QUEENSLAND IN QUEER STREET.

NZ Truth, Issue 132, 28 December 1907, Page 1

QUEENSLAND IN QUEER STREET.

KIDSTON KARACTERISED, Kriticised and Kauterisedi

There is much constitutional conversation about' a "Crisis,'? "and much plutish .platitude publislicd to prove that Philp is the friend of the People, not KitUifcon. As a ; matter of fact, neither Kidston nor ,Philp cares a curge about the People, save {o utilise them as so much cheap fuel to keep their political pots ? a-bjoiling; Happily for tlic People, neither Philp nor Kicistpn is JppUed upon eithei: as a statesman or a saviour. -Tliey" ; are : both alike disliked and disttus'tcd of Democracy ; but what is . >yorse for Kidston is that, while he is as ■ hearts ily hated asPhilp, he is deservedly despised. Philp has always stood as the pro-^ tagongist "«J'f Plutocracy ag-aiiist De--mocracy. He kas continuously opposed Labor at least consistently, it not conscientiously, Kidston, on the 1 other hand, has posed as the disinterested democrat and pure; patriot determined to figfrt for B-enibcr-acy even m the last ditch. But, while Philp has showjx himself a frank foe, fight* ing m the open, Kidston has deserted and letrayed Democracy, and am-' bushed it m it» -«wn -camp.- Amah's worst enemios often are those of his own household ; jbq', tooy the worst of political traittrr are frequently found among a party's professed friends. KMston hafi lived and thrived on tlio Latror Party ; Labor has been tfre ladder by which he climbed to prominence and power. From a Democrat of the most Watant breed, Kidston has degenera.ted into a despot of the most despieaite .description. Like many parvftnas, 'politi<Jal or Pititish, he has all ■> the defects y of his origin, without having -acquired any of 'the modifying, and mollifying rrie- » thods an-d manners of the born or trained Btatesmen whom he aspires to imitate, but merely apes. m m - m rfhe character of Kidston is\phb%cigraphed m the chief phases of 'his privato and public life. Few .'fiien who; Tailed so miserably and disgracefully m business as he did m Rockhampv ion would havje had sufficient- "brass" m their , composition to enablo ' them to sgek and secure election to Parlia-^ ment for the. very tow;fi irt had failed' to' run. a sort of-'- tiripibir' toy\and tp&by shop. Vet this Mdstondi'd. How did he do it? -By • means of moral : brass and v ra^ntal hrains ;. because the man hais 'brains, and considerable cagaoity of a certain charlatiin "sbrt^ Still,; fetyfef nien placed m the circumstances' m which Kidston found himself as/profnoter of the Native Cat mining swindle wwild have :'bee'n ; ablfe to have kept out of-gadj. ,He not only' keptbtji of gaol,, and got into Parliament, b"ut) pushed his way to ttie Ptefeiership with all the assurance of a •""Oonndence Man," whose evasions, bf punish* ment for offences committed; m; the] past make him callous m regard tip their repetition. The marks of .theConfidence Man on Kddston are-many I and unmistakable. .., . ' ! ' ; . -.«.-..;/■• ; ;^::; v ; :; Kidston's path towards the \oPrc-. niership has be^n a progress Qfpreda? Tory perfidy arid, perfidious p/usillanL-T miity- Itwas^e tyho trepanned the Labor Party injtp the monstrous Mpr- j gan OoaKtion. 'What hope of health could there be lor the tabor , Party m such a sinSster Coaiitipn,?, Thehead of it was '^politician with : a pear-shaped head, the tpp-npt of ' a | parrot, the whiskers bf a waiter/ the y eye of a cat, and the appetfi^Ce bt a • shark for place and pay, perjes and l pickings. That paragon .patriot pressrman from Warwick, the/ nominee and protege of,.Jerry Allman, M/organ, has been naid liis price, and now sits, as President m the Upper House, as I predicted he wpuW, with one thousa/ndpouirds( a year amd perks. fThis is his part of the politica.l plunder for patching up with Kidston that perfidious Coalition, atfd for his equally perfidious jsassing of the Prejniership to his cobber Kidston. > It was this same. Kidston who broke tlown tire platform of • the Lasbor Party, and chopped up its main planks ,l v . to provide lu el for his own furnace. ''%^c it. was who,' behind the backs ot anc^ Parliament, en^neered i r.ew Agreemenl, with that " Boss' Viodle Bank, the ..Q.N., and- "refused A la^v the papers' connected wdth \ ' ~*sy anH dirtnous anS ijre&afrly

r "dirty" bit v of boodling before 'Parliament when, demanded by the Repj resent*atives of the People. It would perhaps tie well if the electors could spare a little time from studying the performances of the visit* >ng cricketers to carefully cpnside? Kjids'tqn's ; peculiar conduct m the matter pis -this Q.N. Bank business. The crux of the whole thJttig Was theI easy terms upon which 'Kadstpn let i tnils Bank of Boodlers free of a large proportion of its liabilities ; towards the taxpayers. It may be summed up thus : Tne Q.N. Bank liabilities .to the State m the shape of interest were to be reduced by tuis_ hugger-mugger agreement m consideration of the bank paying off the principal sooner than originally stipulated-by making larger paymenti?. But the Representatives of the People were jofused by Kddston an .explanation af the details of this strange contract/ The infamous instrument" was kept! seeiet. Kidstpn refused to produce it • and lay it on the table of the House ; arid -to this day no pne but KMston and Ralston, manager of the Bank, have seen it or really know wliai is m it. In this way KaJston\ m the most insolent and unconstitutional way refused to take Parliament .or People into his confidence concerning a momentous monfetary transaction between the taxpayers and their -biggefst debtor , Kaiser William, of Germany, would- scarcely dar-j so much against the Reichstag ; the Czar of Russia could do no worse with the Duma. • * *■ ■ ■ To complete the comparison between Kidston and Philp,, it may be said that while the latter is. a profess sional plutocrat, wno openly, if not honestly, rides' straight ior the political plunder, Kidston. plays the part ot ;fp. -pseudo^pa^triot Jwjio, . galnmpns his. Mends and : supporters and tlien rides,. siifi m pr,der jbh^,t_'lie may grab ihe*. goncc. -Tfhe cro^d, however, have., '.at .last got a -pretty correct ga u i;£; of jockey Kidston' s* moral measure. - P'hilp/is.; .wihere.he always, was,.' with bis financial friends, \: playing; . the. same, .old , plutocratic ; game ; of .spoil-, ing the People-, But KidWtah, who, ■where,, and what is he Tv.Ajt^r deserting and abusing, beyrtay^^ ■'..■and;- -$?r traying the; Psople^he : is . again-;: .-a, suppliant to for support . :a» ■gainst the. forces, of : coalesced, t c.apitr al, who, with the Ijclp ; of~. Ohetoisford, have -engineered him-v out :Qf ofr fice. He iwould«nor]7 have Labor puy the. par^ %of ppHticaV :puss. :to his. = Parliamentary ; monkey,, -t0... ; pjull the chestnuts of place, powerj and pay/ou^, •■ of f he- fire- for- Mm. OXQ; Labor puss's paws have -already been ; so badly burnt m this particular.^process,; /thai) she will now. <be somewhat chary of placing herself -at the disposal c|f the monkey again.-- sv> •. \j.rj, ../;.; : i% : . .■'■■■ .' ■"'*■■ :•.''-" : '--';- % '-■■'■■ J. ._ '.*::*■ :.': ;■-:. The ...almost criniiiiafl £ondonatibn, of Itittstdn's 'aratpcratic, .antics \"\x£,/. t£e ■jLabdf 4 Pbrtylhas Ved m tKat jiiimptapus^ bounder's . brain th^b^lief . tha.t hg is indisp ! .er r Euß|«''''iip tii^ p'qtriiy' "arid the People aY a yiiqle, ;.iii ; : the *:pres>nH; chaotic aonditipn of political affairs. Hj?^ iieyei: inadp,. a, greater Mist i ak'e m tiis .life,.'' Tfie only pap^jt :indiispensable to the Labor Party is the Latyor Party itself, This is the' only progressive and permanent party, m this pr any other: State ; of tji© ComiEronw^altli. ; The. Labor 'iV Party . cannot xon/tinue ■ pto.cqndoiie, ' Kidston's crimes against 'its : solidarity "an^ the Constitution V^hat license that las ibeen allowed to, him/iii, thejp.ast ?annot. and will not be extended to him m the futt^re, .'Besides tfie fatuous fellow has made a-foad -br<jak ,this time. " His brutal bumptiousness has betrayed him into revealing , himself m .his .true character, .an image Ofbrass with feet of ciay*-a lath painted to look like iron, as - J3ismarck once said of the late Marqtfis of Salis-i bury, at the; Befliri Coirgrcss. Jt may,; and probably does, suit the L^pri Party to help! Kidston but of the hole into. which his ;own bumptiousness has landed him beyond; assuming ajn." attitude of :bcnc\rplent neutrality to-' ■wards Kid.ston : and his ragged: remnant, m order to prevent the Philp! push rushing t4ie Treasury boricbes ,' the Lalvpr Party, owe Kidston no. allegia,ncebr ae^istanccj They punished <

Glassey and Dawson for much less, and can scarcely pardon Kidston, who has proved himself'the most'ferocious fratricide of all the traitors wftom« Labor has fostered m its rants. ..!'. V-. :',.:.: - ' *i.--y^'-i S<?*■£,r.:^:\^' ~*:'. :[ :: :: After bWhVtiip)isiy; re^igmh^iii: t^e^ vain hope' of bluffing the Philpites and" bringing the Labot Party to heel,Kidston tried to bully the Governor out of his unconstitutional prefer-* j enee for and pandering to the party l of. Plute. These charlatan tricks and contrivances failing to effect their purpose, Kidston pot-valiantly invited the enemy to come on, and ex.^ • . " '■! Damned be him . . .That first cries, Hold, Enough.] But it was. Bombastes Furioso .him.-*) self who first flew-the white flap.* AI-. ter posing as a sort of pernicketty Pyni, he/found that he was not ol the stuff of which Pyms are made. After memorialising the Governor m a long and dreary .diatribe as. to his duty •m the discharge^ of his gubernatorial Junctions, KSdston climbed; down, humbly obeyed his Asinine Excellent ey m granting Philp ah adjournment, and thus "gave the whole; show away/? like the clumsy, if not cowardly, charlatan that he is^ ,■*■.*.•■ ■•..'*•■■. It was saddening* and sickening - to see this Native Kat Kidder Kidston, sposing m Parliament fts a kind of historical Horatius, readyi to defend the bridge of Respohisible Government against Chelms'ford and -thePhdlpites. He grandiloquently raved about the' Czar closing the Duma ; and ranted, about his Excellency turning his thumbs down. \#ho the devil prepared such a "fatras" of incoherent nonsense for Kidston to "kid" th« Assembly with ? Thumbs down, forsooth ! ■ Toes- up, would be mpre^ appropriate to the real position ol KiflstiOß. And when ke "M"*fl lU<M"I U<M" crously saixed up the Russian Dttaia wi%k th«! Rowan Forum, John Leahy, fcad he not been m the chair, or Joe. Bell had ho not been restrained by partttarship ia such poltroonery,' might hays appositely retorted, uHabet !" the old killing cry of the cruel Forum, their thumbs the while turned up to their noses m derision. • * * There's no •getting away from the fact that Kidston's come a cropper, and -broken <iis hack. He will henceforth oiilv ije able* to survive by the sufferance of the Labor Party. He has been trusted as a friend, and turned traitor ; tried as a statesman, and proved to be a mere poseur. What he; was m his Johnnie-aIJ-sorts shop m; Rqckhampton, and as a Mind Promoter, he has been as Premier-—a bounder and a bluffer. He has had a chance of championing the popular cause off Parliamentary Responsible Crovern,mett£, sudi as comes to men only once iii, a hyUndre'd years, and has failed at the ■' supreme' psychological moment niost lamentably. ' tVhaf' use would not Jom^Leal^ have, tnade of sucb 4 goiden opp; bftU'hit^ iiad lie been on the popular side, /With the. majority, m -Parliament, and of #ie People behind Mm, as it was-Kidston's luckyunfortunate fate to be. But why bewail the just knd; foreseen fate of a. man whose' " mental characteristics and moral •qualities' made him. wfoat was a mere' piece or political pyrotechnics, destined to shoot' up like a. rocket: arid'^coine down like a stick j ■•' ":■;:■ : i's- &--' • ■ • ':.- ■• The tinly regrettable phase oi Kidr-: ston's pO'lfclojbnery is that it preju? dices the Labor .Party before the country.. Latior cannot do with Kidssoh and Kidstoriisni at the polls as they ,djeseirve. ;ta be done! by ; i* ?^u. st nUrse theyiper.in its bpsoiti a while loijger/i if Only %$> 'f*eyfent." the bpodJing gkrigtif ;Butns,Miip and do: once jxuke ' scramb'l4rig" t>£ck '..to:- power, as this; result Cot r.\^w^ptipu9 ,■ cowardly f blundering-; ■Kidstonites are certain io be a still m^nQ^ty-af^er Y 'M*> " electiiSn than' the*; " are 'ja£V»! W~ f<** *s hfey a,ve sure "to "%$, tlle7must.be/borne ■mW: only fa pTevienfr %em- r^ttihfe to Phil'p, they'Would 1 he likely t(i ;do were not an attitude of contemp tuous neutrality maintained towards them until after the pending eleci/ions. That election over and won by Phiip and Co. being kept out of office Labor will then have!leisure and lifeing enough to purge itself free from the. corroding influence of Kidstonism, which, has been the penalty LabOr has had to ra 7 fPr compounding •veit-h ' the corrupt Morgan-Kidstop Coalition. ' / (JOHN NORTON^ Brisbane^ 5/12/'O7.- ' '