The Dominion. TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 1917. AUSTRALIA AND THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3056, 17 April 1917, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 1917. AUSTRALIA AND THE WAR

. The significance of the complete returns lor the New South \Vales. .'elections, now to hand, is to be found in events preceding the contest. The overwhelming .victory of the National; Party, which can now command at least 56 votes iu a House of 90 members, leaves no room for doubt as to the sentiments "of the great majority, of the people of New South Wales regarding the leaders and the parties they were' asked, to choose between. It is equally clear from the speeches and manifestos reported, and published during'the election' campaign where' the-policy and programme of the rival parties differed. The most striking difference is to be found in tho respective attitudes of the two parties towards the war. On the day of the. First Ballots the party leaders were invited by the newspapers, to furnish an outline of their claims to the support of; the electors, and theseappeals or manifestos were published in the Press. The Pkemibr and head of the National Party, Mr. Holman, after emphasising the democratic nature of the platform,, specially stressed the attitude of his party towards the war:

We stand pledged (he stated) to do everything possible to win the war, without conscription, which has been definitely turned down by a majority of the Australian people. . We shall provide direct financial assistance aud homes to returned sick and wounded soldiers. :

Wβ shall support the Federal Government in its repatriation scheme by making the best of our unoccupied lands available, and by the resumption of suitable estates.

On the platform and throughout the country generally the National Party pledged itself clearly and emphatically on every possible occasion to the prosecution of the war to the bitter aad. Me. Joseph Cook, the- Liberal leader in the Federal Parliament, ; and a member of the Federal National Ministry, in a message to the people of New South Wales urging them to support the State National Government, said:

' . In voting for this party you vote for a free. Govenimenl: at tho head of free representatives in a free Parliament.

You vote for continuity, perseverance, nnd efficiency in prosecuting the war to the end.

You vote for wisdom and experience in solving the problems which the cud of the war will bring us.

Here again the conduct of the war was made- an important plank in the platform placed before the electors. On • the other hand, in the final appeal on behalf of the Political Labour party, signed by the leader of the party, Mb. John Storey, there is not one solitary reference, to tho war. So far as the Political Labour Party's "last words" to the electors on the morning of the poll might indicate, the war and the intentions of the party concerning it were regarded *s of no interest , at all to the people of New South Wales. Me. Storey's appeal occupiod , about the same space as tho appeals of Mn, Holman and -Mil. Cook, but not one lino of space, not one word could be given up t(j ludicatc the Political Laboui Party's vie'ws on or interest hi the war.

This attitude of the Official Labour Party, in New South Wales is of

particular interest and signifo-Sinco in the light of the result oj tho elections now, disclosed, ant) also because of the FederaJ elections shortly to be held throughout the- Commonwealth. The Now South Wales Political Labour Party, which when, ever possible avoided committing itself on war questions except £j use tho conscription issue Gainst ite opponents, could only. Secure 30 straight-out >h a Parlia mont of 90 members. The National Party, which itself to the efficient ■energetic prosecution of the war as an essential pkak in its plattQr m) gained, y w straight-out support of 53 constituencies. The txjd/Wau Morning Herald, summing up tho position on the ove of the elea'rion, remarked: "Tho party led r# Mr. Holman looks upon the , Empire at war and resolves to act as beseems a free State in the great struggle of liberty. The party led by Mk. Storey, composed of we know ; not how many warring factieas and impossible extremists, closes'its eyes to war and the E-mpiro, and talks and thinks and resolves to act around the politics •&£ the parish pump." Tho strength of the vote in supportof. Me. Holman and tho National probably was-not entirety thio to tho party's attitude , regal-ding the War, but undoubtedly it was largely influenced by tho half-heartedness and indifference of tho .Political liabour Party to this supremely important issue. ; To those who bolievq that the success of the National, Party in tho Federal elections will prove a vital factor in. deciding tho future part Australia is to play in the war, the similarity between tho conditions surrounding tho Now South Wales' and tho Federal contests should prove encouraging and afford grounds for strong hopes as to the final outcome. Me. Hughes, the leader of the Federal National Party, is fighting a very similar battle to that fought by Me. Holman. While tho Federal official Labour Party is seeking to put the war into'the background 'and-make tho struggle a party and personal ones the Federal National Party makes the war the paramount issuo, and is striving to arouse the whole continent to a. sense .of .the danger which confroiits Australia as well as tho Empire as a whole, should there be any general slackening of effort on,the part of Britain and her Allies; in the prosecution of the struggle "I am tor tho Einpiro," said Me.' Hughes in ono of his recent speeches,, "beoause the Emnire ie for us. /(Oheors.) On the impire's;. fate tho fate of Australia turns. There is no way in which Australia can be' saved except through Britain. (Cheers.) I am for the Empire because I am a lover of liberty; I have been all my life a fighter in the cause,of the people, and we are tho freest people on earth. That is my creed." Me. Hughes then made his declaration of policy,:

I am for prosecuting the war to the end. (Cheers.) lam against a premature peace. ■ I am for crushing military despotism so that like ancient Jerusalem not one stone is .left upon another. I am. for destroying it so utterly that its foul brood shall never again breed on earth. .(Cheers.)

As an example of the spirit and policy of thV Federal National Party towards war issues, the extracts quoted from Mr. Hughes's utterances leave no room for uncertainty or, doubt. It is confidently oxpected that oft May 5, when the elections' take place,' they will be warmly endorsed by a substantial majority of the peoplo of Australia-.