PUT YOUR COUNTRY FIRST!

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3064, 27 April 1917, Page 6

PUT YOUR COUNTRY FIRST!

STRAIGHT TALK TO .TRADE UNIONISTS MR. HUGHES AND THE WORKERS [Very little reaches this country just now of the progress of the Federal election campaign, but the . Australian dailies are full of it. From the "Argus" files of the last mail we reprint a speech by the Peder.il Prime Minister (Mr. W. M. Hughes)—"a Labour man," as he describes himself, "first, last, and all the time"—which lie addressed to a meeting of foundry workers during their lunch-hour.^

"Everyono who has given two minutes' thought to it," said Mr. Hushes, knows that the only reason why 6,000,000 people havo been able toliold Australia is that tho power of the British Navy is behind us. But for that we. would have suffered tho fate of Belgium, or would, long before thnt, have fallen under the heel of a great Eastern Power. My party is not in favour of a premature peace now, becauso that would leavo us with the swoTd of Damocles suspended over our heads in the menace of'another war. There is only one way to deal with a tiger that springs at your throat. It is of no use to offer him tracts. You want to Tip his bowels out. So with Germany. The only argument slip ■understands—and the only one that many people in this country understand—is force. Do not talk to them; hit them on the point of the jaw, and they will erumplo up. (Cheers.) Before ith'e. war I was a Labour man first and last and all the time. Thore is no reform or improvement in the conditions of labour during the last 20 years in which I have not had a hand. I challenge you to show one. But when the war broke out, and toy country was in peril, I set the country first. (Cheers.) You aro all members of a union, and by the way, I congratulate you on the fact thnt the dispute threatened in your industry has been settled. (Cheers.) Why am.l, a Lnhour man and a unionist, now associated with Liberals? Tho other day M. Vardervolde, the leader of the Belgian Socialists, issued an appqal to workmen 'throughout'the world to support the Allies. Why? Because 500,000 Belgians had been enslaved by the Germans, forced to dig trenches, and to covcr'the advance of the German legions. They had been enslaved.by. the Socialists who aro fighting in the German army. "Wo might hare been as the Belgians, arc—our women violated, our old men slain, and our workers enslaved. ■ That is why tho King of the Belgians and tho Belgian Socialists are fighting side by side; why French and Russians and British are fighting side by Bide without distinction of rich or poor. ' (Cheers.). I ask no man his class or creed or political opinions. If he is for the Empire I give him my hand; if not, he :® anathema to mo. Let him get behind me. (Cheers.) It is said that wo will abolish the advantages gained for labour. These reports are lies, and those who spread them them to bo ,lies. While I live and have power in this country, no stone in the tomplo of Labour shall be touched. Thus Government is not come to - dostroy Labour legislation under cover of tho war. Wo will not take a mean advantage of tho war for party purposes. (Cheers.) We shall not touch the maternity allowance, or old age pensions, or preference to unionists. I havo organised 'nearly 25,000 waterside workers; I have organised the carters' and other unions, and I ani not 'going to undo what I have done for the workers. But I believe that unless we win in this : straggle all ia lost.

No Time for .Party. I stand for those, brave sons and brothers of .ours who are fighting our battles. They are giving their "blood and their lives for us, and it is little enough to ask their fqllow-citizens to forget party ties and join forces. When the whistle blows for a night attack at the front they do not ask whether a soldier ia a, Liboral or a Labour man, but only whether ho is a man and has the guts of a man in him. Will you support candidates • who have no moro power over their actions when elected than marionettes on a string or phonographs? Mr. Poynton read in the Caucus two letters from the South Australian. Labour Executive. The first' told him to support nw, and the second, dated a fortnight later to denounce mo. As ho asked, What ■was Mto do? Mr. Yates, I believe, told the political conference that ho was instructed to turn a somersault and did it; that then they told him to turn a second, and he did so<- and that finally he obeyed orders to turn & third. (Laughter.) That may be all right as the feat of an acrobat, but by.Uod it is not the act of a free man. I have never broken a contract with my electors. Not in my twenty yea,re of politioal life have I taken directions from a union or league, and 1 never will. In the conferences I fought for my opinion, and if I lost I put up with it. But when I asked the people to elect me I never broke the conditions on winch I asked them to elect me, whatever the pressure. There were- men in. the Caucus' who wanted to follow me, and they asked me in God's namo to go round to the Labour Executives and get them to agree with mo. I asked the juntas to leave these men free to follow their consciences. But tho juntas do not want free men. but bits of putty that they may mould at theis will. If you want putty you know where to look for it, but if you want men you must find men who will stand by what they beliove. (Cheers.) Mr. Fisher and the Conference. I ask to be judged by my record. 1 stand by the platlorm on which I was elected in 1914, and by the manifest signed by Mr. Andrew Fisher. A Voice: Why don't you let Mr I'isher represent Australia at the Imperial Conference? Isn't he a capable man?

Mr. Hughes: What has that to do with it.' . Every Dominion has been asked- to send its Prime Minister, and not its High Commissioner. There is only one way to govern a country, and only those who have the governmont in their hands can represent the country at the Imperial Conference. What is done there may decide the terms of peace, the conduct of the war, tlio future of the Pacific, and our 'traiio relations and development after the war. Australia was asked to send her Prime' Minister and other delegates. As to Mr. Fisher, I should have been very glad if Mr. Fisher had been here to go to represent Australia. But as the High Commissioner bo has not authority to epeak except through us. He is merely a servant of the Commonwealth, not a representative of the people. "Wβ hope thia war will be over in a few months. God knows whether it will be; who can say? The German power is tremendous, and let no man despise it. We liopo and pray that the end will'come soon ; but that is not enough. We must work. As Australia decided against compulsion, we must appeal to the patriotism of her young men. preference to Australian Goods, "Our policy includes the development of Australian resources and the enoouragement of her industries. We.propose to placo.with the manufacturers,

of Australia our orders for all the things we require that they can produco. The iron'industry in which jou are engaged is tho basic industry of civilisation. Civilisation rests on a metallic basis, firet iron, and then leadj zinc, copper, and other metals. No country can be groat unless it lias a great iron industry. In this country we have abundant supplies of iron ore, and also of coal, and of everything necessary to make Australia a great country. Tho policy of tho Government is to encourage this industry, and we shall do it. (Cheom.)" Since I came into offico in 1914 I have been ongagod in almost incessant warfare of one kind or -another. 1 have done some things that will last. I have rooted out' German influence. (Cheers.) I have organised the great base metals industry so that every ounce of copper, zinc, anfl lead produced in Australia goos throuph British hands to a sure market. (Cheers.) 1 have organised tho zinc industry 60 that we will soon bo prodiiciug ten times more zinc than over before. "We are smelting and refining all our copper in Australia, and are to put up works to make all the copper articles required in tho Commonwealth. Every telegraph and ' telephone ■ wire, every tube or sheet of copper used in Australia will b« made in Australia from copper mined and smelted in Australia. (Cheors.) The Broken Hill steel works are turning out steel for Great Britain. The company has asked tho Government to encourage them to lay down additional plant, so that they can produce the steel necessary for such undertakings as shipbuilding and the like. The Government will do this when the war is over. They will make Australia' a great manufacturing nation, as well as encourage the development of her natural resources, and lead men to settle on the land." At another meeting tho same day, Mr. Hughes scathingly, denounced the Labour manifesto: "There are some men," he said, "whose ideals find expression in tbo Caucus Party's manifesto. That spineless, emasculated thing, without one spark or trace of virility, is repugnant to every man who is a man, and to every woman who glories in the fact that she is of British race and,has tho blood of conquerors running in her veins. It breathes such a spirit as I hope will be quenched on May 5. (Cheers.) It dares not openly declare its disloyalty, but it is lukewarm on this war. It treats the war as if it were a mere side issue. It talks about its narrow sectional interests. It appeals to everything mean, narrow, and selfish in the community. It does not give the tocsin note that will fan to fiery flame tho spirit of Australian nationalism and patriotism. There is' nothing fine or noble in one line of it. Contrast that manifesto, which shows tho best side of the Caucus Party, for that party dare not say through its mouthpieces what it ie in its heart, and declare its ) real purpose, with the manifesto on which the Labour Party wae elected in 1914. They differ as much as light and darkness, as courage and cowardice. 'Unless tho present manifesto is re-' creant to that spirit of Australia which found expression turougii the deeds of its sons on the blood-stained fields of Gallipoli and of France 1 know not whnt words mean. (Cheers.) We are against living in the paradise of fools, Waiting for, Germany to sharpen her sword again, then plunge it straight into onr hearts. Now that the tiger has como out of tho jungle and declared itself the enemy of mankind, wo are in favour of slaughtering-it and of riddiug oivilisatiou for ever of such a deadly menace.