The Dominion TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1912. THE NO-CONFIDENCE DEBATE,

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1374, 27 February 1912, Page 4

The Dominion TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1912. THE NO-CONFIDENCE DEBATE,

The Ministerialists yesterday continued to waste the time of Parliament and the- money of the country by needlessly prolonging the debate on the no-confidence motion moved by Mr. Massey. There was not_ a single thing said during the sitting by Government members that had not already been said by previous speakers or which might not with advantage have been left unsaid. Members who in one breath deprecated misrepresentation and innuendo in the next descended to the methods they had just condemned and supplemented these efforts with abuse and base appeals to class passion. The Hon. T. Mackenzie, who is spoken of as the successor to Sir Joseph Ward as the Leader of the Liberal party, evidently imagined that the speediest road to the hearts of his prospective followers was to give a violent demonstration of sound and fury. He was not at all ill good form and some of his arguments were pitifully petty. _ It looked as though the debate might end with the close of his speech, but his suggested rival for the post of Leader, Mn. Laurenson, apparently dared not let the opportunity pass to display his powers as a political scold, and so the wearisome_ discussion dragged on. The Ministerialists taking the cue from their leaders are attempting, by constant reiteration of the statement, to create the impression that the Government was defeated at the polls because the public were misled as to its actions. No evidence is put forward in support of this contention—nothing but vague insinuations and clumsy suggestions. Mr. T. Mackenzie said nothing was more regrettable in our political life than the campaign of slander which had been carried on. The public reading the speeches o' Ministerialists will wonder at the effrontery of the Minister in daring to attempt to lay at the doors of the Reform party a charge which so plainly rests upon his own side of the House. It will no doubt be noted by those who follow the proceedings of Parliament at all closely that, despite their assertion to thn contrary, the Wardists arc still overwhelmed with the knowledge that defeat awaits them when the crucial divisi on is taken. Their shrill abuse of their opponents; their protestations that thev were beaten unfairly at the polls, out above all their anxiety to put off the hour at which the division must be taken all serve to show that they are in desperate fear of the outcome. If they were as confident as they profess to be, why should they persist in putting up member after member on their side of the House to waste time in saying over and over again what, cannot possibly influence a single vote, but on (.lie contrary must lower the party still further in the eyes of the new members and in the eyes of the country. The conduct of ilio Oovernment since the opening of the deba.tr. should serve a useful purpose in giving the new members an insight into the methods I hat have grown up under Wavdism—the r-ae-rifking of everything to the inter-

csts of the little clique who control the Government party. The time has arrived wbau the Opposition must take some step 1., f l)rC e the Government to serew up its courage to fact the si..(latum and come to a division, inci-c is not a single member of the .louse -who does not know that furi>}\ ""necessary, iioth Parliament and the countrv arc heartily sick of the waste of time. This being the case, Mr,. Massky- sliouFd take steps to bring the debate to a close to-day. The La--1)0111 tincl some of the Independent members we have little doubt would bo glad to join with him in insisting that the division should be taken before the House rises to-day.