NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 617, 21 September 1909, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

It ib a little, pathetic to. read in our evening contemporary,.which for bo many years iought so Strenuously in the front ranks or the opponents of political corruption, the weak submission in its issue of. last evening to the . latest attempt of the Ward-Carroll Administration to'influence the Rangitikei election by. a resort to- its old methods of political bribery. Our contemporary was discussing the attitudes of.Mai Massey in taking part in thei election contest, which it condemned, and in doing so it gav.e expression to the following lamentable conclusion :'—

..... •-.-. illegitimate outside influences ar© also inevitable in reality or in imaeinatum. V ■ ~.

In other words, the interference by Mr. Massey on the ground that illegitimate influences wore being used by tne. Government was in the opinion of our con-i temporary merely an excuse, for interfering at all. Even conceding that the oyoning journal is correct in its assumpthat Mr. Massey. interfered because ho thought he would gain by it; what has this previous champion of clean government to say._of the gross impropriety; of ■ L } VAIII >-pARiiOLi, Administration's methods of- attempting to' influence': the polling? Absolutely nothing. 'It devotes nearly a. column of its space to an: effort to snow inconsistency? on: the. part of the Leader of thoißoform' partv, and-makes* no>rofcrencc at all to the issue, which is pf vital importance if our.politics are to be kept-'freefrom the corrupting infiV cnc6s which,in the past tho Post has'been wont to condemn. Inconsistency 1 What of the attitude of our contemporary itself ? What was its view even so recently as;thc last general'electioni How does us lame confession' of yesterday compare, with its vigorous declaration of less than a year ago? Here.is what it said in Oc-. tober-last: . • ' •... ■ .I'.. ;■''.;' , '••' '• • • Mr. Massey: made: specific reference.to the remedies 'winch/are" needed I lor,.the. two, main phases, of tho spoils syc- | tern,.as it exists in' Now Zealand. ' 'With our rapidly increasing public services,'- asked the Leader of the Opposition,: 'wore we to have tho present system.of appointments, which allowed underhand methods and improper in-' nueiices to be brought to bear in appointments, or was the country.to.have a Public bemco Board? Was the country to go ou with the system of public works expenditure, which allowed people to bo bribed with promises of .expenditure-of..their'.' own money P ilieso wero the issues before tho country/" Wo agree that there arono issues before the electors, or hkely to bo laid before them by the. Acting-Prime Minister in his speech this evening, whiclr are comparable in importance with theso; If tho 'Opposition -were not handicapped m. these statesmanlike proposals by tho weight of old traditions, and a general. lack of popular sympathies, there would bo a bettor outlook'botk for the partv and the country. '•■'.. '. ■" At that time, in. Oetabor last, it. will be' seen, .the Post thought there wercn'o issues before tho country comparable in the question of the abolition of underhand methods and political bnbory of the people with •. their' own money.. And to-day we are feebly told by this same journal that these: "illegitimateoutside influences," such as have been reported in connection with tho Rangitikei election,, are "inevitable" No protest is made—no regret expressed., Truly this once vigorously outspokon journal must presont a sad spectacle to those who knew it m its fighting days.

The Hon. sJ. A. Millar,'never 'shows to better advantage than when he speaks as Minister for, Marino.. Even ill that capacity he sometimes expresses opinions that we cannot agree with; but it is always pleasant to .hear him • in -such speeches as that which ho deliycrod on Saturday night at the smoking concert arranged by the shipping.; companies. The mercantile marine of this country merits; overy word said in its praise by MR.-Millar, whose attention we may call to the fact that the efficiency which he praised is in large measure owing to the comparative.. freedom of our snipping from' the extrcrao havassments that press' upon private enterprise ashore. Although, as lib pointed out, a large proportion of the.officers in the New Zc*a"' land mercantile .marine are nativo-born, there is small evidenco of any,- kconncss for tho soa amongst the boys of this country. Mr. Reeves, we think, mentions in his recent book New Zealand that the seabreezes blow every where in thesb islands —a fact which ho is not alone in supposing to .promise Ya maritime twist in the national life akin to that which has secured tho power of insular Britain. Mn. Millar appears to believe that weshall become a maritime nation, not' through tho call of tho sea to the AngloSaxon blood in our people, biit through tho pressure of economic necessity:' J.'Tho day must come when the avenues [of activity] on shore would bo gradually closed up, and tho younger generation would havo to take to the;sea." But surely we are not to wait so long as all that. It will be ages before "go on tho sea, young man" becomes the proper successor of the curront advico to "go on the land." The Government has done a little, but very little, to encourago the practice of seamanship. Possibly Mr,' Mir.r.AK may havo some ideas on the subject ;

Discussing the other day the blight of "generalities" l that affects bo much modern oratory tho London Times noted that "civilisation" means to Mn. Rockefeller something very different from- what it means to-William Momus. Similarly an "honourable course" of political. action means to the Ward Administration something very different from what it means to the ordinary man. ■ When Mr. Carroll was'confiding to tho local evening organ his indignation. at Mr. Massey'b . interference" in the Rangitikei contest ho was no doubt reflecting with glee upon the faot that Mit. Smith had on the previous evening read to a Taihape audience a telegram from him stating that there was now nothing to prevent the purchase of the freehold of the Native allotments on which Utiku is built: The electors of Rangitikei, we believe, will have already realised the gross impropriety of this un-' blushing attempt to influence the electorate. Some_ of them, however, may imagine that in this hard world it does not do to be too squeamish; and they may give their votes to Mn. Smith as the price of tho things suddenly promised by Mn; Carroll. These people Bhould be reminded that if they rely on tho political promises of the Ward Administration; they will probably find themselves seriously disappointed. They must not forget that Mn. Carroll/as lately as August 3, told a deputation at Kuiti that, .regarding the freehold U townships, they must be careful not to seek for something which .might recoil on their own heads. At a banquet on the same evening he said, dealing with tho same question: If they, wore advocates of,'the freehold they would admit that'it was as dear to the Maori as. to tho pakeha. '■' If they said it should pass from him to them, whether he liked it or not, then it amounted to compulsion, and if they said compulsion -was - necessary, then they must bo prepared to live under the same conditions," Here was a repudiation, in the shape of a veiled threat, of ,the suggestion that the Government should do what Mb.- Carroll: now promises to do in the cape of Utiku I Nobody' who knows Mn. ■ Carroll will believe that : he '■ can commit tho Government to doing what its temporary head has'found itoxpediont to suggest as possible. We advise tho Rangitikei electors to remember that the Lawrence-Roxburgh railway was promised in' 1905 and begun'afew days before the election. To-day that railway has been stopped.' The promise had served its purpose. Sir J.: G. Ward has in any. case stated that he will 'not be bound by tho promises of any of his colleagues. There is another matter 'to which we would direct the' attention of the public as an illustration of the devibus ways of Ministers. Tho, ActingPrime Minister was virtuously indignant at the action of the. Leader of the Reform party in taking 'part in tho election. Tho Government, he stated, had not intended to interfere until Mr. Massey did so. Yet we find tho Ministerial candidate declaring that hejorc the first ballot Ministers had offered to,como, to his assistance if he got into the second ballot. A pretty exposure indeed; '.' ■'-'

The nicmbera of the Government who are taking part in the Rangitikei election contest opened the campaign at Taihapc last evening iwitlr some vigour. It - is porhaps significant that they chose ,as the place for their, first appearance! tho stronghold of their candidate, whore they, were pretty certain of,a favourable reception. The: speeches, )p a summary, of which is given elsewhere, were very good electioneering addresses. Both Me. Millar.and Me. MAqKEHZiE are-good'plat-form speakers, and no doubt;they, made tho. most of their case;"-. Unfortunately for them thoir.; caso consisted in the main of references. to' the past: legislative achievements .of the: Seddon Government, of .which'they wero not at the time members, and of. rdsy promises'for the future. The fact that the Ward Administration is barren of ideas—and, barren of achievement—was never made more manifest than by the election pleadings of these two Ministers. At the same timo' it must be conceded that they did .very: \ycll with the material at their'disposal, and, itris quite likely that' they hardened up some of; thoit candidate's ■ supporters in Taihape. ' Pcrhapsjjhe most interesting; feature of ..the speeches' was the declaration by Mn. Millab : that Ministers who took part;in the election intended to pay their own- expenses, as Mr.,.'Ma'ssey did, or words to that effect. :We:could hopo for no more damning admission from .-'the mouths-of Ministers than this'confession of the past improprieties of members-of their: Administration in carrying on party electioneering at the country's expense. It is a. full 1 confirmation of our pontentions -on the subject—if such confirmation were needed.' While Ministers are in.this.romarkably:.virtuous mood wo would venture to point out,to them that if it is improper, as.their "action admits, to claim travelling expenses while clectiohcei'ing. it-is equally■'improper.- -for three members of the Government to rush away' from Wellington and neglect the duties which they are paid handsome salaries to attend to. Will these Ministers forego their .salaries whilo away from their: duties electioneering? And will .they compensate the country for the dislocation of tho'affairs of their various.Departments due to.their absence electioneering ? ; Of course they will --hot. And what excuse have they for thus neglecting the affairs, pf the country for thoir own party ends? Is-the Government in jeopardy V Will the loss of one scat affect their ability;to carry,on the business .of Parliament ?■ ; Everyone 'knows- that so far as the numerical strength of-parties' is'concerned the loss of the seat will, moan very little to the Government.>• But it would mean 'a warning to, the Government: that, it must mond its ways. ! It would moan that tho Government had received a mandate to, cease its wasteful extravagance It • would mean that the Government must study tho interests of the country as a whole, and realise, that it must restoro confidence by abandoning its reckless plunging, with its.consequential increased burdens on town and country alike. And the Ward Administration does not want to faoo this rude mandate. It wishes to have.a pleasant present and leave tho .settlement to,,' posterity. It is tho.mcn,with .families',' tho mon with a stake in the country, big or little, who havi to fear tho. policy of tho' Ward Government. Tho men who cannot "pack thoir swag" :and raovo out of the land- if things go wrong. They are tho p'eoplo who should' strain ovory effort to place a strong Opposition. :Thoy "are the doctors who should cast, their vote for tho Roform candidate at Thursday's poll. Every addition to tho ranks of the Reform party moans an; additional check on waste, maladministration, and unsound gpvornment. <