MR. RUSSELL IS AMUSING

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1980, 10 February 1914, Page 6

MR. RUSSELL IS AMUSING

The very talkative representative of the Avon electorate in the House of Representatives has been unbosoming himself to tho Nelson Colonist on the political- situation, and.like his colleague, the- meniber for Hutt, has at least succeeded in being jimHsing, . Me. Russell's fluency frequently carries him .off his feet and lands him in sonic cxtf&va'gant situation ■which", to it more sen-' sitive person, would probably prove extremely embarrassing. Happily for his peace- of mind* however,' this leading light- of "Liberalism'"' is not sensitive to the ridicule of his political opponents; and so when he t flounders into difficulties which em* barrass and dib'cominode his party, be e& often as not goes merrily on his way. sublimely unconscious of the figure he cuts or the damage, lie has ■done. ■' So we find him , discoursing in quite his best style en the glowing prospects' ahead of tho "Liberal" Party; Isughittg ga-iiy at the suggestion that it is ''effete and defunct," and then discounting all bis rosy, optimism by the amazing declaration' that "throughout the whale country there is stroijg evidence of a revulsion of feeling in favour of. 'Liberalism.' "■ It is really very astonishing that Mit, R-usselii' should regard the I most significant, political happening of the past few w-eeks, the by-election-., as an eviilence of revulsion' o! Icelisig in favour of "Liberalism." Apparently the complete and utto' defeat o-f "Liberalism" id a stronghold which it has held for :.something like twenty y-gars haa convinced the nieiiibsr for, Avon that the party must surely have reached the bed-rock of / its misfortunes at last, and that it can s-iek no lowtr in publie esteem. Ho is equally de.lightI fur in the free and easy manner). - in which he disposes of those aggrcs : sive people,' the self-styled "b'deial Democrats.'"' The possibility of the "Social Democrats , ' interfering with the- "Liberal" Pai'ty he brushes aside almost contemptuously. '-'Of covijf-se," he says* "there, will lag a -section of the Labour Party who will, want a much more pronounced policy than the 'Liberal Party is prepared to give, 5, but he can sec _jio indication of tho Social Democratic Party beingreturned in opposition to the "Liberals." And yet at two out of three by-elections- held sinso the last general" election,, "ti-beral" seats wore lost to "Social Democrat" candidates, the "Liberal" nominees not, even getting into the second ballots. In tlie third ease a "Liberal" seat was lost to a Beform candidate. .It i«>-possible, oj course, that Mil RvjsSELii sees in those happenings indications ai great prospects for "Liberalism"; if so, he must havs a very curious way of looking at things. There is a- good deal of jal-k jn his interview about the policy' of the "Liberal" Party, but like the member for Hutt at Petotte, arid Sir Joseph Warp at Te- Arobo, he is particularly careful t:o avoid giving the slightest indication of any policy proposals. This is not encouraging to tho rank and file of the party. Sir Joseph, howoycr, we are told, is to unbosom himself at Awarua shortly, and we must Vait for his speech, -He can be relied on. to be ■ generous of promise, but it is a little unfortunate for his party that its past failure to jive up to its professions is still so fresh in the public memory. ■