The Dominion. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1910. A TRANSPARENT TRICK.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 930, 24 September 1910, Page 6

The Dominion. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1910. A TRANSPARENT TRICK.

Foe some: time ■ past- it' tias been .'in-. creasingly ' obvious • that 'the-- 'Prime' Minister is neawii'g -the edge of 'desperation- -in.-rhis"fight,- for. the t.ipn' of • office. ,; ; Cqnscioivs' that ■ his, Governmeht's ciisdit, has been falling iovver .and lower,.' and unable,' owing to his lack of any inward light mid strength, _'to 'see - now he can Btrieve his -political fortunes, • he lias been, exhibiting all . the' symptoms, of poli--ticalf neurasthenia. " He. is. pitifully timid-: and 'hysterically . audacious; in turn-r-a-sure sign...o,f ;'demoralisatibn.'. Were •. he-'Jconficlont; 1 of. ..his -ip'osition,' ho; would nevei . have como to the amazing , decision'..respecting,;' Mii. Hine's : chal'ges;-\vhich' lie announced" t6 ;the Pioperly to' understahdi the •significance, of. his .determination: to refer "those'.'general' charges to tho Lands' Committee,' it is necessary to have an outline of the situation. .Some time-. ..ago Mr. HiNErrwhpmj-.'as 'we have noted from tinie; : ;to' : time,,-,the;.jPßiME,: Minister quickly learneavto'fear as. a shrewd and pertinacious, critic of:' the: misdeeds of fcho in,general-' fei;ms'' that,:c,eita'jn ; persons had. abused their positions as members'of; the House by making a ■ pecuniary profit ;Sut - of"; land' trans-actions-by-the Government. ..'.'With a natural distrust "of the Government, the-.;member:-for 'Stratford rehised-..to'•■furnish,specific ■ details until he had xeceived.a definite promise that" the.;chafges?would ]ba":iii-. ;vestigated'by':'a;;tribunal,^^-preferably. a.Royal- Commission, : outside the area ,of -the - influence. All the Government had to do was to undertake-to set.up such a;tribunal,' . and- MR. ' HiNE : would have-made his .charges in. detail. This, however, the 'Government absolutely declined to do, -and".'Mß. : Hike, ; who has acted :with',asTmucH;-. prudence", as..' candour, throughout, ■■'naturally .refused to walk -into what past cicpcrience of such matters 'justified.him in,regard ing as. ; a,trap setby.:.the-Gbvernmeht with the. double ■■objfect.'i.of 'burking, ■inquiry .on; the"yone f ' hand,' arid thus doing a serious injury to. tho public interest,;a,nd:on.theVbth'er ;hand:,casting' discredit upon; a, critic;whom it, has reason to I'eai - .'

lUriding'jthat/ owing to Me.'.Hike's rcsoluta.'refusal; to.'be drawn ; by the methods'followed;-.,' this;"plan. c'annot .'succeed,'/ and , that,; if 1 no-, thing is dorib fcheVpltfolic will form an'.opinio'nJ'.hosfilei to 'the' Government,/the/Prime Minister has decided to. adopt, a couise which we venture. to',' think' everyone will rc.gard as' the 'shallowest possible prcterice of giving Mr;' Hine a full and 'fair hpariiig. ' Wo have only to men-, .tiorr thp;personnel; .of the majority of ."Committee to show .' that 'Mr. -Hine 'cannot • expect to be treated; with 1 any ..greater .impartialthai) heJ .would rcceive if., Cab-, iri'et' wore to-haveythe adjudication 'of''the .case. '• ThereVare 'only. ; . ; th'i'ee members.' o'f the Opposition. on :'.tho. Committee.' Me. Hogg is - also- .a nieniber.'/The. other, members are Sir. Joseph 'Ward ■ and such obedient fok 16wo'i , 's..of;him as'-,Messrs.-, Ell, Duncan, '.fonnES,.' liivßY,' and Witty./ Will ''anyone pretend for a moment that , this "'is a fair and competent"tribunal to 'investigate. charges /of' the nature : i ; brought* forward by Mr. : ,Hine?\.We.;' think not. , '' In his anxiety'toscbiVa'point against the member for.'. Stratford,'. Sir Joseph WArd entirely . overlooked/' the fact that", ho has taken a. step which is violently .aiad ■ despotically subver-sive-of/ Parliamentary freedom, He has,-practically affirmed the .principle, -or is.\'seeking to'/affirm it, that there must'be.an'cnd.of all bold and honest criticism.. ' Should his motion .be carried ■'it ,;will: bo impossible any longer for .any Opposition member who. cares.:'for pure government to venture "upon/that, general "criticism which to' keep the., Administration within 1 , bounds,, .without .being placed-oh trial before/ a -partisan tribunal, a ; majority ,of the members of which aio" antagonistic to him. Why,' did not' the Prime . Minister move that Me'.- Taylor's recent grave concerning the Land and. Income Tax Departiliont be referred ■to'','a' Committee'' o'f the House? Would ho have-agreed id" submit to a Committee of tlio v-Hoiiso his own very serious allegation,' iipon which he was, challenged, by Mr. . Massey 'on October 12 91 liisfc-year,-that certain pfirsons, in/and : out of the,-

House, had practically conspired to I injure the countiy? And 'in these] cases it must be borne in mind both Mb. Taylor and the Prime Minister would have been called on to appear before Committees composed mainly of Government members, for all the. Committees of' the House have a preponderance of Government members on 'them. But the Prime Minister would have been the first -to resent. any > suggestion that he should be called on to substantiate his 'statements before such a tribunal. The country, we have not the slightest doiibt, will have no hesitation in coming to the right conclusion concerning the Prime Minister's intended attempt to establish a new inquisition. His object is to terrorise ■ his critics, and, incidentally, to prevent Mr. Hide's charges from being investigated by a tribunal' in which the country can place its trust. That the Prime Minister should, at . this time of: day,;dare to' propose such' a. thing, is the . plainest evidence that his'agitation over his political future has completely overthrown his judgment. Mr. Hine. has already stated his readiness to produce the evidence ~ ihe possesses to support his charges before a competent and impartial The Prime Minister's only-: answer is to threaten him with an .before a partisan committee composed mainly of himself-and,his own followeis. "And he thinks the counrti'y'can be fooled by such transparent' political trickery!' ,"■ ■; 1