MR HOLLAND QUESTIONED

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 74, 25 February 1918, Page 7

MR HOLLAND QUESTIONED

ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE KING.

AN EVASIVE ANSWER.

At Wednesday night’s meeting in the Kelburn Koisk, the Labour-Social-ist candidate, Mr H, E: Holland-, was asked by a member of his audience if it was true that he objected to the singing of “God Save the King.”

Mr Holland said that ho did not object to people singing the National Anthem if they wanted to. He would be strongly in favour of it being sung in some circumstances, since the King needed to be saved from people who would ask such silly questions. The elector who had put the question said the answer was evasive. What was Mr Holland’s special attitude P

“I have never sung in my life,” said Mr Holland. “I could not sing a note if I tried. There is a great deal of hypocrisy about many bT tub references to the King. People wlncome along to me and shriek, ‘You arc a pro-German,’ and then ask if I sing ‘God Save the King,’ seem to forget that the King is of German descent. I have nothing against the King because of that.” Mr Holland added that the time was coming when there would be no kings. Those who were most vociferous now in shouting “God Save the King” were those who put their hands deepest into the people’s pockets in search of war profits. “Personally, I think the King is a fairly docent sort of person,” he added, “But he does not come into this fight at all. I am perfectly satisfied that people should sing ‘God Save the King,’ because he needs to be saved from the people who would ask such a question as that at a political meeting.” Mr Holland added that the attitude of the Labour Party had been made perfectly clear. He was entitled to ask why the man who put such a question was not in the trenches helping to fight instead of talking about singing “God Save the King.”

1 The questioner attempted a personal ' explanation, but was ruled out of order by the chairman, who said , that the whole subject was irrelevant to the question before the meeting.