slt only requires the man and to '• psychological moment,.! and . then the die uriH-' bo : cast; Do not let lis make any mistake about it. Socialists are making for : their ,44 ideal. Sneers, misrepresentations, aye and persecution, will not divert, but will rather intensify, their "endeavours. We, too, /require an ideal, and .1 .would become, a- socialist to-morrow; if I aid net - - | assuredly believe that we can offer a better : , ideal. Better to rally around' a common creed; than . a common greed; better to have i voluntary co-operation that levels i upJ§l| than .- compulsory > cooperation f4\ that levels down better to have a common brother- ' hood based in the all-loving.. Almighty Fatherhood, than one based only in selfish, changeable human nature at enmity, against Him in whom we live and move and- hftifSsgm our being. It is absolutely. certain . that menWg| and women need not necessarily struggle | like swine at a trough to get a living; and it is equally certain that socialism, which ignores religion, can never eliminate ' from _ - the V human heart f selfishness, - which is § JJ|i cause. of - war,-' sweating, .in ice, slavery? ~-~,j and a'hell"upon earth. Although nature is often red in tooth and | claw, and» the boor semi-savages of South I Africa, South America, and Australia-may |: '■ "M for. generations lag behind the robust,' weU-jStJI fed, and well-to-do New Zealand averaga,.settler, there is no earthly reason why there should ;notgenerally bo *' enough for each," 1 enough for : all, ■ enough ; for : evermore." If -'J Diok, Tom, and Harry would mind their . V.lf P's and Q's, and act "according to Cocker," there would be no short commons, and no S complaining in our streets. ' 'J- ~ Well, what is our political ideal? Oonsnli '<?#.§ your solicitor' and ' father confessor. A'-k • tho man in the street, or ma and pa. Ask- &| yourself: What is my political ideal? Ask | your M.P.,f and -ithe i aspirant] for ¥.politicalgagi honours: What .is- your political ideal? In7;||| no case could one find 'that an ideal worthy of ourselves and of our physical, moral, and ' , spiritual • possibilities Jis cherished fervently. i:ffJf|s Look jat ; tho -A political ; ; arena in-- Auckland* What is it? A game at in's and out's. ">vjj Mere parochial "twaddle about empty nos-?M|| . ings. ; Where, except in the best editorial $Bg| columns, 5 do we; see • really great questions ? instructively discussed? Not on the huSfc*-£g|,-| ings. and seldom in Parliament. ; What must we do to be saved? Wa pj|g must have an ideal, a definite, noble, work-able-ideal, and we must gO; for it discreetly, | zealously, and patriotically. We should aim at- making New Zealand politically, socially, religously, and industrially the acme of freedom, justice, patriotism, moral ardour, and agj religious zeal, according to tho best know- *gg ledge-a land wherein poor and rich are -wjlg kindly considerate one of another, and all |J| may rise to the highest plane of existence •V, suited :to the true dignity of the : best pos- m] sible manhood. Where none are for a party, > j but all are for the State. . • % Of the one million odd inhabitants in INe* ... S Zealand, about 200,000 are adult professing H Christians, who, if they chose, could-secure M a • good Parliament, and could eradicate most of the political and social and indus- fe trial ills that afflict this country, and could, ( in time, produce such a social life worth f; living that socialists might Join them, and -■*; work" with them in unitv of object, f effort, and feeling. We must choose that, or soon p) bemoan general disaster. * , , - f Syndicalism is in the air, and portends: WO. evil to make the stoutest hearts shudder. Collectivism were infinitely preferable; ■' but : £y% true Christian democracy ; were ; far : better than all, and wo must win • the socialists, or b5 jjj be won by them. We must bring them into our'brotherhood and make life well worth 4 living, - and ■ the Constitutions so well . worth . preserving, that 'they'and we may. effectively voluntarily co-operate ; . on V tho - principle:. | ■ "All ye aro brethren!" - ;.-1 I . , r. a. EwingtoXj. .•