POLITICAL NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 1122, 16 December 1914, Page 4

POLITICAL NOTES.

" Sweet are tlie uses of Adversity!" It is quite touching to note the gradual stealing of a chastened feeling into the utterances of the local organ of "Reform," as it becomes moro and more evident that Mr Massey \Vill have merely a nominal majority in tho new Parliament. A week ago, before tho election, it was heaping obloquy on the Liberals, and calling Heaven to witness that nothing but its instant annihilation could enable this long-suffering country to hold up its nfilictod head. Now that the Massey Government has been reduced to innocuous disuetude, tho "Press" becomes less flamboyant and explains that the Tory set-back was due to Liberal "scandals" which tho foolish electors wero credulous enough to believe.

The Huntly disaster is_ pointed out as a case in point- " What the people of the district thought of it all" (says tho "Press") "is shown in the fact that Mr Bollard's majority was increased from 900 to 1400. Our contemporary omits to mention that in Huntly itself wbr-ro the facts were intimately known Mr Bollard scored only 194 votes to his opponent's 611! Raglan is a scattered farming community, quite out of touch with Huntly itself, and the Raglan cow cockies voted for "Reform" because they have been scared by the ''Red Fed" bogey. The fact remains that Huntly cost the Government thousands of votes wherever tho particulars were made known, and very properly so too.

It is said in Wellington that Mr Fisher will resign his portfolio at the earliest convenient opportunity, and _ itis probable that Mr Guthrie, the Chief Government Whip, may bo taken into the Ministry. Mr Guthrie is a capable, popular and level-headed man, who would do good work as a member of the Government. Mr Fisher may make a trip to England early Ja the year. With the position as it is, it is unlikely tliat ho will -contest a byelection as the result of tho resignation of a Reform member.

The Bible in Schools issue is said to havo' been lai'gelv instrumental in Sir Walter Buchanan s defeat, says a " Reform " partisan, who adds:—"That the Expeditionary vote should hare been given against him is almost inexplicable, seeing that he was such a generous giver to the Patriotic Fund, and generally did such splendid work in connection with the Expeditionary Force and the gathering of horses and men from tho Wairarapa district." The one point overlooked is that the canteen scandal lost the Government a large proportion of Expeditionary votes. Uur soldiers saw that they were being; exploited, they knew the kind of people who were exploiting them, and Jthey knew the political friends of tho exploiters. So tney did New Zealand the good service of hitting both parties precisely where they lived.

Amusing tit-bit from a Dunedin "Star" editorial:—"lt is clear that the Hon J. T. Paul's hostility to the Reform Government must compel him to leave the Legislative Chamber, which, according to the arguments of the men for whom his heart bleeds, is now stuffed with the enemies of democracy." Does this not indicate rather that Mr Paul should remain on the job and endeavour to leaven the whole batch?

Mr Massey has been explaining the "Reform" set-back to a sympathiser. His main consolation is apparently that the reactionaries in Parliament are as "solid as a stone wall." We are not 6o sure! Up in Taranaki recently the Hines, the Okeys and the Wilkinsons were busily apologising to the electors for having blindly supported certain Government measures and promising faithfully that if they were returned they would never vote against their convictions again. Perhaps it's a gorse fence that tho Franklin farmer has in mind.

An irreverent Yankee has adumbrated an adage. He says to politicianß (and others): " Never explain, and d'on t beliake 1" The Prime Minister appears to be doing both. In bemoaning his fate in having to hold office on the suffrance of an equivocal Maori vote, he worked himself up to the following furious deliverance:—

" Then there was the unholy alliance of Wardists and Red Feds., and' their sympathisers, and their tactics in the way of disturbing public meetings and intimidating the more easily frightened. Nothing so disgraceful in the political history of this country has occurred as that which took place at my Ponsouby meeting, where Miss Bradney, daughter of the ex-mem-ber for the district, was injured, and where owing to the lighting apparatus being tampered with, a stampede, which might have caused serious loss of life, was only very narrowly averted. These things speak for themselves, and make the dividing lino between the Reform Party and its opponents clear and plain." In other words, because some small boys allegedly lowered the lights at a Ponsonby packed meeting, and because a delicate young woman fainted in a crowd that mobbed round a door, the "Wardists and the Red Feds." must take the blame, and " the dividing line between the Reform Party and its opponents is clear and plain." There isn't an ostrich on the Pukekohe farm that couldn't give a better explanation than that J

" Since polling day I have had quite ft number of expressions of regret from jjeople who say they were misled, and recorded their votes against the Government, and who now wish for another opportunity to put the matter right," said Mr Massey to a fellow mourner at the penitent bench. Well, the sort of people who told' Mr Massey that sort of thing are precisely the sort of people that " Reform" might be expected to depend upon in a crucial emergency, just so long as the Tories are content to have the kind of man Mr Massey is as their guide, philosopher and friend. The story indicates that somebody is suffering from softening of the brain. The gentle reader can have his choice.

The Cliristchurch "Press" says the elections were influenced by " slanders." It does not define what the sland'ers were. There was no talk of "spoils" or "bribery," or "corruption " or " pigeon-holes," or " pickings " or "Tammany" at this election. There wns not even a' 11 Black Pamphlet." Perhaps our contemporary means "scandals." Well the unnecessary and preventable death of the Huntly miners after Ministers had been warned (and after the mine-owners had intercepted legislation, from the hack door) was a perfect scandal of which both the "Liberals" and "Red Feds" were perfectly entitled to complain.