AUSTRALIA AND AUSTRALIANS

NZ Truth, Issue 685, 27 July 1918, Page 5

AUSTRALIA AND AUSTRALIANS

THE HIDEOUS NIGHTMARE OF WOWSERISM

New Zealand Politicians and Their ConcfysioßS

loin Hands-across-the-Sea and Pulverise the Puritans — Some Lessons which Political Experiences m Australia Teach Us

AtwEralia's greatest "crime," m the S>pinidn of a majority of the politicians J>f New Zealand, Is that the people of the Commonwealth declined m a thoroughly constitutional fashion to •hackle themselves with, the gy,ves of conscription. Notwithstanding the fact that twice (and the second time, by a tnajorlty which left no room for misunderstanding), the people of Australia Bedded against the introduction of (Bonaoription, and there are many men and woman In Australia who realise fthftt unison ta«y play the part of watchHogg, and oonsera their political rights, to, attempt will bs made to ignore the will of tht people, and that DISTRUSTED ANtl BISCRBDITBD POLITICIANS *rho Ihavo ho far averted the political Boom which awaits them, will by devious and perhaps unconstitutional methods "sneak m" conscription and set at nought the twice given verdict of the Australian citizens. The men and women of the various Australian States who are adopting as their motto "Eterfcal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty*' Jira, even m their own country, grossly Snisrepresented and traduced as "disloyalists," their answer being that they »re loyal to Australia, the land of their birth or adoption. The average Australian, who loves hia country, the one country of the -vyorld which sent to Europe a large army of volunteers and proposes to reinforce that army under the voluntary system, far from regards these men and women as being disloyal, "*r if they regard them at all, think of them only as loyalists to Australia, the country which has nailed voluntaryism to Its mast, and which will not replace it with the flag of conscription. The malevolent misrepresentations to Which these men and women have been Bubjeoted has little influence on the Australian, but these misrepresentations conveyed, by lying cables to newspapers, or carried across to New Zealand by politicians who have spent five Sninutes In Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, are apt to mislead the unthinking New Zealander who, to really understand Australia and the Australians, must give close study to the •onditions which prevail m Australia— conditions which are but the natural •utcome of free institutions, and the lnouloatlon of the true principles of liberty. Australia, to-day Is a nation, (destined to become a great nation exercising an influence from which NEW ZEAIaAND CANNOT ESCAPE, despite the puny efforts of politicians Bind would-be statesmen to trammel this country m the net of Imperialism. Quite recently, one or two New Zealand politicians paid a flying visit to Australia, and on their return spoke Hn disparaging terms of what they reKirded as Australia's lack of loyalty, ne of the visiting politicians was the Hon. A. L. D. Frezer, of Napier, one of the batch of recently created Legislative Councillors. "Truth" has always regarded the Hon. A. L. D. Fraser, M.L.C., as a genial, good-natured individual yand a thorough sport, and it was pained beyond measure to find the Hon. Mr. Frazer belittling Australia and the Australians, and what is more to the point, playing into the hands of the wp weens, of New Zealand and Australia. Thi Hon. Mr. Frazer's remarks have not been lost on the Hon. W. A, iWatt, the Acting-Prime Minister of Australia, because recently he declared that only a small section of the Australians were disloyal and that "the drawback of all politicians is a tenttenoy to label' their- opponent* with opprobrious epithets." Now this rebuke ought not to be lost on the Hon. A. L. D. Fraser, M.L.C., and Mr. R. A. Wright, the wowsery M.P., for Wellington Suburbs, who also has just returned from a flying visit to Australia, and has given utterance to 111 -formed conclusions. What Mr. Wright, M.P., declared is just what we expected from a wowser, who views everything through wowser eyea, and though it might be said that when a eport such as the Hon. A. L. D. Fraser Views matter m the same light as THE WOWSERY WRIGHT, M.P., things must be pretty bad m Australia. The true position is that the Hon. A. L. D. Fraser, M.L.C., has been knocked off his perch by the flood tide of wowserism which has lately inundated Australia, and he has not realised it, and he ought, and no doubt will, thank "Truth" for putting him wise. Due to the commotion caused by conscription, Australian politics have become chaotic. Under Labor administrations, both State and Federal, the wowsers were completely suppressed, and any effort on their part to deprive the Australians of their rights and liberties generally ended m the utter rout of the wowser cliques and coteries. Up till the time that "Billy" Hughes launched his conscription campaign Labor dominated the State and the Federal Governments, the one exception being Victoria, which is or was the only State m Australia where wowserism got any sort of a hearing. Conscription split the ranks of Labor, with tne result that it got a severe set-back, and to-day the only State m which Labor is all powerful is Queensland, where the Labor Party under the lead- . ership of Mr. T. J. Ryan, has lifted Queensland into great prominence. Moreover, the fact that Queensland, With its Labor Government, is the only State to-day where wowserism is promptly suppressed whenever it ven-. lures to REAR ITS HIDEOUS FEATURES Is a fact which to the New Zealander ought to bear a peculiar significance. The set-back to Labor m the Federal erena and m the States, particularly m New South Wales has had unhappy Mid unlooked for results. With hated Labor set back a decade, the wowsers have crawled but of their holes and have perceived what to them 'seem Horlous opportunities of "making good," and of inflicting on a distracted community some, indeed many, of the "Joys" which we have experienced and are experiencing m our dear dour Dominion. Within an incredibly short period the wowsers m New South wales have almost caught up to their "beloved brethren" m this country, and •0 emboldened or intoxicated have they become that they are reaching out for further "reforms," and are being encouraged m their nefarious schemes by office-loving politicians who hope witli Wowser support to "dish" Labor, and retain office pay and pickings ()i just as Is the cage m New Zealand'sto-day.) What is being attempted 1n New. South) Wales has^'bepn In New Z&cra'nd,^and 'what -has -.been, Accomplished m New South Wales: is being attempted ifr all the other States' of Australia butstaueensland; the: One Btate which wilUmotrstand for.wow-;-eerism,; and whlclilhas ./wrested of rorrr Me* South Wales.the banner of Liberty.) and^.nli-Wowserism. However, the Australian people are quick to resent any interference with their cherished rights and privileges as froe men, and lately throughout Australia, and particularly m those States where WOWSERISM IS MOST. MENACING, there has been a quickening of public opinion and a thoroughly organised opposition is .being shown to wowserism, and when the Australian people are thoroughly aroused, the object of their anger and opposition must go under, and m the circumstances it is ■afo to predict that wowserism is ■hortly to receive the "dirty kick out." Naturally, the wowsers realise ; that

they have disturbed a hornet's nest, and are alarmed, and resort to the tactics with which we are only too familiar m New Zealand. All who are not with them are against them, and those who are against them and not with them are "disloyal." Loyalty or liployalty is a good old weapon with the wowsers while the war is on. Under the guise of loyalty, the wowsers m New Zealand have striven for the upper-hand and have almost got it. Mr. R, A. Wright, as a typical representative of wowserism- m New Zealand, has viewed Australia and the Australians through 6 pair of wowaerlßtlo spectaolea, and "Truth" hai to express its astonishment at the fact that uuoh a seasoned and worldly politician and good sport as the Horn A.L. D. Fraser, M.L.G., should be bo deceived by the camuflage of the wowsers, and give vent to the very opinions concerning the opponents of wowserism, that the wowsers hold, and one may rest assured that their joy will be great m noting that the Hon. A. L. D. Fraser, M.L.C., has been "converted" even If by their trickery. In common with the people- of the States of New South Wales and Victoria (Queensland being trusted to look after itself), New Zealand ought to buck up, m other words, should arrive at the realisation that WOWSERISM IS A DESTRUCTIVE AGENCY aiming at the enslavement of the god-* desa Liberty, and the anti -wowsers of New Zealand should join hands across the sea and make a common cause with the people of Australia m the fight against that wretched survival of the

„.. MR. "COCKIE" WILKINSON (M.P. for Egmont). A smart sort of cove is VC.A.W.," Of course, at a glance you can see that is true; For the Cause of the Farmer he flghteth alone, And the farmer's interest, you see, is his own!

Cromwellian era, *viz., Puritanism, which to-day is almost as great a menace to the freedom of nations as is the Prusslanism of Hunland. A. splendid opportunity is afforded to-day to give wowserism a knock-out blow, and the fact that wowserism has made headway m Australia, following on the betrayal of Labor, coupled with the fact that the strongest anti-Wowser State In Australia to-day Is Queensland, where Labor is stronger than ever, and to which State the whole of Australia is looking for its deliverance from the thraldom of wowserlsm and Jingoism is something which ought to convince the worker of New Zealand of the truth of this paper's weekly homily that wowserism is the worker's greatest enemy.