Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1914. PARTY SHIBBOLETHS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11113, 1 December 1914, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1914. PARTY SHIBBOLETHS.

JUDGING from the tone of meetings being held throughout the Dominion electors are wording themselves up into a perfect fever of excitement on the merits and demerits of candidates and the policies of the opposing parties. It is the usual experience of the occasion, of course, but the question might well be put to presumably sane and reasonable men as to whether it is really worth while. Carefully comparing the official programme of the parties we should say that although they differ slightly in form and terms the parties could effect a clean out and out exchange without sacrifice of a particle of political principle or endangering their reputation as Liberals or Reformers. For years now the policies of the two parties have been approximating to each other until ! at present the controversy has practically lost any political basis it may have had originally and is raging around names and empty shibboleths. The talk of land aggregation, reckless borrowing, and the specially cowardly imputation of responsibility of the present Ministry for the fatal explosion at the Hnntly mines is simply an attempt to raise a dust to obscure to the eyes of electors that the main endeavour of the campaign of misrepresentation is to bring about a political general post. Had there been only two absolutely homogenous political parties, therefore, without any admixture of objectionable elements, and the man at the head of the two parties were equally distinguished for ability and personal probity, we should hardly have felt inclined to lift a pen in favour of either. The battle of nomenclature could not have aroused the slightest feeling of enthusiasm in us. We always feel like leaving disouEsious on fiddlededees and tweedledums to those who delight in them. The danger to the State, however, lies in the alliame of the Liberal Party with the Red Federation. Sir Joseph Ward and other leaders of the Liberals give very half-hearted denials to the allegation, but it is quite impossible in face of facts which are plain to anyone capable of drawing almost selfevident inferences that a working agreement has bsen patched up between them. If the Liberal-Red Federation Party were successful in gaining a majority at the polls the Red Federation would, of course, form the tail of the party, but the tail would wag the dog and not the dog the tail. The terrorism which the ultra-Socialistic group would continually exercise over the Liberal Ministry by threats to vote them out would result in legislation which would shock the sense of justice of the whole community. Ministers are generally swayed by the most clamat and uncompromising sections of their followers, and the men of the most glaring political colours always fill that bill to perfection. With the principles of the politically highly coloured allies of the ijiberal Party their utterances during the strike made ua painfully familiar. Wellington was to run with blood if they were not allowed to break the law in any way they saw tit and if any attempt was made to curb their violence. They are for spoliation and pose generally in opposition to every high and enobling principle. Their organ says: “Patriotism is essentially a conservative passion, and the unremitting foe of progress. For progress, be it noted; is not a-'stationary thing, on the contrary in its very essence it implies investigation. Investigation is not admitted into the councils of patriotism.” Evidently the Westport miners, refused to work on a Saturday afternoon when they were aiked to do so in order to get coal for the transports are quite in accord with the crudely expressed notion of the 'Maoriland Worker. The same paper said: “The working class is becoming less afraid of revolutionary principles every day. Not only are the workers not afraid of revolutionary teachings, they agree with them, aye they applaud them. . . We shall cross swords again, both on the industrial field and in the political arena. We shall challenge you (the employers) at the seat of the government itself. We are revolutionists; we shall not rest until the workers themselves own and control the means whereby they live. . . Yes, gentlemen, it must be war uritil victory crowns our efforts. . . There will be no peace, but au armed truce, . .

We shall ultimately triumph, even in a war to the end.” There are many people who have voted for Liberalism in the past, when it has not been committed to !Ked Federation and revolutionary principles by

association with that party, and they were quite justified in doing so. They were endeavouring to secure moderate and steady political and social progress. But as parties now stand it is impossible for them to give their allegiance to an alliance which may be forced by th e violence of its minority into legislation which would imperil the peace of the country hy its revolutionary and robber tendency.