The Dominion. SATURDAY NOVEMBER 21, 1914. LETTING IN LIGHT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2313, 21 November 1914, Page 6

The Dominion. SATURDAY NOVEMBER 21, 1914. LETTING IN LIGHT

No one who has been following at all closely the election addresses of prominent W&rdist candidates can fail to realiee that while the Wardist Party is anxious to make every use of the Labour-Socialist vote, it is not a little-alarmed at the view the public may take of the alliance. In fact, it would seem at times,that the Wardists aro ashamed to own their allies. It is now beyond all question that this alliance or understanding actually exists. Wo'. Have had it admitted by Labour-Socialist candidates all over the country, and here aiid there Wardist candidates where it suited their purpose have also done so in a guarde'd way. Now tho point which must strike the average elector," be he in favour of Reform, or a Wardist or a La-bour-Socialist, or a supporter of no party atall, is that if the Wardists, as is, apparent, are ashamed as a party to admit their alliance with tho 'Labour-Socialists there must be some reason for it. _ Why is it, the thinking elector might reasonably , ask, that the Wardiste do not frankly acknowledge that they are working with the Social Democrats in an endeavour to jointly secure control of' tho country's affairs? If the purpose the Wardists have in view is an honourable one and in the interests of the .country, why is it that they are afraid or ashamed to take the public fully into their confidence and admit that they have joined forces with'the oxtremists of the political branch of/the Red Federation?. The on]y .answer "that we can seo to this question thai the Wardists know that -the., public would strongly disapprove of such an alliance. If their is tho reason—and what other reason can there be for seeking to keep the alliance or working agreement secret?— it must bo plain that the Wardists are endeavouring to get back to office by basely deceiving the electors. While professing to be a party of moderate views, _ unfettered by any ties outside their own policy and programme, they are actually entangled with extremists of the La-bour-Socialist party and_ all that they stand for. But, it may be asked, , why should tho Wardists imagine that it will do them injury with the electors to acknowledge their alliance with the Labour extremists? Why should they strive to keep it secret and deceive the electors as to their position? The answer might be made that Wardism is a weak and feeble thing lacking tho Bpirit to grapple boldly with any situation calling for courago and a definite declaration of principles. But that would only half answer the question.

Tho reason the Wardists are ashamed to openly acknowledge tbeir alliance with, tho Labour-Soc-ialists is that they know it would finally spver the few remaining ties which bind to them tho moderate men and women who have clung to Wardisin in the mistaken belief that it still represents tho Liberalism of a bygone day. The Opposition I know that they have no chance of regaining office on their own merits and by their own efforts, and have therefore sacrificed their, independence by bargaining with tho LabourSocialists in tho hope that with tboiv aid they will bo able to aotom* gjtfßese-. SJ^j

price to be paid will como later. But they know that they will lose many o± their old supporters if it should be generally known that.they havo_ allied themselves with, the extremists of the political offshoot of the- Federation of Labour.' That is the position in which tho Wardists have found themselves. They had to get tho help of the extremists ■without sacrificing tho votes of such of their old moderate supporters as still believed in them, and in order to do this the bargain with tho extremists had to be kept as secret as possible. It was of course hopeless from the outset to expect to keep such bargaining secret, and it is a further evidence of the lack of judgment and qf foresight amongst the leaders of Wardism that they should have believed that the matter could be hushed up and the electors kept in ignorance of the position. There are many Liberals of tho old school who have loyally supported the_ party, in tho past who will find it utterly impossible to continue to give it their support in face of the alliance now entered into; and there are many electors of 'no strong party leanings who knowing the Bed Federation for what it is will have no hesitation now in casting their votes against Wardiet as well as against Labour-Socialist candidates. In taking the step it has done the Wardist Party has not only thrown in its lot with the Social Democratic party, but has worked to bring, about a situation in which, in the event of the defeat of the Reform Government, the extremists of the political branch of the Red Federation would hold the balance of power, and dominate the country's affairs. The electors who had so striking a demonstration last year of -what the Red Federation stands for are hardly likely to cast their votes in such a manner ae to place in office a weak and unprincipled party under the thumbi of these wild_ extremists. That is why the Wardists havo endeavoured to keep the alliance secret, and by so doing they hoped to trick the electors into voting as they would not do if they .knew the full facts. Fortunately for the public , the secret alliance or understanding is a secret no longer, and the electors will have* only themselves to blame if the Social Democrats are permitted to dominate the administration of the country's affairs through the medium of a Wardist Government.