The Dominion. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1919. AN INEVITABLE UNION

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 48, 20 November 1919, Page 6

The Dominion. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1919. AN INEVITABLE UNION

| In spito of efforts in certain quarters to obscure national issues to bolster up party ends, there are promising indications that so far as the two main parties are concerned artificial divisions are collapsing and giving way. The now trond is disclosed, though not as yet in an equal degree, in utterances by mombers of both parties. In spito of the cold reception accorded to the formal declaration of the Iteform Party last year that responsible elements in the House ought to unite in the interests of good government, a number of its members have steadfastly upheld that view of the situation, and within the last few days several of them have expressed themselves 011 the subject in clear and explicit terms. Mr. Downie Stewart, the member for Duncdin West, has made his position particularly plain. He informed a meeting of his supporters on Tuesdav night that he would stand as an independent in order to help to bring about a proper realignment of parties. Amongst local candidates, Dr. Newman has stated that he and others have determined that rather than allow a small body of extremists to hold the balance of power they will sink their differences and insist upon good government for New Zealand. Mr. Staiham, Mr. Parr, and others on the Reform side take much the same attitude. Signs of a similar awakening to the needs of tho time are not altogether wanting in the Liberal Party. Mr. Oraigie, the member. for Timaru, has said for instance that he will not be tied body and soul to any party, and recent utterances by Messrs. .Witty and Isitt, both of them' known hitherto as devoted party adherents, are oven moro noteworthy in this connection. Both members in their olection addresses are resorving a measure of independence which is remarkable in view of their respective political records. Mr. Witty is now asserting that ho was never the slave of party, but all who have followed the proceedings of Parliament know that fo'.v men have been swayed more than he has during a long term of years by the influence of party. Few members of the House of Representatives have more consistently condemned the other side and applauded their own. As to Mr. Isitt he first entered the House as an independent, but ho was hardly in liis place before he began to use all the resources of a fluent tongue in defending and eulogising Sir Joseph Ward. Very soon his reputation was that of the most extreme and ardent of party supporters. In_ this campaign Mit. Witty is declaring that though he is still a Liberal he is not tied hand and foot. Mr. Isitt, also, has notably changed his tune. When l>e addressed his constituents on Tuesday night lie said that if elected ho would give, "general support" to the Liberal Party. Exactly what these members mean they must be left to. explain. It is evident, however, that they aro conscious of shortcomings in the political organisation to which they have hitherto been tied and perceive, at least tentatively, that there are greater responsibilities than those of party to De laced. This is a_ step, if a short one, in the right direction. As the campaign proceeds it will no doubt bccome cveu plainer than it is to-day that the only_ serious obstacles to a working union which would enable members of both tho main parties to render honest service to tho country are raised by those who hope by maintaining artificial divisions to satisfy personal ambition. Tho Reform Party has declared explicitly for such a union and its most progressive members arc working actively to bring the union about. The changed attitude of extreme party advocates like Mnssus. Witty and Ism' sufficiently attests that rank and file members of the Liberal Party arc aware of an impulse in the same direction an.'l that the impulse is checkad can be attributed only to the attitude of a small group of politicians who are intent solely on the chances of • attaining place and power. The dominant figure in this croup is, of course, Sir Joseph Ward himself, but lie is actively abetted in his office-seeking policy by ono or two lesser lights, a notable example being Mr. T. M. WilFotid. The Leader of the Opposition stands self-condemned. Only the other day be observed that he did not say fusion would be a good thing for the country and he did not say it would be a bad _ thing. So far as rpoken opinion is concerned. ho shuffled, but meantime be is doing everything in his power to impedo / and obstruct the union upon which he refused to nronouiice an opinion. It is probably doing the members of the Liberal Party no more than .justice to assume that in general their inclination is better indicated in the uneasy stirring of somo of the rank and filo than in the pompous self-assertion of their leader and somo of his more intimate The opinion may bo ventured that somo at least of the foremcsfc members of tho party as well as a considerable proportion of its total membership would be "lad to see a union of progressive forces to carry on the work of the country without reirard to artificial narty divisions. That such desires do not find open and free expression must be attributed to the habit 'nto which the party has fallen of looking backward instead of forward. Much of the talk of Liberal Pnrly advocates at this time rewlvns_ ilseH inln a merely negative assertion ihah the party is not a went force, and the favourite supporting argument is that it cannot 1)0 a spent forc.e beoauso it did. nso- i

ful work .years ago. The best proof that the Liberal Part}' is in fact at a dead end is to be found in its almost inert toleration of a policy of unconcealed political adventuring by its leader at a time when tho country supremely needs loyal and united service. If there is to bo any such revival from the ashes as Mn. With' has foretold, the members of the Liberal Party must face the real issues of the day. Tlie.y must ask themselves why it is that thoir leader is arbitrarily dividing progressive forces which, as was demonstrated last session, are in no essential divided on question's of policy. The one clear line of advance that is open is to combine with progressive Reformers in ending the autocratic rule of party leaders and establishing conditions in which policy measures will be dotermind not at the whim and dictation of these leaders but by the combined intelligence and by the majority voice of the representatives of the people in Parliament. On the whole such a combination of effort is coming into nearer prospect. • and there is little doubt that the logic of circumstances' will before long make it an accomplished fact.