SIR JOSEPH WARD-BARONET, ETC.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1216, 26 August 1911, Page 14

SIR JOSEPH WARD-BARONET, ETC.

. Sir,—After the vory pronounced manner in which tho Labour and' Liberal party of late have been criticising Sir Joseph Wnrd and his newly-acquired title, it will bo interesting to note how theso people will treat him on his return to our shores. It is thought by many that—"liko the hungry dog"—they will fawn round him, and regret their unkind remarks, while the honour of having-a smile of recognition from a "real live Baronet" will eauso their hearts to warm towards him. It will also bo equally interesting to note how Sir Joseph will explain away his ob- j jections to members of the Legislative Council accompanying him Home to the Coronation, while tho cost of this "littlo family picnic," with its vice-regal expenditure, its "bodyguards," "vassals," and attendants generally, will afford interesting reading matter to the ground-down tax-payers, who have to foot tho bill. Possibly Sir John.Findlay could be persuaded to draft a bill for his chief making it a criminal offence for anyone—cither in Parliament or out of Parliament—to ask for a return of theso expanses. Anyway, we are never likely to know what it costs. There will bo lots of fun in the Houso for the next two or three weeks' time, unless the Labour party are prepared to bow down to and kiss the foot of- tho titled aristocrat who has only just risen from their ranks himself, but who, nevertheless, doubtless considers that thero is now a huge gulf between himself and tho struggling workers, with whom he can now have nothing in common. Whatever Sir Joseph Ward may term himself, he must he a Conservative of Conservatives, and the appointment by tho labouring classes of this wealthy, ambitious baronet as their, Premier and. leader, to protect them from tho onslaught of tho Reform party can' only ba compared to a dovecot of simple young pigeons requesting a hawk to prevent the sparrow from devouring them.. Sir Joseph and his Ministry are a clever, cunning lot, but tho working man is at last beginning to s?o that whon tho sheepskin of Liberalism, under which they hold their seats, is once removed, nothing but hungry wolves are visible, with their eyes fixed on ono object, and ono object only. Thero will be lots of fun during the next few weeks. —I am, etc., IRISHMAN.