THREE PESTILENT PECS

NZ Truth, Issue 508, 13 March 1915, Page 2

THREE PESTILENT PECS

PARLIAMENT, PRESS, AND PULPIT :

OR,

PARLIPESTS, PENPESTS, AND PULPESTS.

IX.— PARLIPESTS (7). Of these Parlipe'stanathematising'pistles, it is said by "some who don't know what they're talking about, or what I'm talking "about, that I take a prejudiced view of politics and politicians, because I'm a played-out politician myself. I neither do the one, nor am I the other. I was never a politician' m a party sense, any more than-I am a publicist m the so-called "patriotic" sense. In and out of Parliament, on the platform and m the press, I have never espoused parties, but ever eschewed them. The only party I ever belonged to was, anfl still is the Independent Party of one— "Number Norton," my detractors say. * * ♦:' Be that as It may, I've never been a party man m the,politico-Parliamen-tary sense of the term. On tho contrary, I've always dared to be a Daniel, and dared to stand, alone, standing by «iy purpose firm, daring to make it known. I have always stood and been elected as an Independent, and-. acted and spoken and voted as a political freeman, not as a helot. Persons rather than partisans, causes before cliques, principles before prejudices, country and citizens before caucuses and corrimitteeß have claimed by, fealty. A pledged party, man may be a good or, a bad public servant, according to the party that can claim him.and command his voice and vote. Some, parties may be counted good, otherß must be.looked upon as bad, according to their respective principles and policy. it is open or concealed '.principle, and purpose prompting parties that consecrate or curse them. ( . . .» , • - * To the prof esslonal^Parliapest an independent member of Parliament is a useless excrescence on the body polLtic, and an incubus on the smooth working of the Parliamentary machine. No doubt he is, or ought to be, if he has capacity and courage. Parties are not the champions ~ot causes unless they happen to be popular; partisans, always place policy before principle and party before persons. A partisan,' Lib or Lab, la, by the very terms, of the pledge or allegiance to the party to t which he belongs, a» mere pawn m the parliamentary game of "gammon, and grab." To be'alWays a good party man, the pledged partisan must sometimes, If not often, be a bad patriot. Conaclence does not count with a Lab Caucuser any more than . with a Lib Leaguer. It is difficult to serve Caucus and Country at the same time to serve God and Mammon; it Is impossible. ' ■ • > • - With an Independent Member the matter is somewhat different. He may be a8 much a Parllpest as the. pledged party- member, . only m quite- ..a differerit way and m a;-bettcV sense — .whereas the ordinary pledged Porlipest is Is bound to his party right or; wrong, the Independent is under no pledge to support any party or any, cause that he does not believe or know to be right. Ho is not free to do as he. Tikes. He is not Independent of right or wrong. An independent member is elected to Parliament free to advocate and adopt tho right and free to oppose the wrong. Not so the pledged partisan; he is bound to support his party right or wrong, and wrong not right. * * * The Independent is free to feel and chooßC his path and to pursue it untrammeled by Caucus chains, unchecked by party pledges, uncensured by hole-and-corner cliques and pubparlor coteries. If he wishes and will, the Independent may follow his conscience, which . the. pledged partisan may not do if he remains true to party pledge. An Independent is m a position to obey the dictates of conscience, but the pledged partisan is not free to disobey or even disregard the vote of

a majority of the Cauous, although,, that ."majority .may- be but one, : .^and manifestly ..-wrong-. . • More degrading, intellectual slavery than Caucus ma-jority rule, Lab or Lib,- could scarcely be conceived. • . . - ■: -. *V.- :. - .#: ..;. *;• :;". . - It <"1s "often forged: that^ several -In- • dependent oiay,) a : -single-In-dependent^ member ,- might so manipulate tHeir'Own-'and>others' votes; as *q. enable". ; thfem -to tseize- upon and retain.-/ control" "df -the" Party V machine, • a,nd thereby* t(T hold -■ iparliaittent -:em& -the..country to^ransom— rto blackmail- and plunder the people; ; -Well, -so- they might, m theory; but as a matter, ofpractice they don't, although they, have tried :to do ihteveratty-anft Individually. . But v the attempt^ has- invariably- failed) A certain cocksure Colonel Cameron tried to coerce the Parliament of Tasmania but he failed; -the people. QCTas- , mania marked their contempt 'of the attempt Vy 'pbHticaTly -'courtmartlainng and jcashierlhr the' political piccaroon.A^man, ;namsd WhitsUt,. or. Whitestt, or Whatlsit, or of some other'.simllariy-. spelt.4iame» a.-quasi-Indepen'dehtVpftll-tician-in'ihe,same7State, f qund'.Wmself m a v ll^e .position Xd that .'of his poli-, tical predecessor, the cashiered Colonel' Cameron, m an, unattached majority ■ of ,one, witslip. or Slipwlt, or Snipsit; or S^itsnip,' or whatever What'slsname^ really.is, was. ifor a time suspected of, wanting, to .play cronk 'Cameron's, crook game.qf slip :.'em.up ; or ball 'emup but war(ie<i^.by. the clumsy condbttjeri C6l--onel's.'.f atOj "V^jhiitslt. .^»r'.-t^)d,esllt' shawe'd ' no sUgij.-'pr wii,, aiid sagaciously! allpjyed himsei^.ta b,(|;iASBDDed. and safely and • snugly cprralled m the Speaker's chair. _' --j.l ~'"1-\S1T . •■ ' " ■'-. '■.' A Caucusser m NejvSp'ijt^^areß tried to play the part of a.. Mr. "Bye-JESi'ds," , tne son of Mr. Facihjsr -B^p'-^a^s ''ln . Bunyan's ' Pil-gr[rn'^-;..Pr^g>esj^ p and § i came . dqwn a devil', .^f,_a' cro f jp i p i e;V ltuhcklebone of hfs." rTolitical. ' But'Beeby w£s"n6.t.s.'n liulepjefldint: -he was a'"dis- ' gruntlett,, '.'disappointed la^yer-Laii. lansqllehfet'Hvnb had"'trled to^jaitD^ and dish.and.dpwn his old" personal friend and.poliftcal.pal wfiy^Wil'llp Holman. When things politically were being made particularly warm for Wily Willie; m the Press and Parliament, and both Caucus and Conference were giving Holman anello'eriime, Wily Willie will-' ly. wended his way to London to 1 hob^ nob'with'°tlt£ ;big bugs and blue-bloods," the loi'dsaViti 1 the ladies, the dook's arid the dookesses, the barrownites ; and the barrownitesses,. of, Mayfair,. (.Belgravla, and the "hightoby" Tory, Car'lton,,ClubV' » ' ••*■ • . ■■#•■.' >' Beeby hoped, expected, nay, 'confi-. deritly anticipated that Wily Willie was going off to his native home }h London For good; arid so Willie would have done* for good'and all if he-cottld but' nave' managed tb! get the matter mariagetl as^iae \yahte;* 'it 1 mand^e'd I."*1 ."* Wily 1 Wifiie (who r ft"miist'*afVvays : -bW brfrrie v m •;mind : li"as ;f a/3tTi*(jng : 'fstraln«o£? the Cobßney ' Jew m his -blood and^moral jriake-up) would -have been as'?willingi to Btay away as he was ready to g6 away, if he' could have carried away' with him the appointment of AgehtGoneral m his pocket. But Wily Willies Cabinet colleagues were just as wily as Wily -Willie himself. , They could nqt.sqe the. fun of letting Wily Will Je. yVaiik 'off to London "wltfi ' the Aggnt-G^JKeraiship for a seven 'years' terrp, J|j , ty^ " ; •_; ; " ' '"■ : ;.',. .. 'a ..' ', - . * .«. ,',/"' •For the beatific Beeby such a plan of getting rid of his bosom friend LitterBillie was simply beautiful; It seemed to pave the way to the Premiership for the lucre-loving Lab. lawyer blowfly Beetoee, who. was a member. -of the M'Gowsn-Holman Cabinet, and already ' "eh* 'entente cordiale" witji the pen.ny plutcs'prßSs.i '."Jim" M'Gowcn having grdtvn'.-wenry "of playing at Premier ,at ' l:rux :???'-; :-'..- a. ; . - , . ■ ■

Caucus dictation was ready to throw up the position, but not all the spondulix of the Premiership. Willie was quite willing to clear out for London town to see the King and his golden crown with the appointment of AgentGeneral m reversion. Wily Willie,though a clever and cunning .man, is not a very courageous one against odds or adverse circumstances. Although he was really M'Gowen's- successor designate m the Premiership, he was well aware that his political cake was dough so far as the Labor Party as represented by the Lab. Caucus, the Lab. Confer- . ence, and the Lab Press were concerned., *.# * . Proud and glad as he was to become Premier, his prudent Hebrew instincts prompted him to prefer a good safe place, with little to do. and plenty to get, to a good but unsafe place with a lot to do and comparatively little to get except m the shape of opposition and abuse, with the added disadvantage of uncertainty of tenure. Moreover, Holman was rightly or wrongly credited'\vith the creditable ambition of sitting m the/Parliament of his native land-^-'in the House of Commons, as representative of some Cockney constituency. A " very laudable and withal legitimate 'aspiration for a' Cockney cabinetmaker's apprentice, who, coming to Australia as a youth, became Premier of . the -Mother State of the Commonwealth while yet a young man. And when we know what the. average Member of the British House of Commons is like from the specimens the Mother of , Parliaments has sent out here to enlighten the Australian Abo- . rlglnies— like the Keir Bill Crookses, the 'Enniker 'Eatons, the Ramsay Macdonalds and the Phil. Snowdens, with their platform parroting "partners — who shall say that Premier Holman's alleged ambition to sit m the Parliament at ' Westminster is 1 or was an unreasonoble or presumptious one? It, is, no .undue praise to Premier Holman to say that as a politician, a platform speaker, a Parliamentarian, he is head and shoulders above nine- tenths of the present members of the Hoi^se of Commons m every, one of these aspects, m all these capacities. Holman is an: orator, eloquent, argumentive, tactful, a. masterful debater— a born athlete of the forum. If he had only moral courage, personal r probity, and power to rule women privately as he has power tqj sway men publically, he'd be a strong man, which m a moral sense he is not. There be they who prefer as orators, blithering batherskites, like the late Dan O'Connor, jgasbag gabsters like Dick Meagher, to mellifluous, masterful word-spinners • and powerfur phrase -makers like WH-' Ham Arthur Holman! "De gustibus 'nbn-est dlsputandum." Those who prefer the nocturnal sq'uallings of torn and tabby cat's on the tiles 'to the songs of nightingales m the groves ' cannot be condemned for their choice; they only . choose after their kind — which is crude, coarse, 'and crapulous. ... . # „.#-.. . # ... We have heard a lot about the. magic spell of , the eloquence of the drug-drenched dipsomaniacal degenerate, Lord Rosebery; of the massive world-Compelling speeches of the "well-primed" Prime Minister Asquith; 6f' the carefully prepared platform palinodes and carmagnoles of that chattering charlatan Lloyd-George;, and of' the carefully prepared "impromptu" speeches"' of .that half-breed • 'Anglo-' Yahkeedoodling- showman,-, WinstonChurchill — all. smelling, most horribly, of the lamp; We've heard and seen- and . studied-, theso *men, their .methods, andtheir, '.manners, ,tho.=sum and substance of their speeches* their mental- and mo-, ral makeup, their whole equipment as effective platform and parliamentary speakers, and say without hesitation or . exaggeration that. Holman as a speaker is quite as eloquent as any of them. To this appreciation must be added one single qualification: as a debater and succint .exposer of facts and figures Holman is ,|nferior to Asquith ; -m all other respects he 1b his equal, and certainly his superior m sobriety, as he is superior to the other three m all the Inherent qualities, cultivated« arts, and adventitious aids which go to the make-up of the eloquent effective public speaker^ <♦ - # # This may seem exaggerated praiso to those who have not the opportunity of appraising it m the scales of comparison; and, seeing, the- source whence it comes, somewhat suspicious. But why should it seem so? Has not Ausralia produced some of the greatest .vonders of the modern world m art, iterature, science and statesmanship -a Melba m song, a Bertram McKenal m sculpture, a Brennan m lnvonivo genuity next to Edison and Maroni; together with • a host of other singers and instrumentalists and painors. -■'•• ♦ * Nor has Australia been barren of statesmen t.nd politicians of the highest is of the lowest order: e.g., William 'harles Wontworth, Robert Lowo, loorge Hlgßinbotham. Henry Parkes, amuel Walkor Griffith, Edmund Baron, A. G. Taylor, and W. P. Crick. .'hen a long way behind and lower lown, have we not had — hnve we not omo "on 'em wlv' ua" still- I—Dan1 — Dan O'Connor, the flatulent Allbuster of the Forum, George Perry, tho Domuln Dc•nosthoncs, "Martyr" Meagher, the hero of the Dean case, and those once wellknown but now nll-but-forgotten popular favorites. "Old Dad" and Paddy the Ram. What creatures come to popularity at these Antipodes! How soon they come, how short their stay! They ire must of 'em mere ephemerldes: — "They have their day and cease to be." • c • But we must back to Mr. Booby, whom wo loft lurking and lingering after tho prize of tho Premiership like a hungry, penniless trnmp, staring Into a cookshop as ho sniffs tho savory steam streaming Into the street. Beoby ' was a strong advocate for the going : of Wily Willie to London with the appointment of Agont-Gcneral m his pocket, that Is "on sartln understood an' orthodox conditions." vlt., Holmfcn to have the Agent-Generalship for as long us he likod, and at what price- he liked, so long as he loft Boeby his place as Attorney-General, with reversion of the Premiership. Booby's attitude on this occasion is remarkably remln'.icent of tho attitude and sentiments of Lowell's "Pious Editor 1 ' In similar circumstances: I Idu believe its wise an' good < To sen' out furrln' missions, Thet Is on sartln understood An' orthydox conditions; I mrnn nine thousnn' dols. per an,, Nino thousan" more for outfit, An" me to recommend tho man Tho place 'Id Jist about fit. • • • Wo would willingly oxtond this Parliplßtlo to deal with tho political peradventures of that Parliamentary Perhap«i<r. "Blowfly" Beoby. whoso failure to boas tho iMbor Party led him to try ihc. Third Pnrty Trick, which resulted In the Blowfly himself, being badly