The Waipukurau Press. Published: MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1925. DEMOCRATIC DOCTRINE.

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXII, Issue 48, 28 October 1925, Page 2

The Waipukurau Press. Published: MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1925. DEMOCRATIC DOCTRINE.

"You will have no room in. your mind for little things like prejudice. You will look a long way and see all sides. You will think first and form your opinion afterwards. You win know what you are doing when you take a side, or join a leagc, or support a society. You will not vote for a resolution that you do not understand, for you have learned at school already that the right way of things you do not understand is the middle way between yes and no. You will love right-doing, and right-thinking too much, to act lightly or speak hastily; you will be careful lest an act or word of yours should give power to an ignoble cause. You will listen readily to an opponent, and be willing to learn, and you will love truth and honour so well, that you would be ashamed, when you come into your inheritance, to say what a public man once said: ‘That'he had heard many speeches in the House of Commons which changed his opinion, but never his vote? You will not lose your love of fair play when the stakes are higher than they are at school. You will want fair play for great ideas, for honourable motives, for right causes, for rich and poor, for strong and weak; you will play the game, though your team should go to pieces. Your victory may not come at once or to-morrow, and only the best can win in the end.” Thus Arthur Mee, a journalist of world-wide fame, set the seal of his. approval upon the Roman ideal, "Noie for party—all for the State.” This is a truly democratic outlook, and worthy of being followed.

CANDID CRITICISM. In a Sunday-evening address, in Wellington, Canon Fielden Taylor, wlio is well known for outspoken comment on problems of the day, said he did not believe in class legislation. He would do just as much for a charwoman as he would for a' representative from Government House, and no more. The first question he would emphasise was our entire dependance on England — both for population and protection. "We in this little island cannot protect ourselves,” h'e said. "The Dunedin is a fine ship, but by herself she is quite useless.” He believed that ll' any danger arose within the next 50 years it would come from Japan. The greatest danger of the British Empire was its size and the question of protection. "We want to keep our country white,” he said, "and so we depend on drawing our population from the Motherland. We arc also dependent on the Homeland for our exports and imports. Our exports are the life of our country, and it is a matter of vital importance that Britain shouldmaintain the freedom of the seas, and so we cannot have insular politics—our politics must be international and Imperial. If we have the welfare of the country at heart we will return to ’power a party that will defend the things we prize so much; some go'od people are troubled because they don’t like the man that represents a party. It is not a personal matter. Politicians at the best are imperfect men, put in by imperfect people in fin imperfect world.” The address eoncludcd with an earnest appeal to the' large congregation to use their vote according to their conscience. In the Waipawa electorate both aspirants and their parties stand for Emipre interests.

FUSION INEVITABLE. There were no great vital questions dividing them, as in the past, between Liberals and Conservatives. The dividing lines were important, but not incapable of adjustment. His assistance would go in the direction of fusion. He regarded it as inevitable, sooner or later, whether the leader was a Nationalist or a Reformer. He wished to be clearly understood that as' a fusion party was before the country, and though the Nationalists had declared in favour of it, if returned he wotfld take his seat with the party he was so long associated with, and had led, and would help to provide the strongest Government, providing that the main points of a sound financial and progressive policy first were agreed to. — Sir Joseph Ward (Lib.), Invercargill.