BROKEN PLEDGES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12708, 11 March 1912, Page 2

BROKEN PLEDGES.

The Lyttelton Tinies has the following comments on the above subject :— The Labor members of the House of Reprfi' sentatives who voted with the Government m the recent no-confidence division are very well able to deal with the denunciations that are being hurled i against them by the angry Reformers without any assistance from us; but if Mr Payne and his colleagues think it worth while quoting authorities m support of their attitude they might turn to. the report of a speech delivered by Sir John Hall m 1879 when he was excusing the action of the "Auckland Rats" m crossing over to his side of the House, irt spite of their election pledges, m order to secure ft stable Government, and the passage of measures which they deemed to be good for the country.' At that time the Conservative ', Government was' in a minority of two or three— m much, the same position, indeed, as Mr Massey would haye.beeri ftow if he bad induced the Labor, members to vo.te with him on Tuesday night— and its eontihuance m, office depended upon its o'btaih-' ing some support from the Oppbsition. Negotiations Avere opened between Sir John HsCll and Messrs.. Reader Wood; iSwansoii, Hurst and Cqlbeclf, and as a result of these negotiations the four Auckland triembers, who were sill' pledged to support Sir George Grey, went over to the Government. Of course they . were called very hard names by the 'members of tlie Opposition— j iist as Mr Payne and his colleagues are being called very hard names by the present Opposition-^ and Sir John' Hall m the chivalrous spirit which he always 1 - displayed undertook their defence m the. House. His remarks are reported m. Hansard, Vol.; 32, page 532:—, '.'" ' . The honorable member for Waiteniata states, ..-.„• .-.. that circumstances had entirely altered since the electiohs; that things had come to a .deadlock ; that, uii> less some concession was made, the couns try would be placed m a very difficult, and dangerous position; that m these circumstances he had to consider what it was his duty to' the country to do ? and that he allowed his duty to the colony at large to outweigh the considerations of party. The honorable gentleman has stated very truly that really*" there are not two parties m the House; there, are two sets of 'men who might more properly be described each as the personal following under a * separate leader. x Nq one values more* highly than I do the loyal feeling which , binds men together as members of what they .believe to be a party. It is a virtue j. but if that feej^ ing is carried so far as to lead men to sacrifice the interests of the country to party considerations^ then that virtue becomes a vice. It is at any time an unjustifiable thing to do, to give to the interests of party what is "meant for mankind." My honorable friend the member for Waiteniata has risen super; ior to that feeling. He' 'said very truly and feelingly that he knew well the amount of abuse he was bringing on his head, but that he was perfectly willing to suffer it. m order that he might open this deadlock from which the country was suffering. That was the object of my honorable friend m coming to this side of the House.

Of course the Reformers will contend that the cases are not exactly parallel, but the only /material difference between tlieni is that m 1879 the change of sides was made to strengthen the ' Conservative party and m 1912 to strengthen the Liberal-Labor party, and no one acquainted with rfll the circumstances can honestly doubt, that what, was said m de-

fence of Mr Reader Wood and hi* friends thirty-three years' ago could be: said with equal propriety m defence of Mr Payne and his friends *i#-day. ; "Sir' * John Hall, one of the most punctilious of our public men, is an authority on such matters whom everyone will <ao» . cept -, , : '. - . ■■■'-. '" '"■' : . ' ,/. ." y, ,.',,