MOB-RULE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1601, 19 November 1912, Page 6

MOB-RULE.

The cowardice and brutality of the militant section of tho Federation of Labour, which was very fully demonstrated at Waihi, was in evidence also at Christchurch last evening.' At the latter place a pack of ruffians, whoso passions apparently had been inflamed by tho violent, and abusive oratory of their leaders, baited half a dozen young mon who had attended a public meeting, held under the auspices of the Federation, and voted against the resolutions of tho Federationists. The young men, after being subjected to taunts and insults, were followed down the street by the mob and hustled, kicked, and struck, and only escaped the fury of their persecutors by rushing into an open doorway, the entrance to which was guarded by a police officer. The time has gone past for gentle methods with these ruffians who not only\ set at defiance all rules of British fair-play, but over-rido the laws rolating to peace and order. If mob rule is not to prevail these would-be terrorists must be taught a sharper lesson than they have yet learned. At.Waihi the militant section of. the Foderationists, by virtue of their numbers, for a time terrorised the community. The leniency with which they were treated merely encouraged them to further acts of aggression, until at last their victims turned on them and riot and disorder followed. The dastardlyresort by Federationists to firearms and gelignite, which was the outcome of their attempt to terrorise Waihi, indicates in a measure tho class of men that have attached themselves to the Federation of Labour, but it also goes to show the evil effects of tho wild and reckless speeches.with which the irresponsible leaders of the Federation incite their following,; If the Federation of Labour-is permitted to pursue its tactics of intimidation clsowhere, as it did in Waihi, and as it attempted on a smaller scale in Christchurch last evening, there can only be ono_ result. There will be further rioting, for the public will take the law into their own hands and punish these people as they so richly deserve to be punished. This taking of the law into their own hands must, if possible, bo avoided. We would suggest to those in authority, that if the police force is not numerically strong enough to deal with these disorderly mobs of terrorists, special constables should_be sworn in to assist in the preservation of order. The conduct of the Federationists cannot have the sympathy of lawabiding trades unionists whose cause is discredited by such disgraceful tactics* carried on •in the name of unionism.