SELF-CONVICTED P.L.L.'S

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3080, 10 May 1917, Page 5

SELF-CONVICTED P.L.L.'S

SOME AUSTRALIAN ELECTION SIDELIGHTS' UNPATRIOTIC VAPOURINGS The National Party has unearthed a number of statements' by prominent members of the P.L.L. which make interesting reading in view of recent protestations of their loyalty by. Labourcandidates. Tlipir views of the mean-

ing of the word loyalty (says the "Sunday Times") may be'sained by a perusal of the following examples:— "I have no time for this 'Empire-all-the-timo' business. It is to me the rankest, the most repugnant bunkum. I once refused to allow my children to take part in some Empire Day celebrations. My reason was that every Empire has bean founded on force and fraud, and maintained by the same methods, and that the British. Empire is no exception to that rule. I have no time for the 'boswash , that does duty for patriotic sentiment." —Mr. Arthur Rae, now a P.L.L. candidate for the Senate, in a speech in Parliament. . ■ ,

■ "The Empire is crumbling to piecps! I hope Australia may be a republic! The Empire is becoming rotten!"— P.L.L. Senator Stewart, in a speech in Parliament.

"England is the home of cant,) huml>o.s, and hypocrisy.' It is more urgent to give to the Dublin Relief Fund than to patriotic funds here, however wortbv, such as the Returned Soldiers', Rod Cross, or other funds."—Mr. Fihelly, a member of the Queensland P.L.L. Government. "The red flag is the onlv flak. T'H spill my blood for. As for this British flat: they talk about—the Union Jack— I'll never spill a drop of my blood for it."—Mr. Brookfiflld. a P.L.L. member of the N.S.W. Parliament, who went in with the P.L.L. endorsement.

"The Government which talks of raisins: an army for service against a foe, ten thousand'"miles away., which proposes to send our fleet to fight in alien waters."—A reference by the Sydney "Worker" to the offer of the Government at the commencement of the war to raise an Australian force—the Anzaes.

! "That tho guns should lie pulled out. of H.A.Sf.S. Australia, her armoured holds filled with farm products, and the vessel (the most oowcrfiil in our fleet) sent round the. world as a travelling menagerie on a vovajie of discovpry." —The fatuous declaration of P.L.1.. member O'Mallev on the snhiect of I naval defence (shortly before the war I commenced!). ! "For half the people' oT Great IBrit- ! ain it really wouldn't matter if Ml 9 country fell into the hands of tho Germans to-morrow. A successful German invasion would mean nothing deplorable. It might even mean, an imnroveI inent in their lot. There would bo nothing to lose —there might be something to pain by tlie setting up of a German Government to match tho German dynasty on the BrHish throne." —Tho sentiments of tho Bris- j han«. "Worker." "I would nf soon he under fienno'i rule as nndi" , Brtish. If Australia were in trouble. Britain wouW not fire n shot to help linr."—Mr. W. E. _ DieVor, P.L.L. member of the Tasmanian Parliament. "That n/u member of the P.T/.T/.. or nf the >T.S.V. TVitimentary Labour I'iirtv. tnl-» vn- i>ni+ in the rpcriiiti"'/ nwiiw'm." — pnssed I)>' fbo P.L.L.' F,yncnH<-.0. December 1.5. 1010: Senators TVrr'clcs (0.) "nd Bnrnes (Vic.) (Volared'Hieyji-nuld not 20 on a recruithig platform.