HAS POLITICAL ACTION ACHIEVED ANYTHING?

NZ Truth, Issue 578, 15 July 1916, Page 3

HAS POLITICAL ACTION ACHIEVED ANYTHING?

Doar "Truth." — In your issue of Juno 10 under tho above heading, F. R. Flndlay denies that political and legislative action has, or ever will achieve anything: that Is. presumably, m tho way of economic freedom, nml svfllrniß that force, bullets and" cannon tiro what will tell. In support^ ho quotes Bismarck: "That not by tipccchlfyinff and majority votes can the great questions of to-day bu nettl*Hl, but by iron and by blood," and Sojihocl<»j»: "The law immutable. IndoKtruotibtc. 6t«rnal: not Hkc those of to-day nnd yf-MtorOny. but made we liffif* h<-ix?,n." Jlc d<niucp.<4 tlmt Sophoc!<rfl Bjif-ciftHy r<?fcTj< to ihp Inw of Force or Coercion, Hum: "And whnt J.^ thai I: <v? Th^ lsnv of njipfJtt. of puwcr. Ihnt i» tb? only law or enactment that hi»M forvft or validity. It Ims fthvnys had valtdMy nnd nUvtiyn wiM. nnd till tho workers Kiithcr such powtr i\u>y will bn bond «lnvf.<( t^ (hoKP who ha%'« Hlhor 'uo<|iiiri*d or hnvo thp tiuturttl nblHty and power t» njifl ov«r them." OncM upon a timo Isu» v.'prkcr» did gather »uch powrr. and threw off their shackles of bond-

slavery to those who had acquired or had the natural ability and power to rule over them. They lopped their heads off m hundreds, and did various other things of a similar naturo to glut their unrestrained sense of newly acquired power, so much so, that It became known as "The Reign of Terror." Our friend ateo mentions Cromwell. In his day, the king's head was lopped off and various other pleasantries wero indulged m. The king did not perish with the lopping oft of Charles L head, because the heralds proclaimed "Long lire the King," at the time they proclaim "The King is Dead." Constitutionally, the king never dies. The king who fled, camo back and reigned, Why? The power the French Revolutionaries wrested from the hands of the king and aristocracy reverted to them again. Why? In both Instances the proletariat could not hold the power they had won, for tho reason of their Incapability of directing and controlling it aright. Therefore, by the law immutable, indestructible and oternal, it passed from them, and for this same reason the Bismarck ian quotation is not applicable m that the proletariat wore not fitted, nor are they fitting themselves, for the position they would find themselves m after a policy of force, bullets and cannon, or aa Blal pmrck put It, Tblood and Iron," proi vided they succeeded m this direction. Such a policy coming from a leader of the ruling classes, would, no doubt, serve the purpose required of it for and by that class, but as regards serving the purpose of tho proletariat, why, there would, at the present time, be a repetition of the Ffench horror. The line between the two classes is not so clearly drawn aa many Beem Vto suppose. Even the "Fool of a Country S.M." m "Truth," of July 1, trots out the class distinction and distinguishes the line of demarcation between tho engine driver, ticket inspector, guard and porter and himself. I have no doubt friend Findlay feela strongly the Injustice (?) underlying th© present social system, but it does not j do to permit "feelings" to run away j with one, for then they get the bettor of reason. Now, ho tells ub that all the laws and onactmonta ever made, wero made because of changing social conditions. Exactly, and thero you- have tho working of the law immutable and eternal In tho form of ovolutlon. Our friend accepts the quality of this law, ns defined by tho adjectives immutable Indestructible and eternal: therefore, it la as well to digest the fact that because' of these qualifications the law of evolution c:\nnot be forced. Guide it you may; force It. never. Certainly it is THR law of might and of power, ami tho only lnw that has force and validity, but tho might, powor. force and validity contained m tho law. i» retained by the Invisible powor that decrees it. By conforming to thi» law, you may crurtli the power of force, bullets utvi onnnon <ho ruling classes may u»e njr:ilnHt you. Inasmuch as they uno tho proletariat as tho power bohlrwl tho powor of force, bullet* and ennnon. Who. may I fl«k tiro tho police. «ol- ! «l!er>% munition workers*, builders of I goal* nnd gallows. nn<\ hangmen? ! Who. but tins proletariat. And why •■ <]<> thr\v do thf'.ft* thin*?*? To conform i with ihf> Immutable. <U«rnal U\w think : | yon? Not much! Th*y do U for a ' I ronjiitlfratloti. a mftrc trading projiosl- | tlon, mark you, those services are rcn- ' ut-rpil for a modicum of £ S D. «nd i | ih<* immutable. Indestructible, Invlnci Jblo fir-rnnl l«w rivets the Kharklon of > bnn<!-t»!,iv?ry tipot* thorn. And now, • * my bruv«v my Mmgglor for freedom. > I -xro you conforming to this Inw, work- > I liv« with it. or has It pr»t you <tbnokle<l . : liico n bond-slnvp by t rn nftgrojitplnijr it? ■ I And you, thinking, by force, bullcu

1 and cannon, you will burst its bonds and gain your freedom. Vain hope! Vain delusion! Kono but the brave deserves freedom and that cometh by think It out, friend, think It out! By the way, I think ballot boxes are as useless as force, bullets and cannon. Nay, I know. — Yours, etc., THE PROPHET." Upper Hutt