UNDER WHAT BANNER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 617, 21 September 1909, Page 6

UNDER WHAT BANNER.

[To the' Editor.], . .', ~ Sir,— We "may now assume that the political battle is raging in' allparts of the electorate. Party feelinj,' has risen to its height, and reason will play but a small part in tho contest. iNo consideration, will be given to the Dominion aspect of the question. Simply a battlo between die ins and outs. With'.our permission I will endeavour to.the host of my ability to bring under the.notice,of tho Rangitikei elector's some reasons why a whole-hearted and strenuous oll'ort should be made to gain the sent tor the-Reform party. . ' i . ■ ■ ■ At the prosent moment thoro is practically a state of stagnation and collapse in the. condition of the country.. Hundreds of.our best workers aro leaving our 6hores for other lands; a stato of depression exists in all our staplo industries; there is no capital for investment; confuleueo has taken : wing; farmers, seeking lands have left in . disgust, and.'the whole country is in a stato of restless uncertainty as to: what further pernicious legislation tho Ward Administration may indict on us. And the whole feeling of the Dominion seems to be concentrated in, tho hope that tho Prime Minister, has been successful in floating a hugo loan that may give immediate relict to the financial stringency, but must prove a further strain on' our already over-burdened revonue. It has been admitted by members of the Government that they have boon guilty of carelessness and extravagance in carrying out their duties. We know that many of their legislative enactments are pn wrong line's, that a deliberate system of class legislation and"spoilii to tho victors" has boon carried out to tin total dfthrinyant-oi -th*

community as a whole, and that the question of keeping- tlio party in power is tho first and only consideration of our Govornnieut. Tho continual chango in the personnel of the Ministry in tho vain hope oi securing an accept; able party Cabinet, tne contliet' of opinion aim pledges oi tho Liberal party, the subordinating i of public welfare to tho individual interest, all point to the speedy dismemberment aud oxpulsion from power of the so-called Liberal party, whose lengthy career of Socialism, pernicious class' legislation, political juggling, aud opulent extravagance bids fair to land tho Dominion in disaster. _ , Generally the present state of the Dominion coincides with tho condition of tho country at tho time of the resignation of the Stout-Vogcl Ministry. And as then wo had a sterling patriot in tlio person of tho lato Sir Harry Atkinson, who practically sacrificed life and fortune in his strenuous aud successful effort to Tescne his country from national bankruptcy, so now we have in Mr. Massey a man of exceptional ability, Who, notwithstanding the efforts of his detractors to belittle and besmirch his character, stands to-day, after fifteen years of political defamation, universally esteemed and admired for his sterling honesty, patriotism, and ability.- A man who has sprung irom the' soil; a man'who from his birth and upbringing can never, become the tool of the plutocracy or tho puppet of .intrigue, a born statesman, who, with his many • years of Parliamentary experience, honestly endeavours to bring about the betterment of all classes, the ideal leader of a party who, for individual ability and force of character, must be worthy of our united support—a concrete body of men whose determination to carry out necessary reforms in tho methods of our'administration must gain them the support of all classes. .. The necessity of honest and economical administration, Public Service reform, cessation of political bribery, a European Executive, the land for'the people, cessation of pernicious class legislationr the restoration of confidence to encourage tho investment of capital, the placing of tho industries of tho Dominion on a sound economic basis; cessation of State-aided emigration; State schools, telephones, and roads for the back-blocks; no increaso in taxation; the purchase of Native lands adjacent to railways; no exclusive right of freehold for the aboriginal; the immediate throwing open of all waste Crown and Native lands- for settlement on tho optional tenure; military and naval training for tho youth of the Dominion; the establishment of a Stateguaranteed agricultural bank;, reduction in long-distance railway freights on Dominion timber, coal, and flour. These and many other equitable and beneficial measures will bo gained by the advent of the Reform party to power. I would like to ask the electors to'consider what benefit can the electorate or the Dominion gain by having a further period of the Ward Administration. They are pledged to a policy of class legislation, spoils to the victors, \ the locking up of waste. lands, the creation of. a huge Native landlordry, the withholding of the" freehold, the policy of introducing comparatively- destitute workers to compete in an already congested .labour ket, a huge public .works expenditure in tho shape of palatial public buildings in the cities, while.starving':.the baok-blocks of schools and roads. Then we have the neglect of the defences of the. country, the subordinating of tho public welfare to individual interests. The Ward Adniiuistration is committed to a policy of petty interference and harassing,of private employers, to a scandalous waste of public money by means of the co-operative system of public works; and it must be obvious to tho electors in general that the season is now- ripe for a change of Government. In conclusion, I would ask tho electors- towell consider. the question. of which banner will they fight under. Will they accept the leader who time and again, has run away that he may run nwny. another day; whose various masterly . retreats from r the flag that .he so firmly, nails to the mast are only equalled by his, heroic achievement of marching with his few bodyguards through" the hostile army that had assembled on the Wellington wharves to assist his departure? Or, rather, .will they not enrol themselves under, the banner of the loader who has again and again led the forlorn hope forward to the breaches in the enemy's walls, whose battle-cry has been; ."Down with despotism, corruption, and extravagance";, who has fought the fight with, clean hands, clean-heart, and clean courage; whose grit and tenacity ,of purpose compel the admiration of his'detractors; whose feet are now on, the ramparts; victory is in sight.—l am, etc.; ' : - . ' , '-' ..- ,/.v . ...PATRIOTf •