THE NEW LIBERAL PARTY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 794, 18 April 1910, Page 4

THE NEW LIBERAL PARTY.

! OPPOSITION TACTICS. Sir, —I havo been somewhat inter- , jested in the controversy which has been i going on between your two correspondents, "Looker-on", and "Oppositionist." As they discuss the Mew. Liberal party, and as I was a member of that party, may I bo permitted to say a word? l'ho. New Liberals—a party of four in a house of eighty—mado a determined attempt to throw down.in one act what they believed to be. a power which was inimical'to tho best interests of the 1 State. The New Liborals, apart from the voucher incident, effected great reforms that saved this country thousands of pounds. We exposed; for instance, the telegraphic frauds that were being perpetrated on this country. In tho case of the voucher, the incident being practically ended, I ex'Pr®ss no (opinion thereon, but on tho attitude of the Opposition towards the Now Liberal party during its strenuous session, and the effect of the voucher' incident upon tho ', ensuing election (1805), I should like to say a word.' When, tho most' crucial division on the voucher incident was taken, tho vote was -43 to 23 on an amendment moved by an' Opposition member. Of the 23 four wore New Liberals, two were Independents, thus leaving the Opposition with a not vo;ting strength of 17. Of . the ; Oppositionists who were wiped out at the ensuing election,' Captain Russell was the foremost. He sympathised with the /'Government all through tho New-Liberal attack. He was beaten by a huge majority. Three years later he was demolished again by over 700 majority. 'Those people who feel so inclined put down his exclusion from Parliament to tho voucher incident. Others say ho was out-of-dato and the fact that tho Opposition .party deposed him as leader.was what really sounded the political death-knoll of Sir William Russell. 1 Well, Mr. Duthie was another. Was ho a voucher victim? If so, how idid I survive in tho nextdtxir district?. Rubbish. Tho people of Wellington North, know, why Sir. Duthie was beaten. It certainly was not the voucher incident. Mr. Herdman, then member for Mount Ida, was another victim. Mr. Herdman knows better than I do that ho,was ,r bought" out. The purchase—or promised purchase—by. the Government of some land in his district accounted for him. Mr. Vile was another - Oppositionist . who went out, If I remember aright ho died, on election day, hilt his seat was a precarious one, he having only been elected by a. majority of 176 votes. And Mr. Buchanan was another. His was just an ordinary defeat, and tho vouchor had no more to do with it than it had .with the origin of Halley's eomet. His majority beforo the voucher incident was 66, so ho.badi yory little to spare: As a matter of, fact, Mr. Buchanan had a hard run! last time (150 majority),. four, years . after the incident ' ijrhich has' provided so' many "croakers" with an excuse for all their ailments, real or imaginary. Now let mo turn to thq ; letter, of your correspondent ' "Oppositionist," and to your own editorial footnote thereto. You rtfer to the Opposition. being "blamed" unjustly for the voucher episode!. What, a .'short memory, you have. As a matter of fact] the fighi>. ing, and' the timidity ''of the Opposition.'was wliat. shook , them at tho polls. ,l%ey/. wanted us to.- win, but. 'they . 'didn't want to talio any haiid in tho .fight for very fear we should fail to scale the fortress.' It. was their indecision that did the. damage., Everybody knew —why in-.Heaven's ti&mo attempt to : disguise it?—that no one prayed . harder, .in private, .'of course, for, the success of the New , Liberals and the overthrow ' of Seddonism' . than his Majesty's, Opposition: Is it more coincidence, and I ropoat it",again,' that 1 the only Oppositionist who actively ; op-" posed us, .Sir .Wm... Russell, (was practically • silenced for all, time? Please note, I have been - careful' not to discuss any feature of the vouchor incident, but its effect upon tho election of 1905. • Nov/,. your correspondents are .wrangling over the tactics of tho Opposition. Olio can always -wrangle over tho tactics .of any party. In. my opinion the Opposition wants . moro>-fight--ing capacity and more energy. There are nine Ministers touring the country,all day, every, day, getting columns of. advancements iu each and overy,newspaper, promising roads and bridges and railways and all sorts o( concessions right'and left.-. They have millions of money to'spend, thousands of appoint-ments,-in their pockets. They mako themselves worth meeting. What has' tho Opposition done for years? This has been its anthem Oh,'it's Massey .hero and Massey there, ■ And Massey near and far; . Oh, it's Massey, Massey everywhere, . . He's- our one and only star. ' But one man cannot answer nine. The Opposition has overy confidence in him, but ho is, after all, only human.- No; we must set , to work and plan a campaign. It is no plan of campaign to sit down and wait in tho hope that your opposing .army. will wado into a. river and drown itself. ' Generally speaking, New Zealand does not know its , Opposition;- Opposition members have stayed .in thier electorates like spiders in their webs. It's a mistake. It is wrong. ,' The party should send its members round, to . preach its progressive policy, meet tho peoplo, understand their requirements, watch and criticise Government expenditure, and lot the peoplo understand that the Opposition is not a one-man show. How can peoplo bo reasonably asked to vote for an Opposition wheii 1 there is only ono Oppositionist' they have . over heard or seen? Take,'for example, tho position of affairs in Auckland. Auckland West, Central and East, Grey Lynn, and Parnell aro all seats held by the Government.-. What attempt does tho Opposition mako- to capture all or any of them? Determined onslaughts oil Otaki havo reduced the Government majority from 1500 in 1902 to 1394 in 1905 anil to 83 in 1908. If the same persistent attack was maintained., in other districts greater prowess wonld bo shown. There arc thousands of peoplo to-day who believe that ,if the Opposition came into' power tlioy would, at once break down our most beneficent legislation and promote tronble as a means of reducing wages. : 'They firmly believe that a change of power would mean soup kitchens'and poverty. They are told so, and mighty little attempt has tho Opposition made to .contradict it. But this condition of affairs will alter —must alter—and then I hope your two correspondents, "Looker-on" and "Oppositionist," will be rowing in t.ho same boat and much moro united in thought than they appear to bo at the present time. —I am, etc., F. M, B. FISHER. Wellington, April 16, 1910.