THE UNITY COMMITTEE DECLINES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1709, 28 March 1913, Page 4

THE UNITY COMMITTEE DECLINES.

: ,us':6y 'yM{erclity's' i mail; tKtf fi'rst- fsSite of ai ; paper published locally 'styled 2'Ae ! It is the oiifeome of ■ tne I '.fecefit "Uiifcy Gorigrtss,'" organised, by lea'ders' of cef tartf •61 : Mb{iiitr ■ViSiipiiiSi did i(s' pWr- ' pose ,is '$■ fiVrtKer i _tH6 {Ms* . .of • I® ,I'Ke jssue inVqu'esiioii thei l 6' is a good deal of maltter, ser.verf | gp' to gUit' the palate 6f the tafc'oiirj Socialists,, and-, the aims' and aifnbx- , tioiw of tne "Unity" leaders are set out at some .lengthy It is not our ■ purpose..to .discuss of even to' touch On the merits oi the programme put forwitrd. It • co'tftains, rfothSAg that : & Slid is eVnbe 11 ish'6d wjth Nothing but thfi old;,-familiar. Socialist catcli-'efies vh'icb Mve d6ti6* soryice] iil tfe,press and' on the platform , hertf for so' long' that-one instinctively skips -them and takes' fhfim as read. But irf a cofiim'n b'e'ar-; ing. the' heading "Random' .Shots"' thpre is an item which is .both interesting ifid iristructi'#. Partictila'fly infefestitfg,' M should s ; aj>,. fa. that remnant of the "Liberal" party of which Mr. G. .W.' .Eussell. is the mouthpiece, and which considers that the first duty of the Opposition is to', get back to ofpqe by any means possible. The chief means which" these gentlemen have in their mind's eye is tb.iA'ake Lab'oirr once more .the tool or'Libe'raMif." It does not matter in the least to these disappointed gentlemen that they are' Seeking alliance with the forces of Socialism, ttrid they atei' equally indif-ferent-to the fact that they have practically, nothing to offer the La-bour-Socialists in fc'xfcEarige for their supp'oit. They 1 must know that a very large proportion of. those who supported the "Liberal" cause for the reason that they honestly believed in the' prinfciples they imagined it represented will not under any circumstances throw in their lot with the Sc/ci&lists. And as to the extffcmc Radical wing of the shattered forces of "Liberalism" the Labour-Social-, ists know they may coiirit on its support. without the necessity for .bargaining with those who wrecked tlie "Liber,il" party.

.However, to. revert to The Uiiit;/ Bulletin and its interesting paragraph. It seems that our morning contertporai-y, which is peculiarly iinfortunatc in bringing disaster on its friends, recently took il oil itself to solemnly warn the. Unity Congfess Committee that , there . \vere traitors in its ranks. The unti-Re-form jourriftl, iri its btfu ClUMsy

1 fashion, was apparently endeavour ing to persuade Labour tllilt it Wils an act of treason on its part to think of refusing io again make itself the willing tool of the Utile coterie which professed to speak in the name olliberalism. It was an amazingly silly thing to do, as perhaps it will lealise when it the rotoi't from IhJnK ? Congress Committee) m, r'? 6S follows: — rvt<f 0 ;Ne» Kfcalaiul Times" \vinrils the y-'i vttiigpess Comiuitte'e that there ard ' lit? ?r it J s ., rai , lll> ' And then it profctcds to identify the traitors.' This is a « treason to the workers. Tils l , 3 , f Si , ."y» a i'Sfusal (o support the I.iownl party, it m ay bo admitted iuat tlie limes" may. have a very clear Klea oi what constitutes. treason to the or u° ls 'T. ,vtls tliiof spokesman of the Liberal pnrty all the time tliat tno Arbitration Act, was being amended wlmibs ftiut the 'administration ?i, • * '""'kefy. It is mistaken ijj, that only a portion of ino.«p m (he Unity .Committee refuse to R?" ii'Mo the agents and defenders of tiifi UlSfcredited and listless fragments of tflfe Literal organisation.- The linitey congress Committee is a nr.it to the. Inst roaaof them in the efi'ort to build' a political party of Labour to fight Labour's own tattle in its o\Vn behalf. There is ftio l'nincing of words here fist© Labour's views as vo'ic'cd .by the Unity Congress Committee. tTnited Labour flatly arid emphatically" refuses to be associated with "the discredited and useless fragitie'nts', of t-he Liberal organisation.'' While ■ these indiscretions of our coritemporary_ continue. to make the prospects of its friends aiid backers more hope; less thiii ever, they. are, not without {heir use also in; clearing the way for 3 truer recognition of .the' actual jpolitiea;! situation. Each fresh effort thfait is made to revise the ."LibeWJ" party o'nly. sefves to' emphasise more' plainly; tli'ari before the hopelessness of the task. ,'lt has nb real rallying point; aiid it liaS no' capable' 6f either confidence or enthusiasm'. Th'e future lies- between; the; Moderates, as represented by the Sefo'rm party; aii'dthe Extremists,■ as' represented by the LabotiY-So'ciiiist'si 6i, ,'a'sf th'ey style themselves, the Social-I)emo-crats. The' Unity .Congress Com- ■ mittce apparently realises this, and so refuses to' burden itself .with an 'alliance with the remnants of a party which is rapidly, disintegrating, and will soon be a thirig of the past.