THE BY-ELECTION AND THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 310, 25 September 1918, Page 4

THE BY-ELECTION AND THE WAR

The electors of Wellington Central are entitled to a full and frank statement from every candidate of his views regarding the war. Until victory has been won and the peace settlement completed all other matters are, comparatively insignificant. Until German militarism has been overthrown democracy stands in jeopardy and the world cannot bo a saie_ home for free men and free nations. One can quite understand the unwillingness of the Labour Federation's candidate (Mn. P. Fkaser) to give the electors a full account of his opinions about tho war.' Hβ must know that the great majority of the people of Wellington Central, like the rest of the Dominion, desire with all their hearts that Britain and her Allies shall win—and win thoroughly, decisively, and overwhelmingly ; and he is naturally anxious not to lose the votes of the more level-headed section of the Labour Party. Hβ is therefore .trying to polish up his patriotism, and make it look as attractive as possible without actually repudiating previous utterances of a more ambiguous character. But even now he is not quite sure about himself. Ho docs not exactly know where he is. All that he can say is that he "thinks" that he is a loyal subject in this country in tho great crisis through which we are passing. It was not easy for- his questioner at his first meeting to extract even this half-hearted declaration. And yet the supreme test of a. man's fitness to represent a British community in Parliament at the present time is his attitude to the war. What does.Mr. Phaser mean when he states that in addition to being loyal to the people of this country he is loyal to tho workers of the world? There is a suspicious ring about this last phrase. Now that the war has entered on its final stage it is of vital importance that New Zealand should givo no encouragement whatever to tho enemy's efforts to trap us into a premature, patched-up peace. This is no time to send wobblers to Parliament. It is our duty to 6tand before tho whole world firm as a rock in our determination not to hagglo and bargain with tho Huns but to fighfe straight on until we are in a position to dictate the terms of settlement. No elector of Wellington Central who wants to make sure that this war will be tho last war should give his vote to any politician who would tolerate any parleying or compromise with the Central Powers.

_ Tho disorderly conduct of a section of the audience at Me. Mack's meeting on Monday night should impress upon loyal and patriotic electors of every shade of political opinion the necessity of combined action with the object of securing the return of a candidate who will place the winning of the war before a|l other considerations. It is significant that the noisy section who shouted "Threo cheers for United Labour" were the people who kept their seats and mocked during tho singing of tho National Anthem. If the loyal elements of the electorate divide their forces they may discover when th'c poll is declared that they have made a present of tho seat to the extremists. It is tho manifest duty of every man and woman who wants the Emnirc to come victoriously through the present strugglo to forget party prejudices, personal grievances, and sectarian animosities and give whole-hearted support to tho National Government until the war is over. There indication that the election will resolve itself into a contest between Mr. Fraser andMr. Hilmeth, and every vote given to any of the independent candidates by those who' profess to put Empire before party is practically a vote given for the candidate who wants to rmeal the Military Service Act. We are firmly convinced that the great majority of the workers' are in full accord with the views expressed bv the recent InterAllied Labour Conference in favour of fighting on unswervingly until the armies of the Central Powers have been expelled from the invaded countries and GeriWn militarism has been destroyed. The Conference accepted President Wil-son's,-principles, and ho has asserted over and over again with the strongest emphasis that there must be no compromise with the enemy. "No half-way decision would • be tolerable." It is well that the people of New Zealand should take every opportunity of making it clear to friend and foe that they stand solidly for this resolve not to stop short of complete victory. Our National Government came into being as the result of New Zealand's determination to put her full power into the fight, and the return of the National Government's candidate for Wollin.mton Central will be a sure sign that we will not falter until tho efforts of the Allies have been rewarded with the fullest success.