The New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1912. REJOICING “REFORMERS."

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8192, 6 August 1912, Page 6

The New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1912. REJOICING “REFORMERS."

There was an enormous gathering at the Town Hall last night when Ministers addressed a “Rally” of the party followers. Members of the Ministry and their friends must have felt very gratifieu ax- phe reception they met with from tli© great audience in the Town Hall last night. After making all the necessary discount for machine-made jubilation it remains to be said that the reception given to Ministers was vei } cordial indeed, the meeting was a great party success, and the “Reformers” have good reason to be pleased at the proof they were given of their accession to a place of responsibility being welcomed by such, a considerable section of the community. IV hen we remember that at the general election our friends on that side of politics carried all but one of the city seats it would be odd indeed if their foliowers had not assembled in strong force in this, the hour of triumph for “Reform, to wish the mandarins well. Such meetings are at once an encouragement and a warning to the politician, and we have little doubt that Ministers who sat on the platform last night realised as they perhaps had never done before the evanescent charactei of popular applause. They are being taken to a great extent upon trust, aud while we hope most sincerely that this trust may be justified, and that Ministers may, as they promise, carry out a policy of democratic progress, their real place in public estimation will be shown bettor at subsequent gatherings than at the one which took place in Wellington last night. It is only fair also to say that while the meeting was one to gratify the “Reformers” no one could possibly quarrel with the tone or matter of those whs addressed the gathering—at any rate, of those who really matter. Mr Mas sey spoke as he always does, with confident assurance, and if he fell bach at times upon the well-worn phrases we have heard so often before, none of us can reasonably find fault with him on that score.- It is easy, of course, to talk about being “democratic” and “trusting the people” and of the Ministry being anxious to see “government of tho people, by the people, for the people.” These aro, however, but the trimmings and trappings of political forensics. What we all want to see from Mr Massey and his colleagues is tue estimate they place upon such terms when confronted with the task of legislation. We want to see the goods delivered. If they aro up to sample he can be quite certain that no one will quarrel about their quality merely because they come from people whose associations have not hitherto made them suspect of progressivism. What this country wants and has wanted for a long time is a sharp turn in public policy towards truly democratic reform, from which we sadly wandered during days of prosperity and ease. This Mr Massey promises to provide, and if people like ourselves say frankly that we don’t believe ho will, he will perhaps concede that when in opposition the normal attitudo of his party was hardly such as to encourage admiration for its devotion to democratic principles. But times have changed, and as we know that men change with them, it is quite within the bounds of possibility that Mr Massey and his advisers have determined as other parties have in the course of political history to shed the old integuments and stand forth in a new skin. Wo fear, however, that Mr Massey’s conversion will not he permitted to express itself in terms which mean much more than the sops and blandishments offered the democracy by Mr Thomas Mackenzie.. If that is so —well there will be other meetings in the Town Hall before next election. In the meantime, however, we hope the Prime Minister will make an effort to dispense some bread to supplement the intolerable deal of sack with which the populace has been surfeited during the last few weeks.