The Star MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1907. THE POLITICAL LABOUR LEAGUE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9116, 23 December 1907, Page 2

The Star MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1907. THE POLITICAL LABOUR LEAGUE.

The Hon J. T. Paul has been giving eome timely advice to the workers of the dominion with regard to their association with, the Independent Political Labour League. It is not necessaTy to credit Mr Paul with «, very great deal of acumen for laying his finger so firmly on the weakness, of the League. As an intelligent leader of labour himself, he could hardly fail to have noticed it, but the workers should be thankful for his whole-hearted condemnation of some of the League's methods. With another general election imminent it is to be hoped that the ranks of labour have not forgotten the utterly inept attitude of the League when last the constituencies were called upon to elect representatives. Upon that occasion it attempted to thrust the platform of the League holus bolus upon tho Liberal candidates in Canterbuiy, at the same time demanding a right to call upon an elected candidate for liis resignation at any time should he, in its estimation, break either the letter or the spirit of the League's law. Naturally enough no Liberal candidate, however closely he might be allied to the League's platform generally, could be found with so little self-respect as to pledge nimself body and soul to the irresponsibilities of the League. The League's desire was to send its representatives to the House bound hand and foot, voiceless and trembling, and useless save as a voting machine. Any automatic thing — even Mr James Thorn — would have served its purpose equally well. When the candidates courteously declined to be parties to any suck, arbitrariness the League set to work to run men of its own choosing in opposition to the strongest Liberals in tho district, and opposed the candidature of others with a blindness that was only equalled by its foolhardiness. The attempt to cut its own nose off in order to spite its uneeemly face was prevented by the good sense of the electors, who saw in Messrs Ell, Lauren son, Witty, Davey and Tanner staunch and broad-minded Liberals, who were to be trusted to honestly support the progressive- legislation of tho Liberal Government, and see that the working man got every justice at its hands, whilst the same consideration was extended toother branches of the community. The attempt to foist a distinctive Labour Party upon a country which has given the workers the Statute Books of the last fourteen yeans is a wholly unnecessary piece of political folly. We might just as well cry out for a Tradesmen's Party, or a Farmers' Party, or a Sports Party, or a Merchants' Party. The desire to flog the League into an arbitrary activity politically is being fomented admittedly for purely personal purposes by certain of ils leaders, who, having political aspirations which are not shared in by the electors, are seeking to use- it as a ladder to Parliament. Agitators of this sort will not help the cause of the League, whose platform is generally sound, and is endorsed in almost its entirety by the Liberal members of the House. The League would be much better employed in helping forward the cause of tried and trusted candidates in the Liberal interest than in. attempting to put its own subverted candidates into power. Its refusal of 19s lid on the plea that it will have £1 or nothing is characteristic of its folly. If we ara to have Mr M'Nab's Absolute. Majority Bill upon the Statute Book next session the League can go ahead and spend its money playing at politics without the danger of doing any harm to tlie community, but in the absence of such a system its .operations, , while utterly hopeless so far as its objects are concerned, will become a, (danger to true Liberalism. Apparently it is unconcerned at this. The ranks of labour in New Zealand are only fairly organised ; they would have been better organised had Parliament declined to recognise its rights. But the League declines to recognise the significance of this fact, and it only remains to teach it another lesson at the next elections-.