THE UNMAKING OF MINISTERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2966, 2 January 1917, Page 7

THE UNMAKING OF MINISTERS

, P.L.C. METHODS SENATOR RUSSELL NARRATES HIS EXPERIENCES A further indignant explanation was made in the Commonwealth Senate last week by Senator Russell, Assistant Minister, as to his treatment by the Victorian Political Labour Conference executive.. Senator Russell spoke ili declamatory fashion, aud at times with great force. He referred to tho publication of certain correspondence by Mr. Archibald Stewart, secretary of that body, and prefaced anything he had to say about that by declaring that in the. former, statement on the subject that he made in the House the only way that Mr. Tudor's name was mentioned was in some correspondence. He lv.:! fi by a re : port in the newspapers that -Ur. Tudor ""had since said he had nevor received a letter from the P.L.C. central executive demanding his . resignation as a Minister of the former Labour Government. Whether Mr. Tudor did actually say that he did not know, but, if 'it were said- by Mr. Tudor, it was incorrect, for Mr. Tudor did receive a letter of the sort when ho (Senator Russell) received a similar one, and they discussed together what they would do. Hβ was asked n. dozen times by members of the Political Labour Conference executive what ho intended to do. Ho told them that he denied the right of anyone outside Parliament to determino whether or not he should bo a member of the Labour Ministry. (Hear, hear.) His quarrel was not with tho members of the Labour Party outside of Parliament, but with the system of control that they had sought to impose, which he hold to he impossible of acceptance consistent with tho free and democratic government of the country. (Hear, hear.) Ho had refused to write letters on such a mattor to this outside body, or to discuss bis secret sworn position as a Minister with it. Having said that, ho quoted from a published lotter by tho Political Labour Conference oxecutive purporting to be to him. as follows:—"Your letter of 28t.h instant to hand, and contents noted. May I point out that your answer seems to evado the direct question asked of you in my letter of 28th. ■ I now desire a definite answer, 'Yes' or 'No,' before 4 o'clock this afternoon, as to whether you intend to place- yourself in the hands of the executive for tho purpose of addressing meetings of the people before the roforendiun on October 28," etc. Tho document continued: "To this letter no answer was received." Tho final letter sent to him concluded with the following:—"lf you fail to comply with the request contained therein, I am instructed to inform you that you will ho excluded from membership of tho Political Labour Council of Victoria." A Senator: Tammany! _ , Senator Russell, proceeding, said that whon-the'executive had first written asking him for a definite reply he had sat down and written about two pages of foolscap explaining his attitude but, in the meantime, he found the executive had scattered around Australia, and limb Mr. Archibald Stoivart was at the Eight Hours Anniversary in Sydney. Thus there was no executive available to consider this reply. An assistant seorotary to thn organisation had been loft in Melbourne, however, with definite instructions that if tlio question asked him (Senator ltiissoll) wern not replied to "Yes" or "No" he was to bo expelled. People had asked him why he did not reply to that question. When he heard that he had to deal with a clerk in the offico, and was liable to bo dismissed by the olork in the office, why should ho reply Good God! Think of it 1 A Minister of the Crown to bo dismissed from the Labour organisation hy a clerk in an office. The Political Labour Conference executive had sought to tear ■him from his career as a Minister without any explanation. A Senator: Thn'rotten villains! Senator Russell: For Ministers and members of Parliament to ho controlled hy the chance majority of an outside body such as the executivo of tho Victorian Political Labour Conferenco was too serious a proposition for Parliament, or Ministers, or the democracy lo stand by. (Hear, hear.) He had never .failed to hold to the platform principles of. tho Labour I'arly. He had joined Mr. Huglies's Government because both had been willing to forgive and forget any difference thai they had bad. and because, although ]u bolioved Mr. Hughes had made the mistake of his life in taking on the advocacy of conscription, ho still boliovcc that Mr. Huehos would do more foi tho workers of the Commonwealth thai: nnyojio olsi\ (Hoar, hear.)