The Star. MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 1908.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9322, 24 August 1908, Page 2

The Star. MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 1908.

FARMERS AM) POLITICS. Many people, particularly those unfamiliar with rural affairs, must frequently have asked themselves whether tho Farmeiv.' Union really voices the views of those engaged in agricultural and pastoral pursuits. Tho frequent meetings hold by tho lew surviving brandies «nd the. executive of the moribund organisation, and the iarreaching resolutions which are invariably passed unanimously, may possibly have. Jtxl sonic to believe, that the Union is truly representative of country opinion, and that the farmers of the dominion aro, almost without exception, frantically opposed to progress, legislative or otherwise. .But what aro tho facts? Does tho Union represent tho farmers, pastoralists and graziers of New Zealand? Do the farmers subscribe to the doctrines of the Union? Are the farmers as a bedy opposed to progress in all its shapes and forms? In other words, aro the farmers as a bedy conservative? To all these questions the answer is ail emphatic negative. Indeed, it would bo quite- a.- logical and quite as near the truth were the Union to claim that it represents the Prohibitionists, tho Salvation Army, or the Anti-Vivi-spction Party as the farmers of the dominion. Taking tho farmers as a whole, it is doubtful whether the Union represents 2 per cent, the remaining 98 per cent being either'hostile to its programme or indifferent to its quixotic efforts to stem the tide of progress. There are a few progressive men to be I'ound within tho Union fold, but tho great majority arc, of tho reactionary class. JEvidenco is abundant that men civ Liberal views. men imbued with tin; spirit of progress, wv net wanted in the counsels of the Union. glaring instance of this feeling of hostility towards progress [ was show. n. at a meeting of the branch I of the Union in tho' Orouu electorate ' about threo mouths ago. when two of | the most useful, intelligent and .active member? of tho . Union were rejected o;i seeking re-election to t':<"> committee fimply because the}- wore members of tho Liberal Part}-, ono, indeed, having announced his intention ol contesting the seat in tho interest of the Government. That tho great bulk of the farmers of the dominion aro thoroughly in sympathy with the policy of, the Liberal Party has been clearly shown at the live general elections which have taken place tinoo Mr Ballanco came into powor, and year after year electors whose early years were spent in the wilderness of Conservative twilight have thrown off their allegiance to the party ot : negation, misty traditions, maladministration and wasteful expenditure, and, acknowledging their past errors, have eagerly embraced the Liberal . faith. That, of course, irs only what might have bevn expected in an intelligent community, and there can be no doubt that the accessions to the progressive party during the last couple of years have been relatively greater than during any similar period since Liberalism became the- dominant faith in Now Zea- ■ land, and that at tho general election; which will take place towards the end of November or early in 'December, many thousands^ who have previously pinned their faith to tho Tory Party will cast their first votes for progress. Those electors who in years gone by l-.ivo blindly subscribed to the- shibboleths of the Conservative ' Party, who were v\:',ing to believe any story, however absurd, about tho " weven devils ni Socialism'"' and tho wicked ways oi' Liberalism, have- lost faith iv their, political sponsors, and, taking thought for them , selves, have been brought to a realisation of their mistakes of the pact. Having once realised that they had been befooled by those who posed as their guides, philosophers and friend®, thiao the' Liberal Party is the friend and not the enemy of tho tiller of the soil, and that" Conservatism means all that is selfish, grasping and undesirable, it Ls only natural that, ac sensible men, they should at the earliest possible moment eschew such undesirable tenets, ar;d this many thousands of them have done during the lavst few years. To hoar some of tho Fanners' Union champions ' expatiating on. the services' vf-ndored to tho dominion by Mr Ma&sey and his t friends is really amusing, and it i.s a.----s tonishing that those ■ self-appointed j omissariois of an effete and tottering \ party should for a mome.it inuigimi that such palpable untruths would lc accepted by any rational community. ; They have even tho cool » ■ulaeity \o appeal for assistance to ;!:('. Crown tenant?;— to tho successful K-ctilois oi » Cheviot. Waikakahi, Lyndon, Horslej ' Downs, Highbank and tho nurnerou* ; other settlements established by '.he 3 Liberal Governments of the past sevenr teen years. If the loaders -iixj > rank and file o£ the Conse.vr.tiYC Party had had their way not. ono oi r these settlements would be. in existence ; to-day — tho land whereon now resid< hundreds of successful settiers, on whicl (> stand hundreds of happy homes, would still bo devoted to sheep; Cheviot woult still bo populated by a dozen or so o \l shepherds and boundary riders insteat ':- of more than a thousand happy ant a prosperous people as it is to-day ; "Wai !" kakahi would still bo a vast .station, oi ; possibly it would havo been, ere now ex 9 ploited by a syndicate, which woult a have made, an enormous profit by partitioning the ostato and soiling it t< n farmers. If those who have still fait! 1 in tho Conservative Party have aiij :.; doubt as to tho attitude taken up b\ !I their loaders when the groat policy oi d land settlement was being initiated, lei i- them turn to the pagos of " Hansard' '* and endeavour to lind on record iron p the members of tho party ono kind oi 8 encouraging word about the Chevioi purchase. Tho members of tho party as with ono voice, condemned the ac _ tion of the Government in acquiring tho estate, they predicted disaster fo: tho country, and the picture the;; painted for the future of Cheviot w-ai I anything but bright. They lieapet abuse on the .members of 'the Libera J0 Ministry, severally and collectively, an< even when the hucccss of tho settle Lgr .ment was assured they pretended to h still unconvinced of the error of thei ways. As with the land settlemen 7 > proposals of tho Liberal Party, co i was with all tho other measures brough forward by the party of progress for th alleviation of tlie condition of th people, rural and otherwise. The Cor uervativps even stood in the way c

progress, a .solid phalanx, over ready to stem the onward movement and to j thwart ihe wishes and ambitions of ' tho people. Towards tho end of the year tho electors of tho dominion will have another opportunity of endorsing the excellent work done during the pact two decades by tho Liberal Party, and already it is clear that their decision will be an emphatic vote in favour of a continuance in power of the Government which has done so much to lift the dominion out of the deplorable position in which it was in tho lato eighties as a result of Tory maladministration.