THE OLD, OLD TACTICS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6451, 24 February 1908, Page 4

THE OLD, OLD TACTICS.

In an article in tliis journal on Friday last we took to pieces and dissected the views on anti-Socialism held by our juvenile morning contemporary, the Squatters’ Journal. Having shown tho hollowness of its assertion that the breaking up of land monopolies was Socialism, while the -seizing of private railways was a legitimate branch of State policy, we went on to issue the following challenges: We challenge our contemporary to show any one instance t m vmcii the Liberal party in this country has unduly interfered with mate individual interests, or in the incidence of its policy has done anything to interfere with the sound development of the State. e challenge him further to show that the Government has by policy or precedent done anything to further tho aims of Socialism as Socialism, or anything which can justify the aspersion that the Liberal party m tms country has joined the Utopian brotherhood which desires to nationalise all agencies and commodities, and drag mankind down to a common, level. Our contemporary being thus placed upon his defence, and being short alike of wind, temper, and ammunition, resorted to the old! dishonest tactics which tho Opposition anu its claqueurs have long made familiar. It went back to tho files of tho “.Now Zealand Times 55 for a quotation, and it extracted from a leading article of a column and a quarter, which appeared in this journal on October 22nd last, a few words. The words were these;— At any rate, the Government has never taken the trouble to deny its Socialism. It could not very successfully have done so had it wished, inasmuch as it is clear to the meanest, capacity that it has gone further ou the road of State Socialism than any responsible Government in the Empire, which means, than any Government in the world. The Hon. Dr Findlay, in his speech at Palmerston South in April last, seemed somewhat ostentatiously to appropriate for the Government the designation of “Socialist.'* f Having deliberately, dishonestly, and of set purpose used and mutilated this quotation as showing the “ transparent strategy 55 and “reckless unconcern 55 with Which the “Ministerial organ”' and “advocate of the Liquor party 77 “ accomplishes a right-about face to suit the purposes of its policy of misrepresentation, 57 tho Squatters 5 Journal wont on to say;— What can bo thought of a journal which to-day violently attacks the opponents of the Government as being guilty of a campaign ot misrepresentation in branding tho Ministry as a Socialist Ministry, when it itself, a few months ago, exulted in applying the came term to Ministers. But, after ail, it is the Ministerial Journal. Need more be said?

In justice and fair play to ourselves, to the Government, and to the respected veteran journalist who preceded us, we propose to quote largely from the article of October. It was appropriately headed “ That Lying Jade Rumour,” and referred to the proposal that was at that time in the air for a coalition between the Government and the Opposition against “ the extreme Socialist Labour party.” The article inasfar as it concerns the argument, was as follows:

During the present session Mr Massey has reiterated, until it has l«?t its force by iteration, the taunt that the Liberal Government is a Socialist Government. No doubt when the happy thought first occurred to Mr Massey to - use this convenient missile ho believed he had discovered something particularly telling in the way of invective. But Mr Massey has lived to learn how little sting there is in the term, has’ lived to admit, if we remember rightly, that as regards certain interests, the farming interests, he is a Socialist himself. AT ANT BATE, THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT HAS NEVER TAKEN THE TROUBLE TO DENT ITS SOCIALISM. IT COULD NOT VERY SUCCESSFULLY HAVE DONE SO HAD IT WISHED. INASMUCH AS IT IS CLEAR TO THE MEANEST CAPACITY THAT IT HAS GONE FURTHER ON THE ROAD OF STATE SOCIALISM THAN ANT EESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT IN THE EMPIRE. WHICH MEANS THAN ANT GOVERNMENT HITHERTO IN THE WORLD. THE HON. DR FINDLAY, IN HIS POLICY SPEECH AT PALMERSTON SOUTH IN APRIL LAST, SEEMED INDEED SOMEWHAT OSTENTATIOUSLY TO APPROPRIATE FOE THE GOVERNMENT THE DESIGNATION OF “SOCIALIST.” AND HE CERTAINLY SET OUT IN TELLING ARRAY THE NUMEROUS SOCIALIST MEASURES WHICH HAD BEEN CARRIED BY THE CONTINUOUS LIBERAL ADMINISTRATION.

Especially he shewed that in respect of the farming interest the number of provisions and measures put m force by the Liberal Government reflected & Stats Socialism of

an advanced kind. There was the Lands for Settlement Act, taking the land from the large lancVnvucrs to bestow it on the landless, “the most daring piece of Socialism ever perpetrated in a British colony,” said the Attorney-General. further, a whole special department wan set up for the behoof of agriculture, employing three hundred olhcials. State farms were established. A dairy commissioner and dairy instructors, graders, inspectors, and so fort.V were appointed. Agricultural literature has been distributed by the cartload. J n short, an industry, Vliioh untier a Conservative regime would have Loon left to private enterprise, with its monopolies and one-sided distribution of profits, was taken m band and fostered by the Government in flub belief, so completely realised, that by heaping benefits on the country imputation at tile expense of the Slate it was taking the course best calculated to benefit the whole community, town as well as country. This is State Socialism in the most literal sense, and the most conservative member of tho Conservative party win hardly venture to say that the policy has been other than beneficial to the Dominion as a whole. ... Should the present Opposition see fit to renounce a distinction that was once valid but is now obsolete, and find that its only chance _of being oileetivoly useful in politico? is to range itself on tho Liberal side,'it is not to bo supposed that there would, therefore, be no longer an Opposition. Such a thing is not likely nor yet possible, nor, if it were both possible

ami ) ikoiy,, would it bo desirable. Whence the new Opposition will spring is tolerably clear to those who do not shot their eyes. A CLAMOROUS BAUD OP THE EXTREME SOCIALIST LABOUR PARTY HAS OP LATE BEEN SHOUTING ITSELF INTO NOTICE IN THE MARKET PLACE. THE OBJECT OF THIS PARTY IS, FRANKLY" STATED, CLASS WAR; NOT THE ADMINISTRATION OF ALL FOR THE WHOLE, BUT THE FORCIBLE APPROPRIATION OP PRIVILEGE AND PROPERTY BY A CLASS. SUCH AN EXTREME SOCIALIST PARTY HAS NOT YET DEFINITELY CRYSTALLISED, BUT IP THE OPINIONS OF THE DEMAGOGUES WHO APPARENTLY ASPIRE TO FORM AND LEAD THE PARTY IN ANY WAY" ADUMBRATE THE PLATFORM OP THE PARTY WHEN IT IS FORMED, IT .IS PRETTY CERTAIN TO MAKE DEMANDS WHICH NO GOVERNMENT CAN CONCEDE UNLESS IT IS PREPARED TO SEE THE- WHOLE MACHINE OF STATE BROUGHT TO RUIN. THE STRUGGLE, WHEN IT DOES COME, IS NOT LIKELY TO BE A CONFLICT OF CONSERVATISM WITH LIBERALISM, BUT OF PROGRESSIVE LIBERALISM WITH THE EXTREME OP FANATICAL LABOUR SOCIALISM, WHICH WILL AIM AT CARRYING OUT THE FULL PROGRAMME OP THE MOST RABID CONTINENTAL SOCIALISTS—NOT MERELY THE NATIONALISATION OP ALL LAND, BUT THE EXPROPRIATION OP CAPITAL AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OP A TRADES UNION DESPOTISM SIMILAR TO THAT WHICH HAS MADE PANDEMONIUM OP SAN PRANCISCO. WITH THE POSSIBILITY BEFORE IT OP A RAMPANT REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALISM SUCH AS THIS, IT MAY BE THE BEST WISDOM ON THE PART OP THE OPPOSITION TO ■ SINK DIFFERENCES WHICH ARE OP NO VITAL IMPORTANCE AND MAKE COMMON FRONT WITH THE PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL PARTY AGAINST THE ENEMIES OP LAW AND ORDER. Thig. quotation, for wlioso length we apologise, shows two things: (1) That the editor of the Squatters’ Journal deliberately and wilfully misrepresented the attitude of this paper and' the Government by fraudulently underquoting the excerpt that he made from these columns (and leaving unquoted the parts of the article which reflected this paper's true attitude towards Socialism) ; and (2) That fair play and fair criticism cannot be expected from journalists who resort to these flagrantly dishonest tactics for the purpose of bolstering up the political party which they have hoen hired to ■attempt to help back to power.