THE NEW LEADER'S "PRINCIPLES."

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1396, 23 March 1912, Page 5

THE NEW LEADER'S "PRINCIPLES."

AN ENEMY OF RADICALISM. INTERESTING STATIOAIENT IN IMS. The fact that the parly of which Air. Alackcnzio lias become the new lcade>- is dependent for its existence on the voles ot (he Labour members, not to mention Radicals like Messrs Laureiison, Ell. I^itt, i etc., gives a special interest to the icmarkablo speech delivered by Air. AlacI lMiizio in Waikouaiti on February £6, ! I'Jl'rS, in defence of his decision to ceaso | being an "Independent" and join the | Ministerial party. I "'Politics with me," bo said, arc u creed, and not a. profession. My political convictions are not caught by contagion, but live tho result of study and practical experience. They are not put and oft as one changes one's garments." "Have 1 not," ho asked, "given my views on land tenure, on taxation, on finance, on commerce, on education, and on representation, and many other subjects? Who in this audience will darn to say that I have departed from these principles?" Coming to the explanation of his change of political wear, he thus described ! tlio political situation as he saw it: I "On tho one hand I saw a band of splendid men, called the. Opposition, and styled by some tho Conservatives of this country, earnestly devoting themselves to forwarding, according to their views, tho best interests of tho Dominion. I realised that in their ranks there wero men, inI eluding tiie Leader himself, who would go ! much further than some of their supporI ters wero inclined to favour, ill tho j direction of Liberalism. On tho other ! hand, I saw developing in this country a party of men styling themselves Socialists, who, because of tho evils existing in older communities, were endeavouring to frame legislation in this now country which, if given effect to, could not have any oilier than a most, disastrous effect on everv industry in the community." He explained that revolutionary Radicalism was tho grave danger, n danger to be fought by coalition. "I realised that the points of difference in many respects were not great between many members ! following the Government and those con- | stituting the Opposition, and that, if we could only overcome those party bands, wc would havo a body of men who, whilst following .sound Liberal principles, could tell thoso who had espoused the cause of revolutionary Socialism that they could muster their strongest member's, and test their full powers, but wo would form a solid body to oppose them and give effect to what we believed were (he best principles that could be advocated for our land. It is there that, in my opinion, the party line should bo drawn, and I feel persuaded that if you polled the full strength of your town revolutionaries, 25 members would represent their full power. That would leave 55 members free to develop the great industries of • this country on conimonSCIISO lines."