A CALL FOR POLLING DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 68, 13 December 1919, Page 12

A CALL FOR POLLING DAY

APPEAL TO LABOUR. . (Published by Arrangement.) The following article appeared originally in 'Truth" and tho "Jlaoriland Worker," but as it raises many questions of wido political and industrial interest, it is reprinted here to secure tho utmost possible publicity. A Word to the Workers! , (By "Looker On.") I am not a candidate fqr election, but I nm a Liberal, and therefore I am very much interested in tho workers of-New' Zoalaild, their present and their future: liberalism to mc means the policy that has always preached the gospel of "the greatest gcod for tho greatest number," and practised what it preached. What Liberalism has done for tho workers of New Zealand during tho past tivonty-fivc years should enough to convince you that, when it has the power, Liberalism means "Government bv the peoplo for tho people" all the time.

lioolc now at the Liberal statement of policy and at your own labour platform ! Much of what you need: and desire is to bo found in tho Liberal; programme ;■ nearly everything that you want Outside those limits yon will havo to wait for till you have ■ converted a great many more people to your way of thinking, and that moans at best you will wait for a long time to come. * 'What is the best course for the workers to' take? Shall t'hev stake their all on the attainment of the impossible, or bo content for the time to fake what is well within their reach, here and now? No intelligent worker can believe that the Labour l'nrty will gain majority' next week nt the polls, Has not Jlr. Holland said that he expects to bo Lender of the Opposition? And does not this mean that Labour, if it strives to stand alone, must be 'content to wait, perhaps »for ai'feiny years, until it is strong enough to gain what it regard? a" its deserts by its own unaided .strength? I do not speak thus to the men and women who hold "extreme" views, such as glory in the name of Bolshevik. Willi them Liberalism lias nothing in cdminon; for their .aim is not Freedom, but Tyranny—not the common welfare, the "greatest good" of all, but iho :lestruction of all classes but one, in order that this 0110 shall riso upon iho niins or nil the rest, and the "chss-conEcious minority," its self-eonstitiite.d leaders and autocrats, shall dominate us nil alike. To Labourites'of this.type. I have nothing to say. But my appeal goes forth to those among you'who feel deeply llie injustice and the wrongs that Labour endures, and who are willimr to strive earnestly and persistently ihair these grievances may be redressed; but who bi.lieve—as T 'know tlifjt most of t.lio workers of New Zealand do believe—that what the world, needs most to set it right is not devolution but Evolution, not Destruction but Construction; and who know in their hearts that the ends of -Eight and Justice can never be secured by Force and Tyranny.

To you,"tlien, I appeal. Iter your own sakes do not hinder tliO'forward '.novo-. nicnt of Democracy—do not reject or limit the measure of progress mid'ad'viinccmeiik thnt Liberalism can mul will secure for you to-day, if you will cooncrate with it on rational, constitutional. nnd democratic lines. What' other alternative is there for you to take? I have said that if Labour stands alone it must wander-a weary while iii.tho outer darkness of Qpposi : lion—and- the years. will .go by, and the Millennium will lw none the nearer.' For if you choose to isolate yourselves, and the votes of the people are split between Liberalism and Labour, the victory may go to "Reform' —and this, you know, is .what "Reform" has lorn: foreseen and desired. . ; Do not forget these things: iou. know that tlio present' electoral system, the "first past tho post" system, is unfair and illogical because sometimes it docs not give ; minorities representation, and sometimes it gives minorities all the representation there is, but never does' it • provide alt tlie peoplo at onco with the power of expressing their own views.. To remedy these evils tho second ballot was tried, awl poor as the subsliltuto is, it was better than tho "sudden death", system. Then, Mr. Massey "reformed" the second ballot out of existence, promising ..to givo us '''something .better"—of course, in !ih own good time. AYliy has he never kept his word ? • Because "Reform is vailing for vou to split tlie votes ami by dividing "tho forces that ought to stand siido by side for Democracy, _ to open a way to power for Conservatism and Monopoly and Reaction. I Do you, not sec that a vote taken fiom Liberalism must be. from your point of, view, a vote given to "lie-fa-m"?—the creed of the Conservative land monopolists who stand behind Mr. Massey, the gospel of Mr. Massey himself, who told 11s tho other day Inat ho believes in Nationalisation—"so long as i,t' does not interfere with Private Enterprise." „ But there is more behind Tteforni than Monopoly and Conservatism, 'lhe Mari-'ovitcs constantly ask us what is the difference between Liberalism and tiie.ir own policy. Tho simplest answer is that which Gladstone—one of tlio neatest of. Liberals—gave a long tune ago: "The pri'nciplo' of Liberalism' is Tiust 'in the peoplo qualiiied by Prudence; tho principle of Conservatism is Mistrust of tho Teoplo qualihed by tlio Masseyilcs 110 not trust Democracy, but fear it, therefore they cannot bo expected to deal with even the just and rightful demands and aspirations of Labour in a sympathetic and coneii'liatorv spirit. Another great Liberal, .Tames Brvce. tells 11s all that wo need to know about Mitsseyism, when ho describes'tho. party which tends always ta believe atul maintain that "social older can bo secured only by force. Thai, is far indeed from the standpoint of our own Liberalism which 11 generation a'-'o, by wise, and judicious statesmanship. by careful foresight, and by generous concessions to Labour's most urgent needs, prepared- for lis. twenty years of industrial and social peace. 'Let Labour, then, give careful heed to ali these things. As far as I understand the strongest claims and highest hopts of Labour, my -sympathies are with it. po ioiig as it' "stands 011 Iho old'paths' and clings to the oldest anil most sacred traditions of Democracy—to Right, Justice and Freedom- And so. to sane and rational Labour I make this appeal—not to the Bolshevilc, who wauls to overturn tho Tvranny of Capitalism only to set up' in its place an even more absolute "hierarchy of the proletariat," with himself as self-appointed Dr>pot-in-Chi?f. For him. Liberalftm and Liberty and Democracy ha.ve 110 meaning and no message. But for you—Liberalism is your firm friend and natural ally:, it is to I-ibcralism that you owe nearly all that makes life worth i>ossessing in this country to-day. Seo that you. stand by Libeialism now.