MR. BRANDON'S DEMOCRACY.

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 127, 15 February 1918, Page 6

MR. BRANDON'S DEMOCRACY.

Sir, —Though Mr. A. de Bathe Brandon has not ventured to tread the delicate ground of bis actions, as compared with his platitudes cu the subject of democracy, I find that his friends arc helping him out of the dangerous situation by privately assuring the electors of Wellington North that lie has made a cftmplute answer to the charge laid aganist him that he opposed, as a matter of principle, the introduction of free place pupils into the Wellington Girls' College. Where has this answer been made? We expect him to faoo the matter personally 011 the platform, and not retain King's Counsel to make half-hour speeches at his meetings. Mr. .Brandon's references to real democracy constitute the dust he is prepared to throw in our eyes until the polling booths are closed. Then he will hare leisure to again study Lecky, who is 110 doubt his favourite mentor til this great question. Now Lecky, though a strong and capable opponent of democracy, has to admit that opposition to much education for the toiling masses was a Tory doctrine (I am using the word in the sense wo' used it in England), and he also concedes that under democracy "hardly any change in our generation has been more marked than that which has made the education of the poor one or the main functions of government. At the samo time," he says, "the standard of popular and free, or in other words. State-paid education, s?ems steadilv rising,"

Thus we see, from the writings of an opponent of the popular movement, how important has been tho progress of popular education under democratic impulses. If anyone is ever, disposed to despair ofr democracy, lot him drop pessimism for fiction—let him help to educate the democracy, and he need have 110 fear. As I relied upon my memory for the brief reference to Mr. Brandon's actions in my first letter, may I ask your indulgence for spaee to quote the' following paragraph from the "New Zealand Times" of August 28, 1009, which summarises what happened at a meeting of tho Board of Governors of Wellington College on the previous afternoon p

After a long public agitation and after very many discussions between the educational authorities, the doors of the Girls' High School aro to be opened to the holders of proficiency certificates. This move is to he taken as the result of 3 . decision arrived at by the Board of Governors yesterday, after an interesting discussion, in which the Hon. Dr. Findlay, AttorneyGeneral, took a prominent part-. The decision of the board lias caused the resignation of the chairman (Mr. A. de B. Bathe Brandon). At that meeting a motion was adopted throwing open the Girls' College to free-place pupils. It was moved by Mr. Brandon as chairman, with the Attorney-General at the meeting obviously to make sure that it would be done, and that, it would bo carried. And this is how our democratic candidate for Wellington North commenced liis unwilling task (I am quoting aga : n from the newspaper):

I would just like to say that I am violating my own personal opinion in this matter. There is not much more to quote, for Mr. Brandon came straight to the point over Dr. Findlay's plea for democratic equality of opportunity in education. This is what Mr. Brandon said in 1909:

He was sorry that Dr. Findlay had referred to a point which, after all, was a mere matter of prejudice, in saying what he had in regard to class distinction. There were classes and classes. There were certain members of the community who had their own traditions, and no amount of democracy could wipe those traditions out. In his opinion the stability of any nation depended not upon tho mere extent of its education,

but absolutely upon the traditions of tlic country and its families.. Do away with these traditions, and they had a mere struggle for existence. Of course, Mr. Brandon was not to know t.bat there would in his lifetime como a fateful period when the stability of thfe nation would be threatened to its foundations. Then what happened to tradition? I frankly and thankfully admit that the families of England having "tradition" rose to the great occasion. Rut greater still was the revelation of public spirit in tlio great toiling masses, who had 110 such stimulus as family tradition and estates to protect. They showed themselves capable of realising a loftv ideal, dying for it gladly, just as did the brave men with a lineage. The Kitchener Army is an answer to those who say our democracy is spurious. The very life-blood of (round democracy is education, and, realising this, I cannot sit back quietly when a gentleman with Mr. Brandon's opinions condescends to ask tbe democracy for its vote.—l am, etc., CITAS. E. WHEELER. Grant Road, February 14.

MR. MASSEY'S CORRECTIONS. (To the Editor.) Sir, —Mr. Massey is a politician, and in this Wellington North election ho flounders and blunders with success. What are tbe facts? 1. Mr. Luko was announced as the Government candidate for Wellington North in November of last year. As Mr. Hadfield says, no public disclaimer by Mr.. Massey was made. Now Mr. Massey says that until a later date than January 16 this year the Reform electors had not been consulted 2. On December 4, a public meeting of eighty electors in Wellington North protested, with only 011 c dissentient, against the Government's nomination of Mr. Luke. This meeting chose a committeo to represent its protest to Mr. Massey, which it did, and Captain Barclay joined in, and spoke against Mr. Luke's being nominated. Yet -Mr. Massey says Captain Barclay did not protest against Mr. Luke's nomination! - 3. At that deputation (December ") Mr. Massey said He had given Mr. Luko a promise after Mr. Luke's defeat in Wellington South, and that 110 would not withdraw his nomination of Mr. Luke. But Mr. Massey wants you -and your readers to believe that he did not give liis decision until February 0! 4. Mr. Massey says th'at meeting (on January 16) was held during the holiday period (the holidays were over a fortnight before), and the attendance was small. The adjourned meeting was held on January 23—a week later— and some, so disgusted with the hole-and-corner nature of the proceedings, did not attend this adjourned meeting, although present at the first.

5. Mr. Massey says: "The adjourneft meeting was well attended." He also says .that- he asked this well-attended meeting of Wellington North Reformers to write on slips of paper tlie candidate they wanted. How many voted? Mr. Massey says twenty-three, and your reporter verified Mr. Mansev's. statement that at a well-attendee" meeting of Reformers twenty-two out of twenty-three voted for Mr. Luke. And this is taken by Mv. Massey as indicative of the feeling of Wellington North, after he had received the indignant protests of leading Reformers aud others at several deputations of Wellington North electors. 6. Mr. Massey says he did not announce Mr. Luke for a fortnight after this meeting on January '2.3. How came it that Mr. Luke was announced in Tub Dominion as the Government and Reform candidate in November last? Mr. Luke had Mr. Massey's three-year-old promise up his sleeve all the time, and announced himself as soon as tlie vacancy was liintdd at. Such conduct is riot decent. It is not the conduct of a sportsn;an. Mr. Massey is also to blame. It is. right that Reform should secure this seat; but it is the inalienable riclit of the electors to choose their own Reform candidate. In electing Mr. Braildon they will show Mr. Massey that they arc sounder on Reform and democratic principles than Mr. Massey, who takes twenty-two votes for Mr. Luko as the voice of Reform in Wellington North. The question in this election is the right of the electors to choose '.hew own candidate; or is it the right of a political party leader to say: "This is the man 1 have promised the seat to, and you must accept him whether you like !>.im or not"? l?or myself 1 cannot vote for Mr. Massey's nominee when I -lan find a Reformer with a more honourable and consistent record as a Reformer.—l am., etc.,

NORTHLAND. P.S.—ln a footnote to ni.v letter you said the public meeting of ek'lity electors was not typical ot Wellington North. AYhat have yon to say when Mr. Massey regards tiveiifcy-tliroe as a well-attended meeting of the 4500 Reformers in Wellington North s —N [We did not say that the 80 electors which our correspondent says attended the public meeting 011 December 4 were not typical of Wellington North. What we did say was that a good many more than 80 Wellington North electors could bo got to attend a meeting to vote against the candidature of Mr. Brandon. The public are not so easily gulled about these things as our correspondent would appear to believe. How many of the 80 electors who attended that meeting, we wonder, are now supporting Mr. Luke? Captain Barclay, for instance, , whoso uamc "Northland" has dragged into the matter, presided at Mr. Luke's first public meeting, and, like many other patriotic citizens, lias loyally sunk all petty personal considerations for the sake of the greater issue at stake. As to balancing the 22 votes of the members of the Reform League who attended tho meeting ill January against the 80 electors who met at Kelburn in December, our correspondent in raising that question is merely seeking to obscure facts made public by Mr. Massey in his statement yesterday. Tho Prime Minister did not state that lie based his final decision only 011 the vote of the Reform League meeting, as implied by "Northland," but . he distinctly stated that "after that [meeting] I took the opportunity of meeting as many electors of tho district as I could, and especially those who I knew had been supporters of Mr. Herdman, and although there were undoubtedly differences of opinion amongst them, I felt justified in taking the . esponsibility ol nominating Mr. Luke."]