OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 404, 11 February 1913, Page 2

OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

THB NEW LEADER. "How happy, oould I be with either, "Were t'other dear charmer away" was an approach to the prevalent sentiment when the members of the Federal Opposition met on Monday to choose a leader in the room of Mr Deakin, resigned. In Sir John Forrest and Mr Cook they had two splendid men. The bluff but genial knight from West Australia was* the more popular of the two; but Mr Cook, who has been virtually the Leader during the Ministry of Sir George "Reid as well as that of Mr Deakin, is incomparably the harder worker and the more resourceful " fighting " man. The more fanatical of s the Protectionists 'in the "Fusion" party distrust Mr Cook, because he is a convinced Freetrader. Their Press organ, the ' Age,' bitterly attacked him on this score, and virtually .threatened > withdrawal of support if he should be elected. In their eyes, the liberties of the people are as nothing in comparison with " high " Protection. ,Mr Cook has undertaken to maintain the present tariff, and to remove anomalies in it, because he recognises that there is more important work in hand than contention about the duties. " It remains to be seen what course the malcontents will take. Another section was in favor of installing Sir John Forrest i as the titular chief, with Mr Cook' as Deputy Leader, in the belief that he would continue i to work as hard in the future as he has in [ the past Fortunately for the credit of the 1 party, the subterfuge found no general countenance. . The new Leader is a parliamentarian tp the backbone. He is always in his place, and nothing escapes him. Where other men are hankering after golf or literature or dissipation, he is sticking to I his work. If he should be deprived of it, he [ would be like a fish out of water. Such men, . though their services are of inestimable value, are seldom popular. Their strenuousness shows up in too strong , relief the foibles of the indolent and frivolous. Besides, Mr Cook has, perhaps, a sharper tongue than any other member of tbe House, and he lets it go without compunction when his indignation is stirred. This- feature" lost him some votes. But that, on hi^ merits, he is by far the j best man for the position is generally amceded. There might, have been a third candidate, in the person of; Mr Irvine, who is a man of firm principle, and one who will be found in the front so long as there is serious work to be done. He declined, however, to enter the competition. ANCIENT. '"HISTORY . Mr Cook is n£w the Jeader of a coalition party. At the commencement of his political career he was -the most prominent figure in a "split." When Labor .first went to the country on the strength of its platform, disdaining any reliance • bixi ;,a . coerced "solidarity, Mr CookVyVwis returned among the first batch. The new party scored some successes, and proved unable to withstand the temptations which; success brings with it. A party headed \%r! Jv <G. Watson, W. A. 'Hohnan, W. M. ; Hughes, and some others came to the conclusion that the cause was not good enough ;by itsejfiv They must have another string to their bow, in the shape of the "ironclad pledge." Members of th<* party whose convictions were likely to give trouble must be driven by the fear of political ruin. It is the old story of "get rich quick" applied to politics. Joseph Cook, Frank Cotton, and some others refused to sign the pledge, and elected to ' battle along by themselves. Present appearances indicate that their- action: will be abundantly vindicated, not merely, from the ethical standpoint, but, from that of expediency. The pledge is not only potent to bind .men of a certain calibre. It is also inexpressibly ' galling to those of finer fibre. It has. proved unendurable in the case of Mr Beeby, l and, what is more to the purpose, the .electors are losing respect for the men who will allow themselves -to be thus shackled. Spurning the pledge; Mr Cook has/several times .risen to Ministerial rank, and may yet be Prime Minister of Australia. " THE NEW BANK. The new Commonwealth Bank was opened for ordinary: business ; on Monday last. The manager (Mr Miller) explained, rather unnecessarily* :that the .bank was starting .without capital, but that it had the credit of the whole of the people behind it. Credit is not of itself valuable except as it is able to produce the, actual wherewithal to honor current obligations. In , this: case, ; i-t , is t^he banks of issue which -are finding the capital and the reserves of coin. to honor the Commonwealth, obligations as they fall due. It .seems rather mean to rely oh these financial 'institutions at the very time that, the Government are entering into very severe corn-* petition with them. The deposits for the first day amounted to over £800,000. Of this sum over half a million was deposited by the Government themselves. The deposit of the Government was made by cheque. CRIME. Mr D. R. Hall, the Minister of Justice, has been telling us how thankful we ought to' be in view of the decrease of crime. There are fewer criminals now, he tells us, than there were when the population of the State was only about a third of its. present number. But harassed' householders aiid wayfarers are asking' whether this may not be due quite as much to the failure to apprehehdfthe evil-doers as to any reformation on their part. Scarcely a- day passes that iwe ate not told of some impudent burglary, while in some outlying parts of the suburbs '. attacks by footpads are so nume* rods' that; residents are afraid to be out after dark unless they can go in company. Mr Hall can point triumphantly to statistics ; but those, who find the shoe actually pinoh- ] ing them ; are in no way comforted' by the array of figures/ let them be never so. impos-, ing or 'apparently convincing. If crime is really diminishing, there should be a greater sense of personal security. That is just what does not exist. THE CASE OF HATTON. Lithgow unionists have been persistent in their demand for the release of Hafcton, who, at the time. of : the JLithgow strike riots, was convicted of having driven an iron bolt into the railway points for the purpose of overthrowing an engine. If this is the sort 01 conduct that Labor approves, it is just as I well that the fact shall be made known as I widely as possible, in order that law-abiding citizens may be on their guard when election day comes round.- To their credit be it said, the Government have steadily refused to grant the request. They accompanied the last refusal with a much-needed declaration that " the passing, of resolutions making demands, requests,, br threats, will not have the slighest effect' in hastening Hatton's release." If they .would take an equally firm stand in all cases wherein they are pressed to exert the power of administration in a tyrannical manner in order to benefit one class as against another, the political and industrial sky would be much clearer than it is at present. The concession of every such unwarranted demand opens the way for further pressure 'in similar directions, until at last the very pretence of equity is abandoned: January 21.