A RADICAL VIEW OF THE SITUATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5667, 11 September 1896, Page 5 (Supplement)

A RADICAL VIEW OF THE SITUATION.

It may be (says forward) that the present Government will have but a slender majority in the new Parliament; but it does not follow that the numerical strength of the Opposition will be materially increased. In fact, it is more than probable that there will be a marked falling off among the followers of the National Association. The Opposition have absolutely no policy ; they have not even got the courage of their convictions, Buch as they are. They denounce the land tax and the Government labour measures, yet Captain Russell avows that if the electors will only return him to power he will solemnly promise not to interfere with the land tax and the said labour measures 1 The people, however, are far too cute to be taken in by any such confidence trick. They know too much to give the National Association a blank cheque. Our view of the position is that the coining elections will result in the return to Parliament of a sufficient number of Independent Liberals to establish the eleotive executive in place of the present rotten system of government by party, and to initiate/ a far-sighted policy of democratic finance which will gradually abolish all the present burdens on trade and industry, and substitute for them a tax on land values, increasing step by .step to 20s inthe<£. : • . .'-••" " -