VOTE!

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1305, 7 December 1911, Page 4

VOTE!

"Liberty is loosely defined as that freedom of spccch and action permitted bv law; but traced to their origin it will be found that ;most..of the <7rent- popular liberties ire enjoy hare been won jar v-s by the. people being' very 'much 'agin the. Gove.rnlne.iti'." , .This.great and unquestionable truth will be endorsed with special enthusiasm, by the Wellington public at this moment, when nothing is more clear than that the cause of true liberty, no less than the cause of honesty in government and economy in administration, demands the destruction of the Ministry at present in power. It is a truth that loses nothing in forcc by the fact that the statement of it which we have quoted was made by Sir John" Fixdlay at Palnierston North, on April 21, 1910, in the course of his lecture on "Legal Liberty." The fight for political reform in this country is nothing more nor less than another of the fights by which alone true national and individual freedom and independence, with ..the strength and comfort which they bring, can be secured. So far as the city and suburbs of Wellington arc concerned, to urge the need for turning out the Government is simply to preach to the converted. It is almost unnecessary, too, we hope and believe, to urge upon the friends of Reform the necessity for thoroughness. The fight must be fought to the. end; the attack on the Ward Administration must be driven right home to the very last vote. There is always the danger, with a political movement that has captured the imaginations and fired the enthusiasm of a community, that the very strength of the movement may induce some of its supporters to say: "Our people do not need my vote; they can win without me." Such an attitude, is unlikely to be adopted by many Reform voters; it should be a, don ted by none. As Dr. Newman said last night, the aim of the friends of Reform in this city and district should be to work so as to send to Parliament "a united Wellington." All the local Reform candidates had especially good meetings last night, and there now seems to have disappeared the last doubt that to-morrow they will all head the noils in their districts.. Second ballots will perhaps be necessary in some cases, but we are confident that if the friends of Reform make up their minds to regard the casting of their votes as their supreme dutv, the ballots can only end with that solid Reform victory which Wellington will bo proud to see recorded. This city has had to lead the fight, against the abuses of an Administration gone bad, and the eyes of the rest of the country are upon it. There is no further need to restate _ the damning case against Wardism. All that requires emphasis is the supreme importance that everyone shall vote.

This evening the city tramway traffic through Willis Street aiid Lambtou Quay will l;o diverted from these thoroughfares from 7 p.m. onwa.rd>; the Brooklyn cars will run to the Albert Hotel corner only, and all ears bound for tho Newlown and Constable Street terminals will stop short at the Kintoul Street-Riddi-ford Street junction (opposite Nowtowu School), which will bo the terminal station during the evening. Midnight, cars nill also be put »u to run from Lambton Station out to tho suburban terminals for tho convenience of thw« who desire to the elections out to tlio lost return.

The Brooklyn, L'itchcttowu, and Kelburne North lyp iniwyp mfwyp mfwy is represented us "ij" Company (I'iHli Keg i men t), under .Major Corngan, held their Jiist parade o:i Tuesday night- Of the 111 men who had been posted by the area officer, 'u attended ami were sworn iu. Of (he balance, a considerable mim.ber sent satisfactory explanations as to their inability lo attend. Belore proceeding to swear the men in, Major Corrigan addressed them, and explained the work as laid down by the defence authorities. The as-oeiates with Major Corrigan arc: Lieutenant Steven-Coles as first lieutenant. The nomination has been approved by Colonel Duthic of Sergeant Ward, of the Victoria College liitles, as second lieutenant; Sergeant Cimino, late of the Collego liiflcs as Acting-Colour Sergeant, and Corporal Bradley, late of the Guards, as acting-sergeant.

The committee of tho Wellington branch of tho New Zealand Civil Service Association has decided to hold .1 general moating of members of the association about tho middle of January, lo consider the Public Scrvico Classification Scheme.

Wellington detectives arrested two men vestcrdar respecting Auckland matters. 'One will bo charged with having foiged 11 bill of salo on April 28, and the other with having stolen X 7 belonging lo Georgo Cumberland.

Two reserved judgments tvill lie delivered by the Chief Justice (Sir Hubert Stout) in' the Supreme Court t. is morning. The cases are those of Taylor v. Parkinson and Blytlie, and O'tlaia v. the Victoria Insurance Company, Ltd.