THE REDS AND FREE SPEECH.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2007, 14 March 1914, Page 4

THE REDS AND FREE SPEECH.

Net only the ■elector,?, of Welling* ton Central, ,l3iit ; .;tl}e' whole of "the ■people erf New Zealand should profit by. tlje lcssoji given at St. Betels Schoolra-sift fast evening by. the tfisparderly elemmvt associated with the Red Ecdprj;Dion and' its -poßtAetil ad- ■ jttnet th<> Social Pemocratic : It Was made deal- during the rficeni strike that a licAv anij dapgei'OUfi force had graxvn up is our. Midst— a forfic; stiniiilafed. by class prejudice, iaekjng in, any sensp of , justice of Mi 1 play, aad prepared to. ■rety % t;h ; e. -atWaiafrnt : oi J-ta ends .on intimid.ktio.ij, violence,'and l.a,tt---■lessncss. The citizens of in particular'had' & forcibly tippiigjii iipnie to thesi by rioting, mofi vio-: knee, and street disDf-defcs what it would, mean if the excesses of this dange-rotis element were to remain ■μ-n----checked, or, worse -still, ,ii it should" OA?ei- un.h.a*pily happen., tha:'fc those who brought it into existence should . Secure the'' control of the ptlblic af' fairs of the Dominion, i, g.0.0d many people have hm% under tlje. imipje> sion that the firm and rescfefe sta-n-d which the Massey Cfoverp'Jßeiti adopt* eel during the -strike for the sion of lawlessness had : pijoyed- .a, Wholesome lesson for the; ißed Pedcra-. tkm, and that ifc would sec the wisdom in futote of conducting- its campaign, w-oi'k (fa sane and!, reasonable lines. Those who held this vi*w probably will bg enlightened by. .flic--la apjjeningS at -tite public rneetjngol his constituents whieb the Ho/n, F. M. 8., Fisher wp to have .addressed last evqaihg. What was' plainly a Bed .. Federation element, gathered f ram all quarters of the 'city attend* cd the. meeting with the deliberate in.tentio-n.,ef..,ere|it::ing disardei' and giving. t!ie- Jlinistcof 'i "hot time" by *ay oi ret-Eiitation against tho- Goverflmeiifc foi* suppressing rioling ftttd disorcler duHflg: the strike, No one, of course, coftld. objoet'to a rcaspn•dblfl a-ttionni of he.fikljiig at'* political Meeting, a.ird. least of all pcrJiaps *wild Mr, Fishes object to it. Ho thrives ori heeMinjf, his interraptors seMoffi deriVd imich satinfaet},Qß from, their .effofts. . Bat whejl a gang of rowdies deliberately iijTade ■ a rniUk. fflo<sfcln.g and by their disorderly condnel prevfint the person who has, hired thc..hn.ll from bcM: .■hdard; whejij jn additlonj aftfc.r .he : has in a- frae sportiijf spirit ge.Hcr.Q.Us-' Iy offered Hifim,. the opportunity to : put tip a- spokesmaw to their ■ . vietfs a.ni conibat his own; when, after accepting.,that offer and havlnj? Hominaf<;.fl the.ir chaitipitjn., they still. peTsist in their disorderly behavi.oijF, i th» pitblie can readily tec thafr sAiAi men are lost to.all sojise oif.'decency J and fai? play. ■■ The gfeat ftwjority o f those at tfo ■ mcefcing.. as was tc> te especied., w&jw lyeehly resentful erf the dfegfaeeful Conduct of the rowdy etcftient, and s;o far as. Mb, FiSHßii is coneor-ued,, ftere caniiot.' be fchs .slightest doubt that he seo.red ■ very heavily as the result of the m.* conduct of those who had sot out to prevent him .getting a heariftg; Tft© "lea Feds," indeed, wore taught a, fessou. They thought it a ve*y ftp,* idea to howl' ttiem.Eelyc.3 hearse in a • determined endcavQiir ' to prevent 11% fismA from placing his views before his Gonslj&tt&nte f but when tJ.us largo body of reputa|b.fe citizens in the liall, rotisod to an lift-uaurt-I pitch of rosfiHtrm.cnf:. by s ugli conduct, rose solidly and-icfusod to permit the person the rowdy clemeiit had put forward as spokesman to be heard, it was quite nwiher mattor. It is significant of tile rfctcstetian of Red Federation liwthod? which has grown up in tb.s minds of lasv-abidiiij? citizons of all classes, that this Urge body «f men and wohwo. slionkl fonve been stirred into-a tlettio-nstratjon'of the natiu'o Stated.' TFipy -nftaliscd, as all must realise, that if sus'b methods afe ipeniritted to pass uiichaito.ged, iveo spM.eh will becmiKj a tbi.flg of '{he.tja&i Tie led Federation a'nd

its supporters claim the fullest h'eense of and frequently ! grossly aintse the- liberty they cm joy; But apparently some of them at least arc determined that up ono who disagrees with them shall be pei'inittcd to place his views before thft. pvsblie. ■ Staeh a. i'tato of things is intolerable, and it emphasises onee more oui , coiitentioa that moderate scctio.ii,of the people of S«\v ijealandi whatever fcheir political views iji the .past may have been, must be ultimately driven to make coniffiofl cause against the extremists, whose violent methods not only disturb the peaceful aiid orderly conduct pi public affairSj but threaten to develop into oven more revolutionary practices whenever they fcol themselves strong fenough to pvrt them into effect. Mit, Fisher's atiinirable, behaviour in the face of tlic difficult situation with , which ho found himself confronted last■ ■evening placad his opponents at a di.s* advantage throughout, They ftertainJy mftd.e enough sJ-oiso to prevent him making a connected s:pee/eh, bat the .fine- spirit in which iie ftjet tticix , attacks, and the clever and resolute fashion in which' lie countered iheir various moves left them little to congratulate themselves oa. On the ■CBntraryi they probably now wajiiio that instead of doing hi.ta injury, they lwve'stjro.fl.gthened his position'' a ; nd that of hjs colleagues. The. publie as a whole is a great believer in fair play, and a. great .admirer of V ~bpld fighter. Mil, FxsSEJi demonstrafed ■onee ajjaiti tha.t hg is no shirker in a fight, and the conduct 6 : f Iris oppofl<*nfe," alter his ptonws offer, shows how ..little they are <?a.pablfi oi a»p:rcßiatiing fighting of of dealing otifc fair play. " .