The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHID DAILY.] SATURDAY, JULY 22, 1911. OPPOSITION CRITICISM.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXVI, Issue 13434, 22 July 1911, Page 4

The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHID DAILY.] SATURDAY, JULY 22, 1911. OPPOSITION CRITICISM.

It lias been said that where there is no gall and bitterness, no 6trong and pronounced antagonism, there is, what is far worse in politics, the apathy, bordering on the sloth of stagnation, which accepts the position as it stands, and fears to make any change, in the conviction that the ills we have aro better than others to which we, knowing nothing of, may fly. Judging by the activity displayed by Mr Massoy, Mi Allen, Mr Hcrdman, and other Oppositionists, to say nothing of the movements and actions of the Acting-Premier (Sir James Carroll), tho Hon. the Minister for Education (Mr G. Fowlds), and other Ministerialists, politics cannot be eaid to be stagnant in New Zealand just now; and we suppose, therefore, the gall and bitterness will prevail. At any rate, Mr Massey and his friends appear to display an inordinate amount of ill-feeling. The fact that they have been in the cold shades of Opposition for so long, and that they have become quite desperate in their efforts to capture the Treasury benches, may account for their implacable attitude and for the vindictiveness they display towards the Government. All sorts of wild statements and charges, without a shadow of justification, are constantly being levelled by them against the Government, who, in the eyes of their opponents, are guilty of every sin of omission and commission conceivablo in the world of politics. The croakinga about the finances of V.-». country and other matters are sometimes varied. Thus we have recently had Mr James Allen adding to the many other crimes of which the Government are alleged to be guilty, that of polluting the Fountain of Justice by giving an additional allowance to Sir Robert Stout for his work on the Native Land Commission. Mr Herdmau, too, i* not behindhand in his condemnation. He is notoriously bitter and unreasonable. He classifies the people of the country into three sections—"those who are bought or bribed with billets, those who are intimidated, and those who are free"—thereby implying Tammanyism of the very basest. Speaking at Oamaru on Friday last, he said "that the people who made the most noise could get anything, meaning that if a hundred thousand go to Wellington and ask that each man when he reaches the age of 21 shall have ,£2OO a year and a

free paas on the railways it will be given j to him, or a baronetcy if he votes for the Government at three (successive elections." Not to be outdone in the vituperate display, Mr Massey ransacks his brain fortl

ipprobrious epithets to apply to the Qovrumeiit, which he says is a Government )i hypocvicy and humbug, and he never to weary of drawing upon his imagination. He really cannot sec how "any <jood can come out of Nazareth," aa the following choice deliverance at his recent meeting in Wellington demonstrates:

"It was natural that a miscellaneous Ministry—a freehold, leasehold, Frectrade, Protectionist, Prohibitionist, Moderate, Single Tax Ministry—could not put forward a policy. They were an interesting oompany of persons, Sir Joseph Ward was supposed to attend Imperial Conferences md look after the public interests, but. they knew he was really interested in bluff, hattleships, and baronetcies. Sir James Carroll was supposed to attend tangis and look after the Maoris, but what really interested him was Sir James Carroll, the King's Colonial Made Gentleman. MiMillar attended race meetings, and wa» supposed to look after the lot of the workers, but it was a ca«o of love's labour lost —or rather Labour's love lost. Mr Buddo looked after sport, and the ducks at Temuka looked after him. Mr Fowlds attended church and temperance meetings, and took care of the Single Taxers, and when there was a Liquor Bill before tb<* House he happened to be away in South Africa. Mr T. Mackenzie went to agricultural shows, but tho farmers thought a man was host known by the company he kept. Mr It. McKenzie shone at smoke concerts, and watched the interests of the miners, but the miners knew perfectly well that they were as well able to take care of the Hon. Roddy as the Hon. Roddy was to take care of them. They were a variety troupe, guaranteed to draw—especially salaries, titles, and allowances."

Criticism of this sort no doubt serves its purpose in tickling Conservative ears, but surely something more than such petty personalities and flimsy diatribes, is required to influence tho electors to believe that the Government are so absolutely corrupt and their administration so baleful a 9 tho Opposition infer, and that Mr Massey and his friends alone possess all the virteus necessary to qualify for statesmanship. And what is to be said of Mr Massey's latest taradiddle concerning the Mokau purchase? That was sufficiently answered in our columns last evening by Mr Robert McNub and Mr C. A. Loughnan, the latter of whom says he is tired of correcting the inaccuracies of the leader of the Opposition, and undertakes to subscribe, .£IOO to the Opposition campaign fund "if anyone can prove the accuracy of any single statement hitherto made by Mr Massey about the Mokau Company." It is useless trying to argue with those who decline to accept reasonable and vouched explanations on the part of Ministers in connection with matters of administration and polity. When maladministration and corruption are either definitely alleged or positively implied nothing is more intelligible than desire on the part of both the accuser and "the accused for exhaustive investigation by an impartial tribunal, such as was set up in connection with the Hine' charges. These .were brought for the purpose of proving that the Government was guilty of Tammanyism, but there was not a single word in the whole of the evidence adduced that implicated the Government in the slightest impropriety. We repeat, that when definite charges aro made they can be met. But when complaints are made With regard to what is actually or imaginarily incidental to the ordinary business affairs of government, unless they can bo proved to be well founded and of sufficient importance to warrant further review and condemnation by Parliament or by a- Court of Inquiry, it would seem to be much more in the interests of good government and the general welfare of the State if simple denial or fair explanation were accepted and the matter particularly under consideration then allowed to drop. Little or nothing js oasier than to misunderstand and misconstrue political events and administrative action, and to make wrong deductions from a part of the material facts, and the Opposition are born adepts at misrepresentation. On this same subject of incessant, fatuous, pussilanimous fault-finding tho Tost makes the following remarks:—"We do not believe, that Mr Massey is by nature a nagger. Ho had not that reputation as a private member, but he seems to have deliberately assumed the part as a necessary incident of his duties as leader of the Opposition. The good and the bad, the big and the little, points in the Government's policy have been hailed with the same shrill condemnation. The result is the waste of an immense; amount of energy by Mr Massey and his party upon trifles to the serious prejudice of their attack where some grave abuse had to be tackled. Our contemporary has decidedly bettered its leader's instruction. All that the Opposition—we beg pardon, the Reform Tarty—does is right—that, of course, goes without saying as a necessary part of the gospel, and we do not object to it. But the shrill, monotonous, unrelieved nagging at the Government, and all its works, as incessantly practised by the 'Reform Party's' mouthpiece, the Dominion, is a very serious prejudice to the cause which it is designed to serve."