SOCIALISM IN ENGLAND.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 36, 6 November 1907, Page 6

SOCIALISM IN ENGLAND.

_ Tire results of the municipal election in England and Wales form a striking commentary upon the state of public opinion in the Mother Country/ As was the ease with the last London County Council elections, the issue of the voting was an emphatic repudiaof the Socialist doctrines which, in England, as in most other countries, are being so feverishly preached as to alarm all moderate men. The overwhelming victory of the Unionist candidates was obviously not so much a triumph for Unionist ideas as a defeat for Socialism, and also for the Liberalism that has so neglected to keep itself free from the taint of Socialism. Even the political leaders of the. Liberal party are recognising the urgent necessity of taking up arms against the clamorous opponents of caution, and stability. _ The result of the elections lias a significance which should be carefully noted in iN T ew Zealand. The sup-* porters of the Socialistic inclinations of the Government in this country have Ijeen seeking to persuade the public into the belief 'that their. Socialism is a vastly different thing ■from the Socialism which British statesmen are arm-. ing_ to repel, and they have been deluding themselves with the supposition that the majority of the public are as favourable as themselves to Socialistic ideas. As a matter of' fact, the Socialism which is disturbing the peace of Britain is exactly similar to the Socia-lism-of our own Ministry. In some respects the Socialistic ideas, which both the great political parties in -England are combatting, are more moderate than some of . the, ideas which have been: converted into Statute law during the past decade in New Zealand. Yet, while the best and brightest minds in British statesmanship regard State Socialism as. a peril to the State—not. for what it : is in its first application® but for what, according .to- the science of legislation, it must lead to—the local politician and his journalistic supporters affirm that tlie State Socialism of ]N r e\v Zealand is beneficial, andican never be anything but beneficial, however far it may be extended along its present linest It is possible, of course,' that the member for Lyttelton or the member for Wairarapa is a profounder student of politics than Mr. Asquith or Mr. Haldane, but we' think that' is' not probable." Ivor is it even possible that the Ministry can control a tendency whicli; Herbert Spencer, by a strict reference to facts, proved to be uncontrollable by any Ministry then- or' ■hitherto on record. Public opinion has not yet fully awakened in this country to the inevitably end of the course of progressive State Socialism, but the Government has forced; the pace so remarkably this year -that the time is near when,the great' bulk of the-pub-lic 'will recoil with alarm from a party' that threatens to surrender' completely to the small Socialist wing in the House. "When the test comes,, it mil be found, as it has been found in Great Britain, that the people are, at heart,, anything but the Socialists they are supposed by the Government to be. '