INFAMOUS SLANDERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 12, 5 September 1919, Page 7

INFAMOUS SLANDERS

ON SOLDIER MEMBERS OF ! PARLIAMENT

STRONG COMMENTS IN THE HOUSE

A recent paragraph appearing in tho Maoriland Worker" newspaper was tho subject of a question in the House of Representatives last night. Tho paragraph in question was that quoted iu tho lending columns of tho DomikiOn yesterday. . ■

Mr. Isitt asked the Prime Minister whether his attention had been drawn to tho following paragraph in the "Maoriland Worker": Paddy will-find When he comes out.' that tho boys think more of him than ever. When one thinks of those other M.P/s who pretended, to go to the war, but now got near enough to 6mell anything stronger than rum, ono must smile at tho hypucrisy of these gallant warriors.- Paddy was ■willing to die if need bo for his principles; that is tho sort of .man wo can depend upon, and not the loudmouthed, flag-flapping gut-robbers ■who would "rat" a dead dog for its fleas! Don't worry, Paddy, we, tho workers, are'.going to put "paid" to one or two little accounts in tho near future. < Sir, .said Mr. Isitt, when I I think' of the sacrifice that has been made by one member of this House, I cannot trust myself to do more than to ask the question in tho briefest possible, terms. Mr. Massey: In reply to question. of the honourable gentleman, I can only say that I have seen the paragraph. J did not see it in the "Maoriland Worker,' because I do not see the 'Maoriland Worker* regularly. I did see it guoted in The Dominion of this morning. And, Sir, I can only say. that I read the paragraph with disgust and contempt. ; I could not help thinking of those- members of Parliament who nave done their duty in the awful war which ■*e are glad to think has now come to im end. I thought of Mr. Downie Stewart, who served with distinction, and who will carry the marks of the war to his grave. ■ (Hear,' hoar.) I thought of Major Hine, who volunteered in the early'days of the war, who went out' with other members of Parliament' to risk danger and even death, who came back to this country seriously'wounded, shot through the lungs. I thought of Major Coates,' who came back to us after serving some years on the Western front, wounded on two occasions, Tand with the distinctions of the Military Cross and Bar. I thought of Captain Seddon, who served with ' distinction tiirougn one of the most awful fights of the "war, that at Passchendaele. ' And tnen I could not help thinking qf the rerms or opprobrium with which these men ■ wure referred to in- the paragraph quoted by the member for Christahurch North. An lion, member: And Dr. Buck. Dr, INewman: And Captain Bell. Mr. Massey. I was just' going to say that Dr. Buck 'and Captain 801 l wereamong those who had been members of the .House. : I thought, too, of members of tho House who, as parents, sent, their sons to the front,- and I could hot help thinking of the fact that many of thoso boys—Captain Bell among them—will Jiever see their country again. * Their graves are on foreign, soil. It is part of the country's toll in the.Empire's hour oi trial. Their bodies rest in peace, but their names will live forever in the history of this country.' I.don't think it is necessary to do anything in connection with the paragraph.- I know what the people of this country will think of it. I don't think it is rVcessary tu Bet the law in motion; although I believe that the daw has' been broken. I think the proper thing to do is to treat this thing with the contempt it deserves, with the contempt which I feel sure will be felt by every, loyal man and woman in this country on' rending it. "It is not necessary for. ma to refer to Mr. Webb. I. regret that a member of Parliament.failed in .his..duty and. broke the luw. He has paid the-penalty for breaking the law. 1 hope he will come back into society a better man than he left it. I have no bitter feeling against. Mr. Webb. '.Every man has a right to his own opinion.' But I do feel strongly as a member of Parliament, as one of the fathers who sent his boys to take part in the awful fighting, which resulted in tho deaths of 37,000 >iew Zenlanders. I never want to read such paragraphs. , I don't want to know anything about them. The honourable member was unite right in calling attention to it. I can't help speaking strongly, because I feel strongly about such dastardly attacks upon moil who did tlieir duty." Sir Joseph Ward (Leader of the Opposition) said that he felt he ought to add his words of strongest condemnation of the outrageous insults offered to members of the House. He could not nndorstand how it was necessary for the people,in control of this paper, in seeking to justify or defend the conduct of ono man, to outrago the' decency of the people of this country with such references to men who had sacrificed much for their country. It was not necessary for him to recapitulate tho sacrifices members of the House had niado in going to fight, or the sacrifices mado by other members of Parliament and.men not members of Parliament in the war." It was to him inexplicable thi)t such insulting references as those quoted should be made about four members.of the House by a paper actuated by strong political hostility to those members. Nothing was t<> be gained by it. It was intolerable that men -who had done 60 much f;or tneir country, who had won. honours in the field, should be accused of being' gunshy, or of 'having done nothing' to" help to win the war. These insults would receive condemnation from every rightthinking man in the country. The passage quoted by the member for Christchurflh North was ono of tho most shameful things that he had ever read, and lie wished to put on record his abhorrence of such words. Mr. Holland asked the indulgence of the House to make n statement as chairman of the Labour Party. "I wish to say, as chairman of the Labour Party," he Gaid, "that we dissociate; ourselves entirely from the matter published and referred to hero to-night. It is no part of the work of the Labour movement to attempt to blacken or discredit its political opponents, and whatever our views were on the war wo were ready to give every credit to the men who went to tho war believing they were doing the right thing, just as we insisted on giving t» e right of conscience to every man. We of tho Labour Party regret excecdlnßlv, that the 'Maoriland Worker' should have'followed the-very bad. example set by our political opponents'. (Cries of dissent.) The men w*ho went to prison for conscience sako were vilified and slandered, called everv lfnmo possible, and wo listened to that and took n in. But wo disappuivo ns strongly as anybody elso in this House of personal attack and personal abuse, and wo regret that this method should have been followed by our own side, this-method employed by the othor sido against men on our side. Mr. Isitt: It is a pity the disavowal did not come earlier. That is all I have to say.