THE FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

Thames Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 10167, 10 December 1906, Page 2

THE FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

Within a few d;iys froml now the election "of" members of the House- of Representatives of the' third Federal Parliament will t:iiko. pkicie,--iamd a,t the present time tihie political atmosphere in the Commonwealth is thick with the cries of the'contending parties. It musiti be jCionfeesed that an examination of the various programmes that have been placed 'before the electors, is oalouilaited to produce some little confusion, for they a.t kr.st do- not sihlow thaib a really -cleat rat distinction exists between may one of the three parties that are appealing for -nublic support and ewihi of the otlhJeir parties. Mir Deakin, "wthioi joined forties with; Mr Redd duringl the -currency of tihe late Parliaimenit on the hasiisi- of a fisc-ail trust, deiciWe® on behalf of the Government that thiei dievelopment of tho system of protection' supplies the very kernel of the principles of jtlhle party he leads- Tihie {■em* of Socialistic. legislation, which is the weapon most largely n^ed by. Mr: ■Reid in the advo.----</a,cy of the jclaims^ made by thiei Opposition! upon, tibe votes of the electors who ihJaive a> distinct staike in tiho country;, isi dismissed, 'by Mr Deakiii a® a 'bogey, a.ud he seeks to- make the readjustment of the tariff the first and chief question of 'the electionBub the tariff issue oann'pt be described as a: really substantial issue. Tlhe Opposition, consistingl lan'Cely of Freetiraders, has accepted what seems to 'be the mandate of the cotmtry in favour of moderate Prot-eotion-