IN THE VALLEY OF DECISION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5486, 11 February 1896, Page 1

IN THE VALLEY OF DECISION.

» [From the Lyttdton Times."] "Within forty-eight Hours, the polling day in the pending bye-election wiU have arrived, and the electors of Christchurch will be called upon to choose one of three courses — to decide whether they shall (1) abstain from voting, (2) vote for a supporter of the present Government, or (3) vote for an opponent of the Liberal Ministry. It is well that these questions should be pressed home now, and not left unanswered till the last moment, to be decided by chance, or impulse, or the influence of excited argument. "We wish especially to impress upon all the duty of recording their votes, freely and. fearlessly, after a full consideration of the facts. Political wrongheadedness is an evil, but political apathy is of the nature of a calamity. " IVom torpor, sloth and indifference," the Chrietchurch electors may well pray to be delivered. Even at the last general, election, when there was a plethora of candidates and agitation sufficient, we should have thought, to arouse all sections of the community, there were several thousands of electors on the city roll who did not take the trouble to record their votes. "When such was the case at an election for three members to hold office for three years, it seems necessary to use strong mea« sures to galvanise the inert mass to some show of activity when the election is for one member for a period i of six months or so. There is one section of the electorate that requires no electric shock to stir it to a sense of civic duty. The prohibitionists may be expected, from the restless enthusiasm and vigour they display, to poll their full strength, and for this lively interest in the greatest J collective duty of citizenship, they j deserve admiration and respect. What they are doing is what ought to be done by other sections of the public. "We Bhould like to see the full Conservative strength of Christchurch .expressed, in concrete form at the ballot-box^ and we shoii|d like to see a fair trial of : forces between, the Prohibition and ; Moderate sections of the Liberal Party. If the abstentionists should be numerous, the result will be to deprive the election of all significance, as the political opinions of the stay-at-homes must remain an unknown quantity. There are signs of vigorous vitality on the part of the Conservatives, and they are naturally anxious to show that they have not decreased in numerical strength since the general election. It does not surprise us to learn, hoWever, that many of the moderate or undecided voters, who originally thought of giving their support to the Conservative candidate, because of his personal acceptability, have resolved upon transferring their votes to the Government candidate. They doubtless recognise that the real struggle 18 between the two Liberal candidates, and they are fully aware that by voting for Mr Lewis they would simply strengthen the chances of the extreme Prohibition candidate. This aspect of the situation deserves careful consideration by moderate electors who may have been tempted to place persons before principles. To divide their votes could only result in defeat, and the politic plan is to unite upon the candidate who has the better ! chance of succeeding. There are ! others who profess to place principles before party, and who delude themselves with the thought that they are | thereby acting up to a higher ideal of political life. There could be no more fatal mistake. So long as party government exists elections must be fought on party lines, if they ! are to result in the representation of the people's views. To send to Parliament a man who does not fall into line i with one of the parties in the State, and who holds himself superior to party discipline, would mean as things are, the practical disfranchisement of the constituency. So far as the question of elective Executive is concerned, we can only hope for the return of a majority pledged to that reform at the general election, and. then it may be possible for members to be chosen apart altogether from their allegiance to one of the great parties. On a combination of political principles and party loyalty the present bye-election must be decided, if- Christchurch is to maintain its reputation for intelligent Liberalism. It is the misfortune of the Government candidate to be "cursed with mediocrity;" he is neither a born orator nor a born statesman, and he has little power of awaking enthusiasm on his own behalf or on behalf of the principles which he has so long and consistently upheld. There is, therefore, a grave danger of many Liberals being tempted to stay away from the poll on Thursday, under the impression that, as it is a case of "Hobson's choice," no harm can ensue. "We would urge upon all who are concerned for the true representation of this important constituency .to overcome such indifference, and record their votes according to their consciences. If by default the Prohibition Party should snatch a victory in this contest, it will give a foretaste of what might happen if the "bare majority" rule were hastily introduced with regard to the local option and national prohibition polls. We hold advanced views on the liquor question, but we are not prepared to enforce those views nt the coat of the Liberal policy, and for that reason we couusel all electors who are like-minded to make an effort to go to the poll on Thursday and prevent a well-organised band of extremists from securing the' misrepresentation of the city. It is contended by Mr Tliomaa E. Taylor and his friends that the prohibitionist candidate is really not such an extremist as has been stated ; that

he is not prepared to wreck the Liberal Party, or to put his "dominant idea" before every other consideration. This late repentance or awakening will hardly delude thinking people. * Mr Taylor has for years been before the public of Christchurch, and his opinions are too well known to be disguised at the present juncture by diplomatic phrases and high-soundingref erences to Liberal principles. His hostility to . the Premier of the colony and to his policy on the liquor question is notorious, and he would be false to himself and to the band of enthusiasts by whom he is surrounded if he were to depart from the lines he laid down in his public addresses prior to his appearance as a candidate for Parliament. , We admire his courage and consistency in refusing to belie his former professions ; but we cannot deny that he now seeks to explain away a good many of his former utterances. We have invited him to declare hqw he would act in the event ,of a hoetile vote being moved against, the Government, and his assurances on the subject have been far from satisfactory. To support -Liberal principles is not enough so long as Mr T. E; Taylor is the sole judge of what constitutes Liberal principles. By all indications, Mr T. E. Taylor's leader in the present House would be Sir Eobert Stout. Now, it is quite conceivable and possible for a coalition to be formed between Sir Eobert and the Hon Captain Eussell, and for a motion hostile to the Government to be moved by one or other of these gentlemen. , Where would Mr T. E. Taylor stand Bhould Sir Eobert Stout move a want-of -confidence motion, because of the ' Government's administration of the licensing laws, or because of the unsatisfactory policy of the Government as regards the local option vote ? Would he not be found maintaining that prohibition is a " Liberal principle," and therefore voting to turn out. a Liberal Government v to make way f or a .Gpnservative ; Coalitien Ministry ? These are. thie : questions which the . electors nave to I bonsider. It is too late now for. Mr T. E. Taylor to alter his attitude or further attempt to explain his explanations. The electors who do not place prohibition by " bare majority " in the front rank of Liberal proposals will, we hope, recognise the gravity of the issue that is raised by the election, and not allow the seat to go to their opponents through carelessness or indifference. Their duty is clear. Every elector ought to go to the poll, and there, free from all fear or favour, vote for or against the continuance of the Liberal ipolicy.