THINK.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1301, 2 December 1911, Page 15

THINK.

For more than twenty years one little circle of politicians alone have handled the huge interests of your country—your interests. During the whole of that long period no one outside that little circle has been permitted behind the scenes. It is time a new set of men were sent by you to find out and proclaim to all th 6 whole truth concerning the management of your affairs. For twenty years one littlo circle of men have had the handling of scores of millions of your money. What do you really know about the manner in which they have carried out their trust. Only the barest bones,- and that put in tho most favourable light they could devise. You know that well enough. You have had their version; isn't it time you had someone else's—someone who will go through the pigeon-holes and records which have been kept from you and who has no reason to Bmother up things—someone who will tell you the whole truth P _ Twenty years without any independent scrutiny—think of it! What other country would take such a risk P Thursday next is your day. On Thursday, December 7, you have, for the first time in twenty years, a real chance to uncover the secrecy which has for so long shrouded the conduct of the affairs of the Dominion—your affairs. It will be for you to decide whether your country is to . have three more years of doabt and uncertainty and danger— whether for three more years you are going to take the risk of permitting this little circle of men to continue to keep to themselves the innermost facts about your affairs and to continue to conduct your business in their own interests as they have been doing for so long. That is the plain truth of the position to-day. Tou have to pay. It all falls back on you—the people—rich or poor. You know the Ward Administration stands for waste. You know it stands for broken promises. You know it lias been living under false prstßnces—that it is living on the past achievements of Ballance and Seddon. You electors can change all these bad things into good things. That is the pcint. Change moans beitemiant. Do ; not be deceived on that. No set of men could do worse than the Ward Admtnistra-j tion have done. More taxation per head is collected froinr you to-day than ever before. This is an indisputable fact. Everyone complains of the high cost of living.' This all goes back to misgovernment. < .'■ High taxation inevitably falls back on the working man—he. pays tlu taxes through tho bootmaker, the draper, the furnisher, and so on. The Big Man passes it on in-higher prices 'and higher rents. The . Little Man pays all-the time. Have you ever thought what a strange thing it is that 1 despite the enormous sums the Ward Administration borrow \ each year the amount of taxation they collect grows higher and higher. That is due to waste and extravagance. You pay for it. Your family is pinched—the home losis something it would otherwise have—the children miss some little pleasure or comfort. Prudent and careful government would change - all '.that . —make you better off—make your country better off,, Day by day the electors of New Zealand have been losing ' confidence in the Ward Administration. They have not merely wasted your money: they have made their name a by-word for trickery, for suspicious transactions, some of which are recounted in this issue, for broken pledges,, for ,' cowardice, and above all for secrecy. • ' Why should they so often wish to keep the public in the dark concerning the people's own affairs? Why should they constantly refuse information the through their representatives in Parliament, are entitled to have? Thursday next is the People's Day—Voters' Day—Your Day. On Thursday you can clear away the mysteries which have puzzled and perhaps alarmed you during recent years. You can send to Parliament men pledged to turn the Ward Government out of officc; That is the only way. Do not be misled by personal regard for a candidate. Your duty to yourself, to your family, to your country demands that you shall vote to ensure a full investigation of tho country's affairs. This can only be done by turning the Government out of office. To do that you must, if necessary, set aside your personal liking for a candidate and vote against the Government candidate or any candidate pledged to support the Government on a no-confidence motion. Do not be influenced, by your past association with the cause' of Liberalism. The Ward Administration, as you know, has betrayed, all the principles of Liberalism. It is mainly composed of a selfish set of titled nonentities masquerading under a noble name. "The name of Liberalism is degraded by association with a set of men who are prepared to sacrifice -everything to the purely selfish end of clinging to office. No true Liberal can honestly cast his vote for candidates -who support such a degenerate Ministry. ' Do not bo deceived by _ the professions of Government candidates who tell you : they will force the Government to do their bidding. They'have been : telling you this for the past ten years. You know, everyone knows, that during the past five Ward. Administration has been going from bad to worse" until to-day it has lost the respect of every intelligent person who possesses any acquaintance with politics. Even those who coontinue to support it for old association's sake deplore its instability, its insincerity, and its incompetence, and view its every action with distrust. If you want that investigation of your country's affairs which everyone recognises is so featiiy needed, you must vote against the Government candidate. If there js not a Reform party candidate in your electorate, vote for the Labour candidate, or any candidate who will vote againßt the Ward Administration. Think of it—for twenty:years a little circle of men havo kept you and everyone else from getting even a peep behind the scenes. For twenty years no one outside that littlo circle haa had any chance of getting at the whole truth concerning the administration of the country's affairs. Every year in recent years the door has been slammed tighter in the face of those who in your interest and in tho country's interest have sought to probo tho actions of the Ward Administration. On Thursday next you can open the door. Think of it. Your votes cast for opponents of the Government can, for the first time in twenty years open the door to the sunlight to the purifying influenco of full and independent investigation. Think of the Opportunity. , 'Your vote cast for an opponent of the Government can do this. You have had three years of windy, wordy, empty promising and boasting; you have had many year,'! of secrecy. You have had the cost of living increased, and you cannot see any prospect of a better state of things under the Ward Administration. Is it not enough? Tho Spanish have a proverb: "Who fools me once, shamo to him; who fools mo twice, shamo to nio." Tho Ward. I Administration fooled you in 1908. MOTE.