POLITICS AND REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 777, 29 March 1910, Page 9

POLITICS AND REFORM.

(•To tub EditohO

'Sir,—l read. with, very i great interest che. 1 contributed articles'..in your issues of. the: 6th and..,l2th .inst.,: and. as a. '■■ staunch supporter ; of the Reform -party," I, cannot help ('expressing'-regret-;'and .astonishment" that 'tho : writer of tho said'- : articles', whilst'professing to bo in sympathy" with ; the Opposition, should deliberately .', attempt ■ .to -belittle, the great;workhloiie by ,Mr. Masscy and his followers. -It would appear.as if the real,object of your contributor w'as to cause '''strife rather than, unity,;--and failure'rather than success, and if he styles "himself a friend of the Reform party, 'I can only say. with fervour, "Save, lis from ouch- friends I" ' ,Had thearticles in ..question , been,, written by one who openly avowed himself.-, a Gov-, eminent''supporter, - he would have been entitled to'.the. thanks of every mem-, ber of'the so-called Liberal -party,: for, as.a matter-of fact, he has done them ■great, service, and I feel convinced that !thO;anthor ; of ;the;;articles is .in reality a.'; secret; oncmy.'bf; the .Reform party, ';whqse\ i ifj , itings ■,'.carry--viindue .weight, ibebau'se',",'wh'irst 'hiding:his : identity and posing as : a'-:' 'friend,'• he" makes an -attack,-, and ■-: an -unfair' one,: upon. those\vh'oni:: ho ---professes to '.be '.desirous of '.assisting.;. ■ Such..'-men - are- dangerous iin the .extreme; - In striking contrast to !the bogus-friend,; wo have the genuine .eneV.who, in a reply, under the nom do' -. jplumc^cfi;.''Oppositionist," ,- and iii c a. . [subsequent. '■ letter ' which : appeared, in .your columns'. of;'the' 19th inst., most ably...refuted .the:- unjust, attack upon they; Leader: of-tho party. ■■-.". ■' .:. When, we remember that the Opposition party .'went to the.country, at the last, general. only ;eleven old - members, and emerged therefrom jwith: a 'solid, body f of 27, we. can'see ; that the tide is turning,. but it. is'-essen-: tial. to:impress ;upon'all those who de-Bire-;;.'a.,'.pha'n£e of "Administration; tho necessity' of- avoiding internal political" dissension-arid ;-the, still-further' necessity; of. giving, solid and .-undivided' : -sup-' portv.to^the i party ;:of Reform, vlf iwe 'keep this, object - steadily :in' view,-vic-tory.-, will 'soon ,be. ours!. Adverse' criti- - «isrn -yvjll come readily; ehough'-from' our let-us, /therefore,' ihaye,:.consistent- support' and assistance from,; ,bur'. am,'. otc;,. •.':--. '•:.•'■-:■.::•;;;::;■■■.;;■;■.■■■■.:::■':■::■-■.:■•; '.. ; -.- :.; Wellington,^; ;£; ; \ ' V'';""'

■.''■ Sir,—A. four-leafed pamphlet, entitled "Politics and, Mieforni,"'; covering .a leading-article' from.' The ."Dominion-, ithree contributed. articles, and i'reply ' i>y;'■('Oppositionist;", has.;found its.way north, and- its;'contents "have ..been lather .widely discussed .by ; the; reading jpublic'.;ii:;Hiere 'is. xi'oubtless, some 'food for. reflection, and jyet. our ; candid • friend: has not advanced (any-reason- to';show-that the-Opposi-tion, party are not "doing;' and have not idotie,: a useful work;. 1 ;It would' alm'pst seem''that the writer of the articles Was a place-seeker' or' a 'disappointed (man: "Indeed,: ho may be one and, the «ame:fori.all.l know, lit,is.certain-thai ■lie ■;has raii* idea .'that;ho couki. manage matters:., very •' much',more satisfactorily af; he-had,the. leadership.:of; the.- party inihis jhands. . That, ■'-• however, :is;:by |the!,,way,. for:,, it ;,'must .be-recognised .'articles arc' intended. tc act,as 'a .bpnib,, they.. will,, i. tako itj : . be a. ';very. ; .- fruitful i -source •. of 'discussion, :and..,will-.act. ; as\ a stimulus to' weld the ,party.;of^.whiohi > Mr...Massey. is';the;recognised L.head into .closer unity, .and will' strengthen them. for the arduous •and .difficult task,upon"wh.ich.they will he'called 1 .upon" to enter.; I .'refer to i-tlia' gelVeral^eJectirj'n"'''iril9ll.' -; There/are.many-ways. ; of..doing good, and u our candid friend has rather, gone <mt of. his way to slate Sir J;G. ,Ward, ■and, the .'-'.Liberal .Government generally, all of whicL.stat?ments,,aro on the side .of "truth, and Avhich.-, the ;. elector, will doubtless .carefully note, and remember . when the' proper time comes. Qui ■ candid friend has it strongly "fixed in 'rhis. own' rnind that'a -change ;df Govjernment.is most desirable: for. the well' ; [being; of the Dominion, and in the hest, interests of ; ,.a11r... parties, 'and classes,';, with' the,"'exception; ...of-; tho Ministerial coterie..'..l,.agree with, him, But : ;.he;has-certainly. r not followed the remarks. which have,.so .dfteii-,fallen from:'_'the. Leader, of;the; Opposition, ";, bothy iii■ Parliament and; on the. public platform,' and members of the House on the Opposition- side.. Much lias- been said about'..' John' : Ballance. Well;'-1- was in' New: Zealand when' John Ballancewas Leader of the Opposition, and considered.'him' to-be amongst' the frohfoank-Vmen in his'day.-' But'is, it not true; that when Ballauce was placed in tiower'by' the electors he askca' for; auaV obtained, six. months:'iii,-which to formulate, a. policy?. "That .'policy was summed' ;iip in two words r "Self-reli-ance" ;; and ■ what; a farce' it has: been I The-polioy is dead, the men who inaugurated it are mostly dead,'' and not :'■' a few- are'dyings and 1 the- poor' have : inherited. a national debt ■ wnich; since the .advent of'.Ballancd and C0.,-has fiqne.,rfrom £36,500,000: to £67,000,000 •—an;.increase of about.'thirty-one and a half sterling,' or'close upon two million pounds sterling per year. Does candid friend want "the 0pp0..; ..; sition party to : take a - leaf from such a book as that opened by John Baljlance in'.. 1893?..-. Whatever he- wants— 'which, by the way, is not quite clear . r—he does not want that, L trow. He twits the party with ' "timidity ; and (procrastination.". Who would' charge the Leader.of the Opposition.at any . time'with timidity.? ■:Even his .political foes;.khowfall'to6,weE the fearless aiature of: this .man. Massey,. and : those who are .standing beside him, in. Parliament, and in the'country. So aggressive'have; the party become, that they, are taboo where employment ":. or honours are in the gift of the Minister. ;Who was it.that took'.the gloves off last,session over the' Bember Hee'ves ■snatch, for £400? It'. was ; .Massey. ■ There was no feari nor was there any procrastination; r ; A-solid grievous national ;wrong: was attempted by the Ministry,'. and' the people's' rights had .to be i protected., Massey;,'was blamed, by the. 'Ministerial, 'coterie,- .' whose troublesome;pack had ;gone loose .'and •had once more..to.bo whipped to:heel, : and then ■ made' to "bark to 6ave .the Skin of their.masters. _Our caadid.'. friend isiiot'.so well ad- ! yased'as he would like to make the public believe, with regard to the organisation of the party. I would, advise' him to do his own part manfully, which in. -his three articles he has done,, up to the light, he pbssesswd. - But becauso he does not happen to know what is being done by the : party, he should:not jump to the contalusion.that nothing is-being done, for I assure him this is quite a mistake; and a forward move will be made at (the proper time—a move • which he Mmself will approve of. At the proper time the Opposition party by its leader will put its views, before the (people. Apologising for so large a (trespass upon your valuable space,— S am, etc!, ■'.''■• • ' "■'.' OLD COLONIST. Auckland, March 26. ~