The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 1909. A GREAT PROTEST.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 535, 16 June 1909, Page 6

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 1909. A GREAT PROTEST.

r—♦ : ■ Last night's meeting in the Town Hall was the most remarkable political demonstration ever seen in this country. The great building was crowded to its uttermost limit, and on a fair estimate somo three thousand, persons were unable to obtain admission. The audience was of the best kind—keen, attentive, enthusiastic, and. as thoroughly representative of tho Wellington public as' any audienco could bo. There were present people of practically every class and condition of life, and their attendance was limited only by the accommodation of the Hall. There is no occasion, of course, to state again the case presented by the speakers to this remarkable assemblage, since it has been stated many times in these columns. Nor is it necessary to spend any time in discussing tho egregious folly of the Government and its friends in attempting to throw cold water on what they tried to porsuadc themselves was an "unemployed demonstration." Nothing is more.certain than that the friends of the Government, if they were to summon a meeting of those favourable to the Prime Minister's bludgeoning of the House in the matter of the sessional arrangements, would find a vast array of ompty benches confronting the speakers. We shall bo. told, no doubt, that the meeting was a whipped-up demonstration of a spurious kind. Wo may even be told that it was a meeting of Socialists. But assertions of this kind will deceive no oho. The plain fact of the matter is that a few modest advertisements, unbacked by personal effort beyond tho arrangement of speakers, inspired the Wellington public to place on record such a protest against political impropriety as hns never before been recorded in this country. There could be no greater contrast than lics-bctwccn last night's great mooting and tho gathering of some 200 persons that responded to the .sedulously canvassed and advortisod meeting to present the recent testimonial to tho Prime Minister. ■. There was no occasion for tho unique domomstration that followed tho mooting.

Suoh demonstrations are liable to lead to disorder. The crowd that marched to Parliament House was a vast one, but we are glad to say it was orderly. In spite of the fact that the police were requisitioned to bar the gates of the Parliament House grounds to prevent the entrance of the procession, there was no violence or disorder, or any ill-humour. The protest of the city, however, would have been quite strong enough without this very interesting, though undesirable, sequel to the meeting. The Government will naturally desire to minimise the significance of tile meeting, but it will nevertheless feel privately that it has committed a most serious blunder in subordinating the interests of the country to its own party needs and Sir Joseph Ward's personal convenience. There is one observation which we feel constrained to make upon the events of last night. It is an observation that will no doubt have already been made by many of those who remember tho excitement that followed upon the passing of the famous Shops and Offices Act. We refer, of course, to the contrast between the attitude that the late Mr. Seddon took up in inviting himself to the indignation meeting .held in the Druids' Hall at that time. Had ho been here last night Mr. Seddon .would have attended last night's meeting uninvited, and would have addressed the crowd that marched on Parliament. The contrast between Mr. Seddon and Sir Joseph on' this point is not brought forward as a comparison in courage, but as a comparison between their attitudes towards popular opinion and especially popular indignation. Mr. Seddon realised that when a whole community burns with indignation it is the duty of those in authority to take serious notice of it. Sir Joseph Ward is either indifferent to popular indignation or ignorant of its heavy significance. In either case he must be out of touch with the popular mind, and the future will assuredly prove that this is so. However they may wish to reassure themselves, the members who voted for the shelving of public business will be doing some very serious thinking to-day.