ADVANCE DEMOCRACY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21773, 12 October 1932, Page 8

ADVANCE DEMOCRACY

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, — In my last letter I tried to show that the conscience of an elector must be allowed to be the deciding factor, and that under the party system, this was impossible, as all principles had to be compromised. I wrote: “At present a member of Parliament secures the consciences of say, 10,000 voters, and immediately he is elected he is forced to compromise (when he joins his party). A compromise is against the principles of Christianity. Either a thing is right or it w wrong. Christianity cannot go to politics, politics must come to Christianity.” A man’s conscience can only be controlled by God. Yet under our political system the politician “takes” the consciences of bis electors into his keeping, and immediately ’he is forced by our present system to compromise. It appears that man has attempted to take God’s sole right to the conscience of a man. If our system were slightly changed, and democracy were allowed to advance one step and to have the right to elect the servant (Prime Aliniater), principles need not be compromised. The servant could select as his Ministers the best men available in the country, or the world if necessary. Let us look at the matter from a different angle. Let us compare, each person’s conscience to a wireless station which is in direct communication only with God. How can things be satisfactory if the messages received by each person have to be compromised as regards politics? Let the majority of the people transfer their consciences to one man, who can then proceed without having to compromise. 1 know a Bolshevist or so, one or two waterside workers as well as others, who are called “trouble makers,” but 1 looked in vain for anything “ wrong ” in them as human beings. It is true they consider that they are being unjustly treated, and there is a great deal to be said lor them. At the same time there is also much to be said for the successful raeicliant and for other sections of the community who consider they _ are suffering injustices. If I am correct in my assumption that our present system is trying to work contrary to God’s will, how can things run smoothly? The people must be allowed a further "right ; they must be given the right of electing the only important official in the country the Prime Minister. In • a nutshell, what is wrong with affairs in this country and in many parts of the world is that we are trying to make things fit in with each other from the rich man down to the poor man instead of working up from the poor to the rich. Put things right for the poor and helpless, and you need not worry about the rich man; he will he able to do many times better for himself and ior It appears to me that people make a mistake when they take a passage out of the Bible and try to make it fit in with their “violent” views. Give all these passages equal weight (don * torget the parable of the “ talents or that a man reaps as he sows) and then see it conditions nowadays cannot be made to ht in with these passages. It appears to be that it is not intended that everyone should give away all that he possesses. because if all became .sellers who would be the buyers? Would not, also, the machine of industry cease working with consequent misery and starvation for millions? It appears to me that the nen man has a grave responsibility to keep the machine as efficient as nossible. It he was only allowed to do his best, instead of at present being hampered all the time, he could, and certainly would, see his duty to his more unfortunate fellows. Adopt the proper principle and you adopt the policy of helping the poor to become rich, instead of forcing the rich to become poor and thus to make everyone else's misery much more acute. Xne worker must be given the opportunity to do well for himself. This is a big subject which I have not time to deal with to-day. but, as an example of what is wrong, let'me ask the question: How can the workers (ploughman and many others) get their just reward for the labour entailed in fattening lambs off feed when the price of store lambs is held at a figure which is as high in many cases as the value of a fat lamb? For the worker to get his proper reward there must be a big difference between the price ol stores and “fats.” I am well aware of the arguments winch will be advanced to show that this and many other things are unavoidable and are due to the Present depression, hut I hold that the depression is not the main cause. As regards the other objections, I am confident I can deal with all of them, and that if they were dealt with in the proper manner our troubles would _ soon disappear. Adopt the right principles and, instead of there being unemployed ini this country, the trouble would be that there would not be. enough men to do the necessary work. To put matters right, i will not he necessary to do an injustice to any section; in fact, all will benent. 1 must leave this subject for to-day and refer to a statement made recently by a member of Parliament. He said the present state of affairs was entirely the fault of the electors. Hus ALP. is a Government supporter. Surely we must all agree with him. But what does this M.P. imply? Should the electors during the last half-century have elected other parties than they did elect' He cannot mean this, as the electors have clone their best and given all the then existing parties an opportunity, ihey could try Labour, but this would .not improve matters. Australia has given Labour many opportunities. Then, why tell the electors that it is their fault—as of course it is? Why not say it is the fault of our political leaders, because they have certainly led us in the wrong manner. We were led to consider that they had studied the art of government, and that they were confident that they could govern properly. Why, now that they admit they were wrong (“painted the lily,” as one member put it), do they try to put the blame on the backs of their “bosses,” the electors? They said at first they knew the facts; yet they cither knew nothing worth knowing regarding the art of governing, or they

deliberately deceived the electors. They must take their share of the blame. It is not that the members of Parliament are bad men, but that the system ot parties is wrong. , „ Since I wrote my last letter the National Expenditure Commissions report has been published. It seems to have come as a surprise to many. I cannot gee why people should be surprised. 1 am, etc., G. S. J. Berkelet.