THE DANGER OF VOTESPLITTING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 7, 3 October 1918, Page 4

THE DANGER OF VOTESPLITTING

The strife of tongues is now over and to-day the electors of Wellington Central have to make their final choice at the polling-booths. A little steady thought should suffice to make it clear that every loyal •elector is in duty bound to vote for Me. HiljDreth, the National Government's candidate. No heed should be paid to the misrepresentations of hotrheaded partisans or to their vehement insistence upon side issues. This is no time for indulgence- in sectarian combats, party tactics, or personal prejudices. The win-ihe-war majority have a splendid opportunity of showing that they are determined to stand together until the war is won. With all its faults and failings—and they are not few nor small—the National Government has on the whole done its war work well, and if the electors are true to themselves and true to their country they will set their faccslike flint against any attempt to repudiate tho political truce and thereby throw the groat problems of war and peace into the arena of party .politics. Can any loyal man or woman justify' a course of action at the present time which would tend to split the community into hostile political camps, and play into the hands of the defeatists'! The moment has come for the electors of Wellington Central to brush aside partisan camoujlaije and controversial irrelcvancies and to look the real facts. , squarely in the face. When we get down to bedrock it becomes plain that the election resolves itr'elf into a contest ibetween Mn. Hildreth, the Nα;tional Government's candidate, and Mr. Fraser, the nominee of theLabour Itepresentation Committee. Mr. Hildreth stands ■ for the prosecution of the. war to a victorious xonclusion and unswerving loyalty ito King and country, while 'Mii. Fmseb stands for the promotion of peace by compromise and the repeal of tho Military Service Act. Mr. Mack is the only other candidate whose claims need be taken seriously. Every Reform or Liberal vote cast for Mr. Mack is in reality a vote for Mr. Fraser and for tho policy which he advocates. Tho great majority of the workers of 'New Zealand are just as loyal as all other sections of the community. There can be no doubt about the sincerity of their desire that the Allies shall win the war and win it thoroughly. Wo firmly believe that they would never tolerate any bargaining with democracy's greatest enemy. Like Mr. G/omperS, the president of the American Labour Federation, they would emphatically .refuse to talk peace with the Germans. Like him- they would say to the German workers: "Either you smash your Kaiser autocracy or we will smash it for you." Referring to those Americans who wonld criticise their country and would not fight for it, Mn. Goiipers asserts that such people are serving "the great autocrat of all time, tho modern buccaneer of the world,. an intellectual scientific murderer." Before casting their votes to-day the workers of Wellington Central should ask themselves whether, without betraying their true -interests ,and highest principles, they can support or countenance any proposal, policy, or procedure that would directly or indirectly serve the purposes of the Kaiser, "tho greatest autocrat of all time." Eeform and Liberal electors should steadfastly refuse to break the party truce. If they, stand together they can win the seat for tho National Government's candidate. If their vote is split they will have no right to blame anyone but themselves for th© consequences ol their folly. The capture of the scat by the peace-by-negotiation minority would throw a cold douche upon our national rejoicings over the"" glorious victories .which have at last brought to an end "the long, long course of darkness, doubts, and fears."