The Dominion. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1914. A POLICY OF DRIFT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1991, 23 February 1914, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1914. A POLICY OF DRIFT.

Some measute' of sympathy is no doubt chic to those .followers &f Wardism who had been buoyed up by hopeful anticipations of the groat policy speech'at Winlon with which their leader was to open his eaffipaign against Reform, It mmt tiavo proved a shocking elisaMointme-nt to them to read the lengthy reports of the speech in a vain endeavour to find that encoufugeaient aad iftspira-; tion which their cavisc so badly" needs. From beginning- to end of the many thousands M words with which Sir Joseph Wmvd voiced his feelings, there is not a sign of.constructive policy—n.otiun# but- the old string of querulous complaints about his own bad treatment at the hands of his critics, his old pose of injured innocence, his old and stereotyped laudation of past- "Liberal" achieve; ments, and the old -eondeiimation of the ways of Reform, No- ofie cancomplain of his criticism of the Government—it i$ a .part of fajs.'fuactions as Leader of tee Opposition to criticise the administration- and policy of the G-ov6tnTfleiafc-*-an-# with this feature of his speech., hbwever much one may disagree WitJi 'fhjs views, little fault can be found. Bu ; fc his constant harping on his own woes, and his unfortunate hab.it oi accusing his opponents oi unfair tactics when he em&rges'wofsted froni some political efiecmiiter, grows wearisome. It is time he toufld some other salve for his injured feelings, and one less likely to offend the susceptibilities of a .people who take pride in accepting; victory or defeat in a sporting spirit. . Early in the present month a. conference of the leading: s-pirita of Wardism was held at Weilijigtoh to devise-ways and means of Wistcvlng up tho tottering fottnd&tioris- of their cause'. It was on tha eve of this conference, our veacl&rs will reeali, that Sir John Fixblay adopted tho daring course of publicly Warning his old associates thafs ,tha coining genera! election would, in his opinion.be their "last«cha-noe"—-that, thcirparty \ras split, and included in its ranks were -men more

in sympathy with the Government, than with the extremists under the "Liberal"'..bantwv. He frankly advised Sip. Joseph Ward and his followers that thciv only hope lay in coming out boldly with a tlofinUfi policy, and he further expressed the-. vieiy, that the leaded of the party must bo prepared , t'o courageously riskjiis own political existence if lie watireU to take advantage, of the "last ehanee" now offering. Tlie opinions expressed by Sin John Fisbmy presumably were intended 5q iufl"ue. hco the conference. Possibly, from his insults knowledge of the wordings of the "Liberal" party, ho realised that the men who now control its destinies were unlikely to take any bold, decisive step, save under- the stimulus .of some rooster spirit that they were'lacking in ideas/ffhd given to petty scheming tnan, to planning on broad,* strong lilies; and nis purpeso was to provide the nested stimulus, and to •indicate the lines on which they should proceed. If we we to. judge from Sie Jos£ph Ward's fourteen Ihosisand-w-or.d speech at Wkiton, Sir John FiNDiAY no longer has power to sway fhe party. Even that faithful echo of Sir Joseph Ward, tite local Aiiti-ileforin journal, is. forced to admit that v-o speech eon- : tains no "concrete policy, and the Ohristchurch Anti-fiete'raa paper is drives to a similar conclusion. They explain the matter away, however, each in Mts. wn cha-racteristie fashion. Tho keal Waraiet journal says.: "Sir Joseph' Ward.is too wise to listen to u advke of his ctftmics ■ a.tkl announce a concreto policy a,t . the preseat jtißOtu're for the banifwpt Bcfertiici's 'to steal from." The . Cb'tfskhurch orgaa professes to see in Sin JOSEPB Ward's mood to be "destructive, rather than constructive," "a sfl(i disappointment to Mb, Massey aftd his fFiends" who, we al'e told, hava been "waiting for months for some suggestion frorti the Leader of the-Opposition, far 4hc. franiiftg of their own policy," In the ei,reumstances, the journAls mentioned have probably made the best that was possible of the unhappy : position in which i-ey awl tie ren:ainder ot" the remnant d:■ Wftvdis.fa ftnd iiiemgelves. Unf-ortanately the '. tiiiic has gone. past when the party (ovtld hope to' gain anything by ■ silence eonccrning its 'ftitarb intention?. As Sib Johs tisnuY pointed o'Ut, the party is already iiridftd in.to two sections, and those sections a:i'o not only drifting wider apart; Ijiit one is mutng steadily in the! direction which must ultimately lead it into fusion with the fortes of Reforiji. As Hβ. M,ASSEY e said a few days ago, the country as gradually dividing itself'into two .fores; Ikfoi'tt LibeJ:a.ls and Hcd-Ffid. Liberals. Neither Sir Josbl?U .Warp, nor anyone else, wo believe, can stop that drift. It is only a matter of time. The most that can bo done is to delay the progress of evfints.. Silt; Joseph. Wabb, favoured by fortune,: had ii long reign, but, he proved him- ■ Self incapable, o! holding his party together ia the days of its prosperity, . and he has failed still more signally ■ ■as its le&'dc); in its days of adversity, fhe niGinbers of the party who sitin Parliament know this qwite well. Tlwy have been hoping against hope tat he ivn:-ih) ri.s<! to the occasion,' but lie is ostfc ot tou«h with jiitblit. 1 opinion, and last session Beeinci w h'ayo lost much of his • interest in . politics. There is no other nieisibei.of the. party who could Icacl it, and 'eo we find it—drifting. Tb.a't about; mpn lip _ the position'/ Wardism's I only policy to-day is a policy of! drift.' ' • '