LIBERALISM TRUE AND FALSE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1231, 13 September 1911, Page 4

LIBERALISM TRUE AND FALSE.

' <, We print to-day a remarkable statement by Mr. Fowlds to an Auckland newspaper. That it will set thousands of the honest supporters of the Government thinking will hardly bo denied-even by those whose business it is to defend the Ward Administration through thick and thin. Mr. Fowlds does not expect, or desire, "the emergence of a new party." What he desires is "the reorganisation of tho Liberal party on a more democratic basis." Until he states definitely in what shape he wishes the party to bo born again we cannot be quite sure whether his ideal is totally opposed to our own; but it is impossible not to agree iu full with his commentary upon the present condition of the party, the Executive of which ho has left in disgust. We quote tho substance of his I argument:

\ party cannot live on traditions and name-labels alone. There is always a danger of a party, after long years, of prosperity and dominance, losing sight of its fundamental principles. It naturally attracts to its banner all sorts of people who hope to gain something from the party in power. The adhesion of people who aro attracted by a hope of gain instead of by tlio love of it's principles has always a paralysing effect on a party. Parties may even adhere to names whilo they entirely reverse their principles.

Every reader of The Dominion will recognise- in this passage a truth that has been insisted upon in scores and scores of articles in our columns. We did not discover this truth; Mr. Fowlds did not discover it; it is a truth established by the history ot many countries. Everybody knows, that the fundamental principle of the. original Liberal party in New Zealand—the very site, as it were; upon which the original scheme was built—was that policy of "self-reli-ance" which both Mr. Seddon and' Sir Joseph Ward abandoned, as the years passed, showed their contempt for, with increasingly large, loans. But not everybody is aware of the complete reversal of Libcrai policy in many other important particulars. the historic principle of Liberalism, has been replaced by an extravagance almost be-, yond belief; freedom, and equal, treatment of all classes, have been replaced by class legislation of the ; frankest possible character. The' "Liberalism'' of to-day ranges from' wild borrowing and reckless expen-! diture to that last and worst nega-, tion of Liberal principles, the penalising, almost on tho scale of the wretched Portuguese Republic, of freedom of opinion and speech. The bulk of the supporters of tho Minis-1 try that Mr. Fowlds has despaired! of leading .back to honest politics J are, as he suggests, people who share in the spoil, people who gain by supporting the party that insults the name of Liberalism. But there are amongst the supporters of the Ministry tens of thousands of honest men and women who have not yet realised what we have for some years been insisting, with_ all our power, namely, th.it_th.cre is hardly a truly Liberal principle that the party in power lias not violated and trampled underfoot. The plain statement of the ex-Ministcr Till, we are certain, recall these to the facts of the present political situation. His statement is in effect a reproduction of our declaration in February last that in New Zealand "to-day it is the deadly enemy of true Liberalism who claims to be called a Liberal." jilt. Fowlds has done a public service by calling attention once more to the shams that exist in this country at the present time under the name of Liberalism.