The Dominion. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1911. THE DOMINION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1242, 26 September 1911, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1911. THE DOMINION.

. 0— To-day is the fourth anniversary of the birth of The Dominion. In its brief existence the paper has had many strange experiences. It' has been assailed with all the strength that vested interests could bring to bear against it, which it of course fully expected; but in addition the whole weight and influence of the dominant political party has been hurled at it in the endeavour to stifle its criticism or to crush it out of existence. The powers vested in the Government as trustees of the public funds have been utilised to prejudice its prospects and to assist its opponents—it has been misrepresented; boycotted, and abused. And to-day its .position is stronger than it has been at any time since its first issue went out to the publio on September 2G, 1907. Its circulation has grown and its influence has spread not merely throughout the Wellington province, but over the whole Dominion. The public have realised that whatever its _ shortcomings, it has honestly striven to fulfil its purpose as an outspoken servant of the people; that it has fought with all its strength against tho .drift in the politics of the country which has led to the party in power placing the interests of a litt-ic clique of politicians above the welfare of the country; that it has, when occasion required, taken up the cause of the weaker side, and fearlessly waged war on the most powerful interests in the country and against those in the highest places. Its columns have been open to all—it has proved itself an independent journal in the best sense of the term. That such a publication was urgently needed is proved by tho. increasing support which has been extended to The Dominion and which has enabled it to overcome the powerful influences arrayed against it and attain that happy position which it occupies today. Without the approval and assistance of the public the paper would quickly have succumbed to the fierce hostility of its opponents and the situation in New Zealand politics to-day would, we venture to think, have been somewhat different to that which really exists. Looking back over the four years during which the paper has been circulating throughout New Zealand, one cannot fail to be struck with the changes that have taken place in the attitude of a large section of the people respecting public affairs. In 1907 indifference was the dominant note of the bulk of the public. They had grown so accustomed to seeing the same little .set of politicians in ofiice year after year that they regarded it almost as an accepted fact that they would continue indefinitely as the rulers of the country's affairs. Most people were doing fairly well in one way or another, and comparatively few troubled to think very deeply on public questions or on the rights and wrongs of issues of public policy.

But tiierc has been a steady awakening. Events preceding the elections ot 1908 occasioned uneasiness which was only partly allayed by the recklessly optimistic assurances of the head of the Government, with the result that several Government supporters lost their seats. And when it few months after the elections the depression in trade made itself acutely felt and the Government callously announced tha necessity for retrenchment, the, public became actively ahvo fr the unreliablencss of the Government as it had never been before The result has been that a ino'; o nlert public has seen through '■-no recklessness, the lack of principle;, the shifts and expedients with which Ministers have sought to delude them; as they would not have done had not their suspicions been aroused. • To-day tho great majority of tho people of New Zealand know the Ward Administration for what it really is—a small set of politicians absolutely lacking in any qualities of statesmanship, barren of principles, and actuated by no higher motive than the retention of office. To this end every effort is concentrated —borrowing has been enormously accelerated so that the Government may_have as much money as possible to circulate with the object of buying support; and every device that could_ be thought of in the shape of promises likely to dazzle the unthinking has been dragged forth with the utmost indifference to the effect th."! fulfilment may have on the future of the country. And it is pleasing to record that the public to-day see quite clearly the object of the Government and we are gratified to know that The Dominion has had its share in assisting to bring about this enlightenment. There are people who have been striving to discredit the paper by makingall sorts of charges against it aS'to its motives, and especially as to tho purpose behind its criticism of the Government. It suits the ends of its opponents to dub it the mouthpiece of the Opposition. This, of course, is quite incorrect. The Dominion announced itself as an Independent journal on the day of its birth, and it remains one to-day. It stands for certain principles and it;s is pledged to those principles and to no party. Believing that,the Ward Administration, as the result of the long continuance in office of the one party and practically the one set of persons, has been led into evil habits and practices inimical to the interests of the country, the paper has set itself the task of exposing to the people the maladministration of their affairs and the dangers that ue ahead unless a change takes place. The only possible change at ■ the present time is the removal of the Ward Administration and the placing of the Reform party in office. This course we believe to be the wisest and the safest one for the country to pursue. It would be tho first real step towards that rearrangement of the political situation which is absolutely essential before a return can be made to. sound and stable methods of government. Out of such a change we would hope to see develop 'a true national spirit as distinct from_ the selfish and ignoble party spirit which at present degrades, the public, life and the Parliament of the country. The harm which, is done to all classes of tho community by the daily example placed before them by the Government of the country; of petty trickery, unworthy political devices, the open corruption of electoral districts; utter lack of principle displayed in the pandering to sectional interests—in fact, the wholesale degradation of the highest 61fices of the State to the one selfish end of retaining office—is incalculable. • Instead of the rulers of the Dominion being_ held up to the younger generation as models worthy of emulation—statesmen actuated by high motives; guided by strong principles and animated purely by the desire to further the present welfare and safeguard the rights and the future prosperity of the people; what have we ? A set of politicians who in almost every are influenced solely by the one thought— their party interests, which after all means little more than their own interests. Principles and everything else are sacrificed by the party in power to the one selfish end. The Dominion has been striving, and will continue its endeavour, to so arouse the_ public to a proper understanding of the evils of tho present state of politics that the people will, as the first step towards reform, rise and throw out of office the present Ministry.. In order to awaken a public, drugged by long years of maladministration and with sensibilities somewhat blunted on questions of political morality, by repeated disclosures of improprieties which have_ provoked nothing more than a passing protest, we have been forced at times to be bluntly outOur justification is seen to-day in the position of the paper and in the attitude of the public. It only remains to say in conclusion, that as a result of the support so generously given to The Dominion, it.has been found necessary to further extend the business of the company in certain important directions which will shortly bo announced. AVe are sure this evidence of the success which has attended the paper's efforts will be quite as pleasing to those who have stood so loyally by it and made this success possible as it is. gratifying to ourselves.