NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1454, 31 May 1912, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Most of the comment in British Liberal journals upon the violent speeches of Sir Edwakd Carson and other leading Unionists regarding Ulster's attitude towards the Home Kule Bill has been merely denunciatory of this talk as sedition. Much of the comment lias been thoroughly wcll-dcscrvcd: defiance of law is almost, always to be censured. But the London Tablet, the leading organ of Catholic thought, reminds the complaining Liberals that the blame rests upon Liberal shoulders. After describing the big Unionist demonstration in Belfast as "a veiled threat, in a certain contingency, to appeal to force against the authority of Parliament," the Tablet proceeds :

With that sort of thing we are. becoming familiar. If began with the Nonconformist refusal to submit to tho Education Act of 1:)02.' They organised what tliev called passive resistance," and refused to pay tlje education rate. It was a direct refusal to ouey tile law, but tho leaders of the Liberal party smiled upon it, and profited by it at the polls, and pandered to it when they came back to oflice. Three times over they did their best to reward the breakers of tUo law by introducing Lills to hamper and destroy the denominational schools. That complacency to lawlessness' iias since Ixji-no abundant nut. The Women's Social and Political. Union learned the lesi-.it, and quickly bettered the example of their iN'onconiormist teachers. And now Belfast proposes to defy Parliament, just as Dr. Clifiord and his triends were praised and petIful tor do iiie. and to refuse to pnv taxes to the representatives of a -Dublin Parliament. The responsibilitv for a. large share of the Ulster sedition lies at tho door <il men who now are Ministers of the Crown. The Liberal press is now quite alive to the general impropriety of the proceedings 111 Belfast. . . . But (he spirit of Belfast .is the spirit of Dr. Clifford and "ins friends. And so does Frankenstein complain cf his own monster.

The Tablet further points out that the Parliament Act has been it factor too. Formerly the Lords' nower of veto was a check on arbitrary action by the Cabinet, and "the result is a sudden and striking diminution in the moral authority of Parliament." How many, we wonder, of those "Liberals" in New Zealand who are condemning syndicalist methods just now realise that those methods and the great crop of strikes in the past four years have been partially attributable to a Ministerial "complaccncy to lawlessness"—namely, the ex-Prime Minister's declaration in a speech at Kaitangata during a big strike that he would prevent the law from being enforced 3

Nothing in the speech delivered by the member for Awarna last night will attract more attention than his extraordinary reference to his negotiations as Prime Minister about the end of last year, for the raising of a* four-million loan. Arrangements, ho said, had been under way prior to the first ballot m December, but upon seeing those results he dropped the negotiations, on the ground (he alleges) that to complete them would not have been "fair" to the .Reform party had it come into office immediately. Before passing on to the real meaning of this amazing revelation, we may say at once that this explanation places the member for Awarua in an unpleasant position. How, if he thought the Reform party would probably come into office without delay, docs he explain his Government's action in telegraphing ho London after the first ballot, and before the second ballot, that he would wind up with a substantial majority ! We leave him to his dilemma. But the lesson of his confession is the light it throws upon the amount of his concern for the country He said that there is a financial and commercial tightness (this despite the seven million odd borrower! not long ago) and that the loan he dropped would have avoided this. If the condition of the country, as the result of ''Liberal" misrule, was such that the tour-million loan was necessary it, save the public from i rouble. ' why did he not, out of his patriotism", take the obvious alternative tn compieting the negotiation ' Why, that is to say, did be not eaus.e Parliament to be summoned at oiiee, when the matter eouid have been explained and dealt with one way or other by lll'' people's representatives ' Why did he postpone l hr summoning of 'Parliament as long as possible.' Anil v.liy did In' not sa.i a word about the liimneiai trouble during thi' short session ! Why did he thus make it impossible for what he considered a necessary operation to be undertaken for to long. The fact is t he allowed his jjarty.'s strategical

necessities fo take precedence of what lie, actually suggests was the, ji:v!inn's trui! ini.i'resl. A franker confession of i-liu character of "Liberal's politics is not on record.

A wheat many people, doubtless, were puzzled liy Inn Hon. (i. \Y. Hi-hski.i.'s statement, pubiish"d yesterday in ;i telegram fi'nin ChristI'lllll'i'll, 1 hit I. "I hern would lie in

co.'iiitiiMi lief ween I,ln- present Liberal Government a nil any oilier parly,'' and that "if 1 lie former was defeated in I lie House an appeal would lie made lit (lie country/ Of course Mil. til'snl:l.i. niatlc his statement merely lioe/nisc lie fancied it mi s-'ht

somehow lie useful lo llie Govern-, mi'lli. to have people believe, it; although it is extremely dillicult lo see what good such ii. sfalemcnl, can do llik Ministry. It does not appear lo have occurred fo this irresponsible politician, however, that hi l ; slaleiiicMl is an affront fo and reflection upon the Governor. For his si a fi'iiient implies that his K.wlieiicy has decided, and lias informed Mil. I'i's::i;i,i, of his decision, fo f'.r;illl. Mil. Mackenzie a, dissolution ail warn as he. is defeated in the ii'oiiiie. It if, not for jMh. Ri;sheu, or any other Minister fo say when a. dissolution will he granted. Nobody can possibly know, as Ml!. llmtMBM, professes to know, flic exact mind of the Oovcrnor, mik'sis the Governor has confided his intention lo him. On the face of it, of course, it in absurd to suppose that the Governor would <io what is suggested, that is, upon any course of action in a situation that has not yet developed, or that he amid make Ma. I'nssi'Xb his confidant. Mi;. Rrsscu, has placed himself in rather (in awkward position. We really cannot see how he can defend his statement unless he poos on to say that (he Governor will simply have lo do as Jin. Mackenzie or Mn. Ki'.ssEM, commands.