A GREAT LESSON.

Observer, Volume XL, Issue 7, 18 October 1919, Page 3

A GREAT LESSON.

The People's Rule

ARROGANCE and domination by any class at the expense of the whole body must result in subsequent hurt to the class imposing it. It has been shown in many countries that a dominant aristocracy may be deposed by an even more sinister rule, Russia ottering the best modern example and France at the Revolution one of the most famous.

There seems to be no doubt that the recent railway strike in England almost reached the real revolutionary stage at the instigation of persons imitating Bolsheviks, and Hnglish statesmen have declared that the revolutionary spirit was inculcated by German agents. It is always a remarkable compliment to German men that they are able to. produce by force of will a profound change amongst people of another country and it cannot be believed that any large number of British are obedient to the behests of foreigners, seeking to destroy law and order in Great Britain.

Deep disaffection certainly occurred among a large body of workers, whose importance to Britain cannot be over-estimated, but even before this deep disaffection was created,the disabilities of the huge number of railway men were being, removed. The disaffection was psychological and might easily have spread to riot and famine. British people endure much up to a certain point, but the love of law and order is more deeply engrained in the British heart than in the heart of any other people. When, therefore, so profound and .sudden a change took place as the stoppage of the great railway services—run with more genius than any similar undertakings on earth, the crash fell on a people who had been highly organised for war against the enemies of their race.

They had been used for five years to sudden changes and used to facing them by instant action. Hundreds of thousands of men and women had learnt new things and greater self reliance. They had been led by statesmen and experts profoundly desirous of winning the war— above party, above every consideration but that of keeping the flag flying. The people themselves could see no reason why they should be dominated by a relatively small body whether that body had grievances or were without any. They had before them the horrible spectacle of mob rule as exhibited in Russia. Great Labour leaders of proved integrity and belonging to none of the disgruntled breakdown gangs, the ofl'shots of which are to be found in remote New Zealand, appealed for reason among temporary lv notice, but these personal appeals could not probe the trouble or remove the lunacy.

The people themselves, by carrying on the dislocated business of thecountry showed that no class of men whatever are absolutely essential, and smashed the great strikes. It was the greatest blow the thing we call ''Bolshevism" ever received. Necessity spurred the sane to amalgamate against the temporarily insane and protective organisation almost without physical retaliation mended the trouble where machine guns would have been ineffective.

The small groups of criminals whohope in every British country and elsewhere to. dominate the mass, are being told everywhere by the mass that they cannot succeed—that in fact it WON'T DO. Groups banded together for the destruction of law and order are being dissipated solely because the sovereign people desiring peace and comfort are arrainged against them.

The British people in the bulk everywhere respect the laws that" have been evolved by honourable men through many centuries of storm and stress,, and at no time in our great history has there been so great aspirit*of mutual understanding for the benefit of the common weal as at present. The Empire is an Eden where the snake is being scotched gradually and surely. The incredible ruffians who have tried— even in New Zealand— to obtain a new order of rule by club are everywhere being: dethroned. Within a short tim<> the kind of person who is at present in New Zealand permitted to disgrace his blood on the public platform will not be tolerated by public opinion, and as it has been done in England without physical retaliation and simply by the power of popular organisation and love of decency, so it will spread to other parts of the world.

The one cure m any impasse where great public services are stop, ped at the, behest of a small minority is to demonstrate that the small, minority are unessential and to carry on the work they have hitherto done. When it is proved to seditionists and whining hounds who regard an enemy of his race as a hero that- the world can do without them,.

the hounds will no longer b<; popular even to a shrieking minority. The smashing of the British railway strike is the smashing of British Bol-sl.c-visin and it is a hint that cannot be misinterpreted, to the Bolshevist in the British colonies to "shut up" finally.