The Waipa Post. PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, DECEMBER, 5, 1911. DUTY—PATRIOTISM.

Waipa Post, Volume II, Issue 67, 5 December 1911, Page 2

The Waipa Post. PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, DECEMBER, 5, 1911. DUTY—PATRIOTISM.

BEFORE the publication of our next issue the electors will have expressed through the ballot box their opinions of the past, and their wishes as to the immediate future government of the Dominion. Unfortunately these opinions and wishes of the great majority of the voters will not be the outcome of any particularly serious thought, for the very simple reason that times are good, work and cash are plentiful, therefore why worry about the future; let to-morrow look after itself. This is proved by the fact that the conflicting parties so busily engaged in the thick ofjjflijjjKil warfare from end are to'the top of the poll > per .medium ‘ of- their opponents vices rather than by the ladfleV of their own virtues“policy?’ is only a secondary - consideration. The reason for this is not-far to seek. The "whole thing lies in the fact that we in New Zealand are practically all Liberals; ... Conservatism is a :thjn^-- , 'utjktJQWn here as in all young ' We are all “barkingkuip the same tree.” is not made up of •the;Twpvclasses| rich and poor ; 'tfitiy: us%t is%|(ease of poor and while such conditions may long last — Conservatism jjjiFvbe an unknown- • with a harm less <ew. We are a young community, of working people, full of heaitlfoajfld wtth a “guid conceit o’purjsis,” and until such times as the (papered spoonfed native/ his- been fattened to the bursting point, we shall be without an aristocracy (except of course our belted knights). While the duties and responsibilities will and do sit lightly on the shoulders of the average

elector, yet it is to be hoped some thought of “ country” will possess the hearts and minds of voters next Thursday, so that the best of the two sets individually and collectively of Liberals clamouring for support, will be given the reins. In these days we want more than mere party followers. It should be absolutely no recommendation to any man, that he is a good supporter of this or the other party. The men we want to represent us in the House should be strong, sane, sound, sober men, who are more concerned for the highest welfare of their country than for their party. True it is that a man will find his sympathies cling more to one side than the other, and in the present order of things, it is difficult to see how the business of the country can be conducted, except on party lines. At the same time we are convinced — and the majority of those who take any interest at all in politics are of our opinion—that the mere party hack, who comes up or goes down at the beck and call of the leader, is an absurdity, an excresence that we ought to get rid of as soon as possible. Let us send men to represent us in Parliament who are more concerned for their country’s weal than for continuance in office. Let usendeavour to elect men whowill do what is right, independent, of any man, and surely such men can be found, and when found we lean to the belief that there is a majority of right-thinking people who will support them through thick and thin. It is time, we think, that the people made up their minds that the country should not be run in the interests of the politicians, but in the interests of the whole of the people. It is high time that some of the glaring wrongs that exist (the opening of native lands, backblock roading and railway management, for instance) were righted. The man in the street is well aware of the existence of these wrongs. Those who have anything to do with the running of the Government know well enough that they exist, yet no one sets himself to redress the abuses. We are not saying that the Government is altogether to blame for the continuance of this state of things. Someone has said that we get just as good a Government as we deserve, which is probably true. At the same time, we shall not get the best Government possible until every citizen takes a deep and intelligent interest in the affairs of the country, and does his part in the education of public opinion. If, as the Opposition assert, public life is corrupt and the Government is bad we have ourselves to blame for it. We strongly urge every voter, man or woman to take the deepest interest in the work of Parliament, and in the government of the country, for we are persuaded that the ripe judgment of a cultivated public opinion will send men to represent it in the House of Parliament who are worthy and capable, who are clean and strong, who are upright and conscientious, and we shall emulate those who lived in the brave days of old “When none were for the party, and all were for the State. When the rich man loved the poor man, and the poor man loved the great.”