A WORD TO THE WORKERS !

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 15091, 13 December 1919, Page 10

A WORD TO THE WORKERS !

(By "Lookbr (JiiV) ' ' ' ! ; lam not a candidate fcfr eljcctiori,' but lam a lijferaf,rand thevei orei ..I aifi very much -interested Mn .'the.'jyfgrkeys df New Zealand, their present "'4Vidi their futiu-e. , '.'•. ' ; Ldberalism to me nieaips tlie policy that has . always preached,., t*h© gospel of "the greatest goo"d foi" the greatest number,"-, and practised what it pleached. . What liberalism has . <lohe for the .jworiver§ of "Zealand -during the pa'dt.' twenty-five years -shou-id... be leiib^h to qpnvinee. you thatj when, it .'has' tlie [j>ow.er r Liberalisni mefms ■ i'Goveynmeiii, [by tho people." 'tor. the Vpeople".. sl) the, tfme^ ;. V- ■ "'■' -■ •'- ■■'■ v-^■■■>- ■"'- '"^ '■{''■'. '-: Xppk. -now at ; the. LiheraJ s,ta|ejneait of ■■policy ! and: at ,yb«rV6\vni Labm'J'plat-i-forni ! .'. -^luch: cX what; you- need, arid:.d'e- «!!'&■ Is- to bo found m the. Liberb.l! prd r ; gramme; 'nearly-.. :tMt jrpti. [want oulsido those, limits, you .Sviill . ,haVe tq- wait "for till you have converted' W great 'wany more'; people to ydvjr jray of thin|cing, -and that' ■ means ) at best you rwi)l wait . ior. -a long -.tupe to. come., •.Whaib is the-...bcst 'course. "for the. workers to tate| : ..^Shall .■they.. sta;ke their all on. the attainment of. £he imppssiblej or : be content . for tlie time to take what 4s- well ' within tiiedr' reach,, here and now? , .' " ;v NpintelKgeiit worker can believe thai the "Labor Party, will 1 ' gain, a majority next -week 'at,. the -polls.- Has -not Kir Holland- said that .he" expects to ire lie^iii'. " , /pi, the Opposition ? : . And ; does not- this "mean ; that Labors. if it etriyes ,to ; staaid. nJonft; nvnst. be content . to; .wait. : perhaps • for many . years, until it is strong-- -enough' to gtfuV. what. 1 it regards as its deserts ;by its own unaided. stf-QUgih, . \\-. ». -..; . . .•.-.. :■ ;I do 1 -not speak thus to the men. and women- 'who hold '.'extreme" ..views!, such -a,s.. glory m the name of Bolshe-' •vik. Wlith them . Liberaliam has nothi«n.g yin .'common ; for their .aim is iiot Freedom. 1 ihut; .Tyranny — not --.'the coiifi-trton,-we4faa;e,/ the • '-"greatest, good" ..of ; a!lj .but .4he-,-destructioi) of all- classes, : but ohe r m -order- that this 1 oiie. shall Kise upon the, loiiiais of all the. vest, and tlte .yjdass-cpnsqious ininoHty,''. its selfkJonstituJted leaders and autocrats-, shall : <lqm"inaJbe i|u^ all^ alike; .. . . !'. '- To Laborites . of , this- type I liaye nothing ;t<> say. : • But my . appeal goes •Idi4h;- to^those among you who . feel deeply the injustice and the wrongs that Labor endures, and who are willing to strive earnestly ■ and ■ persistently that itlieser 'grievances riiay be redressed; but who believe— -ag I know that most of the^w6rkei ; s of -New Zealand do belietfe —that wlmt tbovworld needs most to set it right is not Revolution but Evolution, 'not' >jDestrup'tidn .but Construction ; arid ■ who know m their hearts that "the eiids of Rtrgh't'and Just ; oe' can never be aecuvred.Tbiy- Ftii'ee" nM Tyranny. [-';-T^> youy-4>li«n f - 1 appeal. For your ;owit'Sakefr' do not hinder thoi-iov H ' a r4 •mdvoinent 7-of 1 Democracy^— do not reject ot <limii>'-ihei-measui ; e^ of |»'opress .und ■ adcan .and \vil\ 'se«ur& vfdr.^voix- toVday^ .if . you- will cobpei'ato .^vitti-'it^on: rational, coiistit?u-tipnal-and democratic- lhies. . ' .'. 1 !Whiat*otl.i.er' -'alternative is there- £pr you-.40i -take?'- I h<Ht© 3aid that if lia.bot stand* alone-:- it-imust^-wande^' 1 -^ •weary -while vin>- the- outers darkness o'^ lOpposiWon-'^airid tHe-p yeai's'rjviir 'go by, torid-'iitHe -MiUciiiiaium'y^wdll? be Tiono the tl©aVer.'--V^-<^-'- : ;!*'' i i'*..Vs ;.:- v i»".-..-.;- ■»••;•'• : ; r : • . ,]?or^*if you choose .to ; isolate yourselves, and the votes of the people : are jsplrt hetween: . Liberalism : -and . Ixibor , ithe victory-' 'may go t6 ; "Reform"-— biid 'this,- '•ydtt-'kriow.j is 'wliat "Reform" 1 has long ■ foreseeni' and ••desired. •• ' .Do iiot forget these things : .You know that the present electoral system;' the '' ■' first > pasb'^-Ho ;pbat" -BysteraV 1 . is iuhf air ahd^illbgical 1 ' because sometimes ifc.'doefe >ndt- giveviioinoritdes' fepresentatioij, and ?sora>timfis- isvffiv«r., minorities the re(presentfttion "thei'o &,. but Vnever does it prbtidfe -ail <--thJ&w people ■atohc^: with the power ofc express'mg; their vOwn: views. To <r«medy tßeße,*ieyils;.iihe.",aedond ballbt was ti'jdd, and poop'tad • "the isubstituf ej. is, <<i\ was betterv -"bhian S the^ t"jsudden . system 1 ;;' 1 Then", Mr Massey "ref^rnojed" ; thtt ' second ballot;' /out c*f -existence;: promising, to 'give : its "something better 1 " r— of"'coufßei" v iii Ki^ own good time. *Why HasV;he s feeve"? kept his word? 6e.---cause "Ref-b^n" is waiting for yoti-- tc split the votes and by dividing/ -the forces :.that':.o\ight;' to stand side §y side fdr^Pemo^c^ to open a way to. powrei 1 %r ' iSoriservatisih and 'Monopoly and Re*"aiatS>tiv:-^-.'/'• : ' '".'■." V-'i- v ' v -. :f :■ - - ?■ ■ -pit : you iiot ' se© : that. a vpte ; taken from' Lib'ei^ism •m.ust be, ' f rbm \'y'oiu' iidiht ; ojf S^ieSr; a 1 vote given td^'Re-foiiii*'?-^t'u'e; v .creted ' 6f 'the' Coh^ei*vativ.e ;lfnd*"mohopojiist4'''w'h'o p.t^vnd. helund Mr •Mjji^seyM'tfi&r'gtfsp^ of '.Mr^Miissey h^ielf,':^:hq t% •'•other. ; that $ii Jjong ■as • it' dqeA hjot "'interfere with' FiT^Ate TSnt^rrj^".;-:, ■:; •;:;;;; ■"■' '. ■-;; '..•■ '•■> ' ''But tKere 'i&... niqre .. ■'.'Reform" jthfliii Mbnopo^v.a'nd pbn^eyyatis'n).' ' ■ Th^e consf^jritly ask ' us ,"whal> ! " 'is ( t^ VdijfFerence . between -Liberalism and "their; owk v jjblicy. ' The simplest 'ariswei' 'iV«.tiiat- which Glajdstqner— one ■pf .the gi^'aA^st : of LiberaJs— gave a- Jiong tiriio ago-; y'Thei -principle, of /. ; Liberasism' ,iB jjhjust'ia "tlie qualifiedi .b|y .Vpiilenaq©^ the principle of Oongervatisrfi'Ms Mcsferust of •: the- People qualifieid ' b l y ,Keav."^. '-.., 1' h ■. <; •-...: ,■--• ; . V; >.; > .^ißeoause .the Masseyite^ . do not. trust l}eniocracy^ but. f eaa*, > it/';thei i ef6ije, *. i hey oahhot! be. ekpfiqfc4d -..to.: deal-: .with even Mie-sjuat' aild;.^'ightfi?K an.cU'a«T pirations Vof^iXiabor 'm /ByrnpathetTic.,and opnciliatovy^ispii^t. Anp-ther^ great .'^iS_eral,''!james Bryce, tells us all^ha^.w© 'ilee'd to rfanofvv*~'-jcbout' Maeseviism, VSvhfeia Iw'f deiscrities'^tJie Upai'ty^ \yhich^ tends" always- r to ' v^belicvo j . Md v • maintain th at ' 'social- -ordei' 'can be sed'ih'e'd • only by force;" Thict -fe far iii,d«ed -from -the ■sl>attfctpbintibfv bttr bwii -wliich a v '-'gehemtiori 'ago, by /'wi«i 'amd 1 judicious : «t«,l(e>m"an6liip, ; by ; careful ■aiid b^^nerous''-concei^iS6^is^;to ; l»ab l 6r ? ij : moH • urgent 'iieeds^ • '.prepared ; 'fdi^^us ; feweh ty J ;yeai % s ',of'''inidusfcrial.."\ahd • social Tjewje >v.?-"- /'',',;■'■ "'- : ' v ' 1 ' '■■■': ;.,- !^, Lei -L&h orj 'itlien', .fci'yo. careful heed' to all '.theSei v th'>n i KS.. 'i.-As'^ar'^a^ "I- understand.vthei : sti'oiigiest Qlainis '< highest hojfe'VfVL»bor,''tiry' : Bytnpatlii^fe l are'Avith it,^sp -■' lonij r '?'a9 : j£f' .''stoiids' 6h the old Paths' 1 an-d' Btingß"'to. the ok]e'st l and 'ih^st '%c«id tra^itiiohs ;' ■ 0 , P.feift'pcracy—^t-o .^ht," t; J^|p^;'.and; Ahff so, t6?'.'s&ne^ 'dh^ : : rati\>n"a,r': ; Ljiltoir ' I ' -iiiajke thjs .kppeai^iqf^'io Ithe.-^tJl^evik, who •%i|^, 'toi; pye'rturh" 'the:' Tyj^nny 1 of Ca|italiifihi; fifiiy %o.pel tip 'ijV'.Aits place jan, evfeir .'more , .absolute; r"hierai'cihy '■*' of the '.proletdnjat^.^vitli as ' seifAT>pw n;fe'^,.\li9Bpo%'in:Glr4'e;f> i him, .liiberjilism /^fld ./.lix^eriy : democracy |.'ha\:e;hp.'m^Wnff./ai^d^ "But lor you— Li^eraljam 'i& yoiir fiijm friend and hatunjl .aUy";- r it isl" to ' liberalism 4 that you!' i"ovEO •; nearly all 'ftibies life wortli possessing m tins' counk*y to-day. iSee^tliat. you; stand .by. 'IKb^rai--4»niAnow.-^^ubliß.hed by;