The Dominion MONDAY, APBIL 6, 1914. ' LIBERTY-TRUE AND FALSE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2116, 6 April 1914, Page 4

The Dominion MONDAY, APBIL 6, 1914. ' LIBERTY-TRUE AND FALSE.

"It's a frc-e country!" said st man in the gallery at Mit.' Fisttfin's meeting iu the Town Hall on Friday flight. It is hard to tell exactly what was passing through the mind of the interjector at the moment, and the contest does not provide the key. One cannot tell' whether the words were uttered as a sarcastic protest against the organised attempt of a disorderly scct4-on of the community to prevent a public man fron.j freely expressing his views on public affaire, or whether they were intended to imply that the action of the Government at the time of the recent strike was a. blow to legitimate freedom.. Whichever interpretation ■of the remark may be correct,, it is quite certain that very strange ideas as to the meaning of freedom are held , a disorderly and aggressive type i of citizen which has gained a foothold in this country daring recent . ye&rs. In Ucw Zealand, as in other British communities, there has arisen a class of people who regard law as the enemy of liberty, and who • are making the utmost possible use of the freedom which they enjoy under the_ British flag for the purpose of reviling that flag, and assailing the liberty of the rest of the people. They are endeavouring to use the law as a shelter for lawlessness, and to replace true democratic government \v the g&Hing tyranny of mob **!«•, They are bitterly intolerant of the public expression of anv opinions on social .and political: questions which are not in accordance with their own perverted ideas, This rcpnlsi ve policy stood revealed Hi all its ugliness in ' the organised rowdyism which tried to prevent Mb. Fisher from being heard, and it provides a most timely and impressive object-lesson to every man and woman who has any respect for public order and decency. Jt throws /i lurid light on what wnuid happen if men of this type should ever got' possession of the reins of government, or if, by any political bargaining or uncmrstanding, they should secure a position which would enable them ■ tn dircct or control the legislation of : this Dominion through anotherparty. / Thsj-e can be ftoMonbt ai all that the violeiifc and vicious opposition which th# arc snowing_fco the Govcriiffieitt is The resuit of the firm and vigorous man* ner in which the outbursts of lawlessness which occurred during the Waihi strike, and in connection with the receiit labour upheaval at the principal uorts of the Dominion, were handled by the authorities,' This fierce _ hostility is not directed to any serious extent against the political programme of the Reform

party, but almost .tiiitirely against the Government for its resolute cicterminaticJTi_ to maintain law and order at a. time when iawJegsncss.Waas ilfo in the land; and this phase of j the situation should be borne ijj 'mind by all riirht-tlunkiag citizens when the genera! election takes place at the eftd of the vcar. The m»n .wjio endeavoured to paralyse the trade irKltssfcry of the country, and to bring the community to its knees are embittered against Me. JUsssv and his eoikagues bceauso they .feel that if a weaker and more Govcrnmsnfc bad beefl ir. power hi th&E.-v troublous days they would have been able to dictate their own terms to the community. It'is this feeling that is at file bneiof the hostile demonstrations -vs-ljjch have been directed against Mr. Fisher; and the pafcronisjjig forbearance filiown by P.c.d .pederationists to Ms, Atibore and other Opposition speakers may be likened to the movement sir a straw—it indicates the direction m wwen the wind is Mowing. $j>c

extremist section of ths electors is doing its utmost to discredit Mr Massey antl his colleagues, but their efforts- sc> far have been exceedingly pjfcc.tive-nofc in injuring the lioforra carae, but in discrediting thn Ited Federation movement and all those who, oponly oy secretly, sympathise with it, The approving disapproval with which recent attempts to_ prevent free spccch have been roc'. ivcft in certain ,anti-Reform quaris not {ifccly to be overlooked by thoughtful men and women, who have any stake in the country or interest in its welfare. The targe crowd which remained in the 5 own Hail after the formai conclusion of .Mii, Fisher,'s meeting and enccrod him again and again, no doubt recognised that one or the foun.'latioji principles of British liberty is being challenged. This hearty demonstration-of support tvas something more than a' personal tribute_co the speaker; it was also a mark 01 appreciation of the resolute and successful fight he had put up for freedom of speech and respect for i-aw; The two tilings are very closely connected Tlw rowdy section of the audience whfcb hooter} the police for doing their obvious duty in dealing with those who were persistently disturbing the meeting no doubt regarded such measures as an infringement upon the liberty of the subject. Such people seem to regard liberty as the right to do as ° t i, Py like, without any regard for the' rights and liberties of other people. This, of course, wpuicl b-c &u.archy~-— not It is an extraordinary fact that tne very people who claim ior themselves the most extreme latij 8S t regards the freest expression

of opinion arc often the first to cndeavwr to put a muzzle <m everyone else, and when the law prevents theqi from crushing the legitimate ■ iW ,°f «$««, they want to know rr this is a free country. To peopb of this _ typo, Jaw ig the enemy. It wfts 'n&de clear beyond pos* sibihty of doubt that justice is, and ought to be, a terror to evil-doors. ■ and at_ the same time a protection to tha ireo actio'} of all law-respect-ing people. When the progress of civilisation put an. end to privato jiai's and prevented robber gangs from preying jiposj peaceful citizens there was undoubtedly a curtailment of certain forms"qf liberty,'but the ultimate result was the proniotiou of true freedom: and if lawless gangs strn t» be permitted in a country hk« tins to mnke.it impossible for public men to discuss public ciuestionK on the nubile platform there must;.come a drift back upon the methods of barbarism so that every man will become :t law unto himself. The serious growth of antisocial and anti-national ideas and practices in Franco under the Radi-cal-Socialist regime has of late been causing a good deal of uneasiness, .and the best elements of the population appear to be combining to put a.n effective; check on this trend towards anarchy, A similar trend, fostered by a • foreign element in cs-nperafira with a mimbM of un* British 3ritu'acrs, lias made itself

felt in New Zealand. Fortunately, it is at present confined to. a com..parntivoly small and more or less 'isolated class: but now is the time to grapple with it effectively, and nip its lawless activities i).i the bud. Never was the country more in need of a vigorous Government, such as that at prosant in powcv, strong enough to guarantee the unchallengeable supremacy of the law of the land and tho impartial administration of justice.