WINNING THE WAR AT THE POLLS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 124, 12 February 1918, Page 8

WINNING THE WAR AT THE POLLS

THE REAL POINT ABOUT THE VOTE IN WELLINGTON NORTH [By "Wi."] Let the British demolish at one fell, swoop a considerable portion of the German line in Flanders, killing thousands, wounding thousands, taking prisoner thousands, with commensurate booty—the Quay, Lambton Quay, the reflex of the civic life of Wellington, remains calm. Some people say it is our wonted phlegm, our pose of stoic aloofness, our disinclination to exhibit our emotions to the vulgar gaze. Others blame the censor for wiping the colour off the battle pictures. So be it—either way.. It is not matter for argument. But let a by-election happen along, and {Tie town wakes up. Citizens or sporting proclivities want to make bets on the result, the street corners become forums of disputation and enlightenment. Blood may even be spilt in the fourpenny bars.

There are four candidates for Wellington North. Many are called but few are chosen. There might con-" ceivably have been twenty, 1 i,t some* one must have laid a restraining hand on Mr. Sievwright, and stopped him in time. There is Mr. Luke, whom everybody knows and respects. There is Mr. Brandon, whom some people know and respect, and others dimly remember and . respect. There- is Mr. Poison, who_ has emerged from respectable obscurity to face the prospect of introducing himself to everybody, and explaining this sudden desire of his to bask in the fierce glare of public life. And there is Mr. Holland, whose namo is familiar by reason of unpleasant j\3» sociations.

Who shall serve? That will be for the electors to decide. This is. not an ordinary occasion. There is a war on, let us try to remember, and when we go to the poll we should think of the war—and of nothing else. We should think of our contribution in flesh and blood and money, and keep before us the fact that these were given, for fredom, the right w> live for ever after in peace and prosperity, and individual personal liberties. To secure the furtherance of these ideals ■ the two chief political elements in Parliament have sunk their differences, got into the same boat, and are pulling together.

If they didn't, they would be helping tho Germans to win the war.

These two political parties, amongst other tilings, struck a bargain in the national interest about by-elections. If a vacancy occurred in a Liberal constituency, the lteform Party undertook to offer no opposition. Per contra, the Liberal Party agreed to reciprocate in the case of a constituency vacated by a. member of the Reform Party. Every possible cause of friction or dissension in politics was as far as possible eliminated in order, that the National Government should be given every assistance and encouragement to go ahead with its war work. As electors, we liave to do our bit, ( tpo. Sir. Luke has been accepted by the Reform League. He has been accepted by the Prime Minister. It is up to us, then, to support him. lhis point, this article of agreement in our win-the-war oolitics, Mr. Brandon seems to have missed. I am sorry, for if there's 'one thing about Mr. Brandon that people who know nim admire him for it ie his thorough British recard for matters of high principle, and I still think that when he has deeply considered his candidature m the light of the point I have stated, he will abandon his opposition to Mr. Luke and work for him. Let me say again: When .we-vote at this by-election we must not think or Luke or Brandon or Poison or Holland. We must vote for the National Govcrn-ment-for victory. If we don t the votes will be split, and-well, you have Mr. Holland. , s career m your mind. Would you like him to slip in on a split-up election? Would ypu? It is clearly up to the electors, and it is also up to Mr. Brandon.