Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, THURSDAY, DEC. 11, 1919. PATRIOTISM FIRST.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 15089, 11 December 1919, Page 4

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, THURSDAY, DEC. 11, 1919. PATRIOTISM FIRST.

. . In all the issues of 'the general election tfcke 'subject of patriotism should have firjst consideration. General Ghaytpr. t .ini .'&' ajpeech at Wellington last week . voiced > the feeling of a great many / people, regarding the uncertainties of" S the. 'future. "We have got; pe&ce^of l :;-'a sort 1 /' he said, and' he considers that „ it is hot of such a sort to justify the assumption • that it will be permanent. „ He advises us "to make certain that we ; do .< not .-drop again into the of 'the past five years.' 1 -"Whatever -was done," v ho added, meaning whether the League of Nations becomes a living leaiji^f or not, "we must be prepared to, -.defend! our rights and' liberties, and tp.-.;',do>.j;that efficiency was essential." Then; ;to->day we have Mr Lloyd George appealing" for political unit and dechir» ing", that; the only alternative to coalition is confusion. He speaks of the .'hiew - challenge, ito civilisation, affecting : the whole ..fabric of society." .'ln- view of •thede' realities, the dominant noto of the NeW Zealand elections must be patriotism, .y Liberalism or Conservatism or I>abor-ism does not matter besido the great issue ■of whether ,we are going^to ,dq st'tiuncli to our King and l constitution/ arid -with the rest of the Empire to stand four-square as a British 'natiotl'. against all the winds that blow, .whether <they be Germanism revived, Asiatic' -aggression, or the greatei' and nJdn? 1 peril of Bolshevism insidjdnsly introduced ihto this cowitry, a* 'it^lHias been, proved 1 to be m" the . United States, through foreigm and enemy: agencies. The new challenge which-, threatens the whole fabric of '^oci^tjf-'is just the same force of dis- . > i^uptijJn ''■ ■ which broifght about the defection, defeat/ arid dlsh"ono^ l bf the Russian n>tjon, und if Brit-

ain is to remain the' strong and virilfc nation, that she has proved herself to bo m the great testing time of the past five years*- .she must ding"! to irtrftfcrfiftV unity and firmly suppress all efforts promote discord. "Patriotism I?irsi" must be our motto as it was the motto of the nation when the Prussian, was at the gates' and when but for. the splendid patriotism of the British' pejo: pie the Huns would have overrun our country and made iis serfs. During jbhfi , wa r period it was necessary ■to ptit down with a. strong hand those who by\speech and action were- hampering the national effort. Individuals were found- who' did. not hesitate to utter 'disparaging . and disloyal sentiments at a time When -the • . nation ' was m greatest danger. ■' SjpinV , ■were sent to gaol for *. their seditions utterances — mnp'ngst them . Tlioifr'jj£ • Brihdle, who has been, brought tq;GP&bpme to submit -Tiimself as a fiit.art'd proper person, to represent this "eliect^ ate -which by its - ; great self •sacrlf&itjg war ■• effort proved; itself second tbnpiie iiv the Dominion' m /adherence td'i^nK and'flag. >Ii < 'Brind]e/m:'hlßlini^ia.U ; aid« dress at the Opera , House made >sorrto fleering suggestion to the 'effect Ithat /to find heroes it was not , hecessar^ tog o . to the battlefield,' but lie, ■did" not prbj?& sufficiently heroic, m ihjroduciiMf hiifnself to the pepple^he was asking "to sp~ point- him as .'their representative; >;t$ ■ tell. them briefly I 'his history, , as' 6i).y newcomer to';the district' claiming .t^e people's suffrages might - reasonably 1 have been-expected, tp .have .-'.doneV^ |wd ,^ he" done so the meeting .might tiayfc r' taken- ; a-, different turn .from rwhidi^ifc/-,". did, and 1 the Mayor would certainly not heave ;beeh jos^ed'yjri : iireniaimni^in ..-• the chair. Mr Brindle perhaps expected v that the people -would not firid\b'ut 1 < ~ his recqr,d, and when the fact' of^th©^,,. conyictapni ofja .Thonfas Brindle, a)oWij): Kngton 1 on Decerribet 23, . Isij6;::;rc&ir ptt£« lishedji in., last riightV paper- '.ajuj -it'^aS anp'ouriiced^batVat his Kaiti ' meeting Avoiild l>e" aslced- whether he was t.hfcupersqn referred to, Mr Brihdle. ;becam.e angry; and at the meeting.^.lajan'qbed;^ '••'.' diatribe 1 : on the^capitalistic' pfefcs.;/\ '. are quite prepared to, submit v w>( r ahy ; , . hard, names that Mr Brindle '^hodse^o •:"• call us, .Tbubrourrrepresentativ^rp'rfa^nt 1 . at the meeting ,toek a proper; ;sti^nd^n • compelling ; an admission that' the^iiaindidatp . had .received .fair and -generous treatment m regard to tthe,l" 1 repprting^pf his meetings v als^.in^;cojnneilfng :'Mf Brintlle eufc,l}is --y^oEds j?hen he: iirisiniiatedHKat' waisttews Hay?been ."faked" m the local. press.'- : The tnajn ■ poinxa elucidated m,- the 'enquiries' at the » •oieib- '■& ins -w^tl* - that he- f had been* impr^ed'Mpfe^aj." r tion ; . he was, "■ m f act,.lprpud' 'pi • it ' ' ■« tlte-lsame tjit^uhtst6*idM;?'ntbfeo, VKS?saitS; < he would say the'shme thing; again^^rt - defence of iiis '^ed^iD.o^.v-^i^^i^^'^y 'Brindle: made e anr^"^L^i>Mo|»,;lft^T^B effect .tliat-Jt>Vas l^ihißv^ly > '-^ < cfwlejn^ft; against Ythe^^Bttfice 1 of 'New Zealand . lives f in.^Galiippli, ■': m. order, stantihdple. - might r. gjveh^tci .tlieifttu^ ,, sums. Now f ' we- have ' taken /the iiroftjale ' to obtain' ; tihe fnlbttext of, the ■ utterance ; 'aßf^fihe^inri.th^^s^^.uppnis^^fi^^lp <Bj?iridle waft -«onvic^eid/'arrd"''*\ir vreadfeys Will be able to judge from .theistatfev , ■ menjti, jtvirhich appears on page mWfi. ofj£j|hia;f issue), whether the "c^mjf^ft'l %V^^%^^ „|h^trjttth in ' his «xplariati^. vlv .^as ;de* <? liberate to. prfcyent nien.ubeS^, seht^fprwfiKi.,.to 'Battlov ', -Hia^su^gpibiqn;' < Jf'lhajt -by .'P^ttingt^a-Sljt'tto red dot hereampngst tho oflieK, -were ?goi«g to .^c(f,e^';-^:^mypii^i^-i|gi£iV-"' imejmt anythiti^ that New ZeaUlmVs - soldiers' efforts .would not count m the. great struggle. ,■■ How -thatr has -been falsified everyone knows v .^P{ioL little" red' dot from "this- ifpmxjoion i ; fljfS" \ counfc,, and greatly;, in vthe wihnjng 4 ■/$ ,,-, victory. Australia, Which had/V'Dijjh. ' holding back, the . speaker , declared ; tp ■ be the one bright sppt,^% a,,darl^ s«spjf]^ r IT« spok.e also of > "dtevefcs 1 wHpj wpSu^ ; cajole us into the blood pond "of Euyope;", aivd 1 . decjared «fftlselyitlii,t was, "fighting for something other tndh. ? to' "free Belgium."'. There was more ,'in./ the same nauseous dtrain, /and v acfeu|tliy'4-. a suggestion that at that tjme (D^e^&i^ her; 1916) when> the nation was death grips with the enemy andv,6ur<; sons were^dying m lmndteds-to''w«yent, ; .Prussian ; militarism conquerui^ •^■iftV, ! world^. that the war shouldi.-be^sboppedv^ Though , Mr Brindle claiii^ ''-thajy he <fjd"fc npt have, fair trial iW^'th^t tStt-^-" every, unprejudiced, persphj remeiubej™g the tension at that time -and '{he gra^y of ,the issue, will ag^e^h^^^VM^s^ • trate,.afc, Welluigtoii, -knd the Full which confirmed, the judgment -on appeal, only did their duty in' inflicting punishment for such an outr^epus utterance. And Mr, Brindle, who would. t be : member of Parliament for Gisborne, still says he is proud of it. Re Says he is- -not"- quite- sure whether- he Cis prbud, of being a Britisher and iriadey v j some cheap", witticism about, ohoosing : Jgi '* I par,erft« m the next, reincarnation. "We" I wotjldv jiumbl^ suggest N tp> Jilr Briridje : that' until he is. <juite sure on this pojht : it wouldi be : wise for him to . reconsider 'his candidature, which, is not lifcejy under -tlfa ifeircumstanceg* ib" tneefc»i"wi^i the approval ;of the people of this>elißC-., ." tbrate. Those -for" nominating Mi* Brindle 1 for *■ Gisb6r«e, would do well- m order to set theVpselves right with the public,' tb ei^J|ul £ whether , they knewrwhen^ tl»y dia^sb/ ofj his conviction' fpr v ; ;sedition, w\d •whether, they oojisider^ under the ?^i cumstarices'conhected with that convic- , ■ tion> it is proper to pursue theh^Bttbpott to the, candidate. >Ye should be^adwy to think; that the Lahor. people i'jof "Qii^ 'borne would iiji anyway iddntrfy t^W s selves, with the. se'ntraients jtft /Brindle .*' has expressed, andi which, -he says/ Tie / still holds to. It is up to them to repudiate his •> seditious t utterances. The call of patriotism must surely, be Rren . dominant over the * dictates, ;of/'Wy •■ organisation such as ,that which* is- fehdeavbring to stuff the WewJ Zealita(^ Legislature with men Of the Semplo* »• Fraser-Brihdlo type r .vLabbr; itve Jf^fellt / sure, deserves better representation than *. that, amdl as foi ; Gisbpi'ne.Viticertayihr shall never be said that it gave countenance and support to the mad 1 heresiesvbf ' theses misguided individuals^' 'if- < vvM ,■;