MR SCHNEIDER'S ADDRESS.

Southland Times, Issue 3321, 11 February 1879, Page 3

MR SCHNEIDER'S ADDRESS.

Eursuaht to' .announcement; ajmeetingwas held iin the: school " hOusoJat .Appleby last "■/' night. at which. Mr, JbsephSGhneider delivered an address on " .The Principles of ; Political Economy" and .Social, Philosophy,;/and .,; theIntehtionsv.of hthe, Present.; -Ministry, ;bf ; the, Colony."' . , -Then attendance>nu*m.bere"d -about * 50 /persons.:. .Mr A^mUr^^Crispi the convener, > was elected tothe chair. A.... The Chairman .'introduced>therproceed_gs ..-■ m the Lusual;w^y; and claimed for the speaker a fait—id impartial hearing. jMr Schneider thenvcame forward:andexjplained the subjects on which he intended to; base-his r remarks.; ... With "this/ K yiew, he -. read largely, by way of an apptopriateintrbduc-. tion,Tfjom r ' c Chambers' - ; Information ;f pr<.,the ; •People," oh the understand /of ''political''' economy and .sbci^^philpsophy;*;,;.; He .then : .gave' an ih*torpretatibh of his (Mr Schneider's) sentihienfcs. Taking in- hand first; the social r /aspect^he pointed- out th^ culties^ l_e,way bf a; poor /man;/follp\ving, the P teaching thatr he should "adjust- his expenditure 4n, .accordance, with, his income. They very* often heard wealthy -mien ' declare 1 from" a platfonn.tbat tiiey^tpOj'w.ere laborers in the 'rabe/bf" :^<i';;^en^ne.'wd^'i''let'that' - be -isb: /; ...-it _mply extended the Tanks of that clas'3/';;:butj on the/'other. hand, what.a wide distinction must .'-be; /drawn be"*ween the great subdivisions 1 of Ithat-f ciass,'and especially was v this the case' in'the 'Mpther-Cpuhtry -(England). ./Oh the one-hand, affluence ; on the other' 'poverty. ln fact, one cl__7 or division ,'.. had the means -to/provide : for their wives and families ; and -the s other^'ih ; 'many'/ih-' stances, had not/V/_u*raing, then, to the/ principle of political- economy* which had/ for 'its 'object- the ;sbnhd- : management of a nation's' an^irs,;-he^dwCltipn^ the-' dangers tbwhich' svcbuntry was-' exposed -b^/theabsencd' bf that fteedbiii among the -great- rhasSpf^the people ""which.'' entitled fthem* 1 tb^take part ; ih *'■■' thb'goveinment^f a country^; and so prevent the/' abused" attehdiht oh' monopoly bf power by a/partiCular classiwhbse/legislation passed over' the' heads of "the^^greatrmass, ."and epded . -ro.-the.iaggrto \ of that/ 'particular;, class. The result of /this was -to make the State; rotten .at s the"' ; -- core. - ; ; Tp^r advance; :his iargument, t .he • pointed -,- to; theipolitical; and spc.ial- t strife; rampant in; some?pf >the•/('*bn;'• tmen''_i :^ sp.eciallytp'his ;own Fatherland, where, as shown by statistics, crime had increased 'to. an enormf ous extent of late -years | where r, immorality bf every/, /kind/ had] ; assumed^ terrifying proportions; and- where thousands of the poorer classes- were actually wanting bread. That,- he contended, was the t secret of it.i ( The people were tbo^ nothing for tneih, sb^lbng/as* they could revel in their own luxurious world, apart from the struggling herd, forgetting thattheppor were in, all/x^ect-'Dut that^of /social /position : their; equals ', ■ andjentitied'jto ;som(_ , degree of consideration/ . in^/the • \ gbyerhhient . of „ithe country.- Could it'be said when such a.state of affairs existed' that ihe / gpyeihment :.' ; bf ' a counticyV^w^ sbund ? ; T^as .there not something 1 wirphg _i/"the stale manageneht*' when such abuses werb'*a_bwe^' -to /stand forth in the—ght'bf dayf ; All sensible men must acknowledge that- the degradation and miseryHe Chad ' depicted was hot ithe/t outcome; of national ; character, but the result '.bf a long course of bad .goy ernment. . . The 'truth was that the public expenditure was in. -. excess of the/in'cbme,'ahd dor /-this. ivtiie. laboring class , were made to suffer.- /• __.a happiness- 'attend- . ant .-of : royalty, ,the. high salaries paid ■toVuse- ; less officers appointed by ? Goveinnv_t favor, the maintenance :bf lafge.armies,: and carry-ing-on expensive . wars —these were the great, drawbacks to; lthat proper form of-' government : under- r.whicb a nation • might ; prosper and be happy. He-quoted from John Stuart! _l_lo_the;funCtipnsb£ government generally; •-■: Speakihgr.of- 'thie land, -'it was the , -inheritance* of ithel-people, 'and' yet if he was , to, go home eo'untry,;, and /pick;up>a ; '-i handful of earth/ /he woidd be called a -robber, j -He wasfe Socialist, and felt proud' to:owh it.j The i;cou*htry ''-liad ;f breed/ Sbc^ism -bnltself ;; i the people .had .to 'rise to. 'p'rojfectithemselves ; against :the crushing weight of injustice imposed npbh'Xthem. A. In Germany, 'ihj„B73, - the^' W^'/bhly> bne/^ / si^diird^of ;Socia___iy and nowAthe 'Socialists numbered 250,000.^ There werp a large num-b_;ih'-Belgium,/ and/alaige hnniber. in.D markj; and/ai large/number in/England, and theywere -tncreasing^from/day ''to day. It Was the natural product of oppression. The people ;w;ere dftwntrbdden ahd had; to : rise up ; and prptecJ*/Ht"k e^ in ;■ the;i colonies we were-; Jbetter off than the people : in blder; ; coun^es/ ; "but ; 'Still " it, hehoted them-_ito, ilbofe . aiteriytheir:^interests] ; ~;-riew.to sec'cu'e and/duality, to wMc|i asfa community, ' '.-' were justly,ehtitledj and ;it:Was;ih;e ; ir obyiouß* - iftix'tyi ■•■ .therefore/ . to suppprt . those/ men in j 7 ipO/yeriJ who;; would 1 • carry ; out;their ; yiews. ' •'*/^/ Now he.'ckmei'tothe third part^ namely^^ •theiiin'bntiohs'.of,^^the ptesent; Min-:- * istry. Fir^;on<;-their ? programme' was,Thian-' hobd^suffrage* H^ :t contended >. that ."..every $ man o.ye_?2l^e^Bß_»{ age should have a voteif _ihcenepaidlta_es, ; ;M might be,|. but 'natural/ thMzfee^^ : flfißM^l^V-tlie conserva-; tivesj ;Bhbuid not : want: the; : labbring man tof; have ; a vote^ because^he;y- i kn^^th'it.he? would.haye the.pqvibri'tos^d jthe/ right/men? to > -iE'arliamerit; ..__^;ha_ -d fot manhbod suffrag^ ;iradithq§e; jyhp tppppsed; it -were; ho ; frienjds tp^plmstianity,; for were i notall men.equ_.inthesight;bf theMpstHigh?' . ; As /British, : /tiiejt/^^ere/f ;^en/titied"* 'to -it ', therefore hex called? -upon _&' .Jaeafers] to support the. p>esen^"l|&_^ cry $hroughbuir:the' ' country?'?": we ; will haye, / mmhoodysvapa^'x //o_e r^a^totmenfr;iof|; / / represehta_b)i'w^ : looked fpi^frpW^ej;(jre^ ; a_lmew'^at''sbi^to an^Stahce; ■'IheVquestibn^bf'/t^ i; a_o 'one which" w - of tne;^ejTO ? btede^;^ ing cla^s^/in'Comlp'arisbh^ *t_ef/^^ iell / mb_i|; /^;ligl_ay ■ " ? "_*e^^P^ A "'.-.. V^.'l'riei-niaTp^ 7 > "Vln^Pa#__*#n*t ' :_v^/yej«r_/ wfere^ -jnore^ ; a • likely' to thm-k^b^ -satherin^;^ or begin to think aright fo\be;tbereV - always/ -__e/ab^i^^ ii_^ght;was generallf £e/?bgnis#to beneces-; -yjaxyyi A_dJas^^<^b^he;_oi)?m^ all those who/wished* "to; :^ ' : 'educai^_^— 'in_m i/part^theai^rs of theebunirysh^ tbepre^tGjST'*'^^ said in-'t^i^^'^'^i^^^^^^^'^

iijimammm iii — _— 1 ■ — __— _ ■ i ■_■__■■■■■■■■■ i opinion as to an" "elective Governor, he quite i agreed in the propriety of what that gentleL man had said — it would induce a greater I ' spirit of independence, without being productive of tbe evils that some people considered " -would attend it. Mr Schneider then referred * "to certain criticisms of himself that appeared ' in the Southland Times, and iri reference ' . to the part he took in the reception of Mr I Stout, said he h.id as much right to meet the Ministers as the Mayor and Councillois, and ' further that he had ' considered it his duty, as [ Mr Ballance had advised him by telegram of j their coming. In conclnsion he begged of the [ laboring men to be awake to their responsi- , ' bilities, in view of the next election ; to bear in mind the words*of Sir George Grey on' th'e 9th of March, 1878, when he said to the ! laboring men— ",l will. be your general." He, ' personally, had not foigbtten those* 'words,' "' „ud had vowed when he heaid.them that he - would- be a true" ahd faithful soldier to the cause. And, even now, he could fancy that 1 He heard the heavy tramp, tramp, of Grey's battalion pf laboring men marching to record their votes for 'liberty, equality, and - fraternilv. i The audience, who had listened attentively to the address, albeit the lecturer's remarks occasionally" provoked their risible faculties, applauded Mr- Schneider as he resumed his Seat. Mr. Kinross moved, Mi;- John Dewe.se--1 conded. and it was carried — That this meeting thanks Mr Schneider for his address, and considers that every man who r has tiie advancement of the colony at heart should accord him his support. • The meeting terminated with the' usual vote'of thanks lo the chairman. ■, '