PARTY BLUNDERS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 83, 8 December 1913, Page 4

PARTY BLUNDERS.

Party polities' are "responsible for i many bad things and sometimes overzeal leads Ho very stupid blunders: The Secretary of the Reform League appears to have issued a letter which is astonishingly had business. The letter which bear's date November 2'2hd\ , reads as follows:—''Dear Sir,— May 1 suggest that you should endeavor to strengthen the hands of the Govern- , incut during the present crisis in the affairs of the country hy arranging, if possible, for the passing of a strong-ly.-worded protest against the'' action of the Opposition in holding up the business of Parliament by the present 'stonewall.' Preferably,' the 'protest should come from some representative body of the citizens of your district: but, if circumstances do not admit of that being done, I would suggest that you call an emergency meeting of your branch members immediately on rej ceipt of this, and record your protest at the meeting. Then endeavor to have same telegraphed by Press Asso ciation to the press, throughout, the Dominion. If you cannot accomplish the latter, will you send me word of your doings so that 1 may get it into the Dominion here? A short wire will do in that event, but whatever is done must be done within the next day or so. You will have noticed that the Auckland business men have already recorded their protest against the stonewall, and we have good reason to believe that the country sympathises largely with the Government in the attitude it is assuming, both in ' regard to the strike and the tactics o! the Opposition under Sir Joseph Ward's leadership. Please treat this let ter as strictly confidential, and let any action you may take in the matter appear to come from yourself.—Yours faithfully, etc.," Probably there if not much new in this effort to manufacture public opinion, so far as Party

warfare 1 is concerned, but its indiscretion is appalling. Mr Ernest A. James ia a letter to the Wellington ''Times" on Saturday admits the authorship of the letter and says: "J accept the full responsibility for issuing it. The lieform League, of which I have the honor to be the general secretary, is something more than a mere recording machine, and there is consequently no need for its secretary to-play the part of an echo. He would not be worth his salt il lie failed to act upon his own initiative when circumstances warranted his doing so. If I am ■ blaiueable for the action I have taken, my executive will no doubt take me in hand and deal with me at their next j meeting. lam quite prepared to ae- i copt their censure, if it iv justly ad- < ministered." Kroni a Party point or 1

view if we had one—we should lather say his Executive would "no doubt take him in hand."