The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY JULY 10, 1911. POLITICAL BITTERNESS.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 10 July 1911, Page 2

The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY JULY 10, 1911. POLITICAL BITTERNESS.

I Btttkhness in polities happily is less i in evidence in these days Vhan it was twenty years ago. Nevertheless, mi undue asperity sometimes characterises political arguments even today. That this aspect of politics may be eliminated from the campaign of the next few months should, be the wish and desire of all those who have at heart the best interests of tho nonunion, quite apart from the question as to which side in polities may hold their allegiance, fn regard to impersonal politics, some interesting observations were made at Oamaru last week by the Acting-Premier (Sir James Carroll), which deserve to l>o read and remembered by all sections of the community. ,Tn political life, he said, it was found necessar to range up on two sides: thero was always a difference- of opinion ; people were never unanimous. He belonged to the Liberal party which was ushered into office 21 years ago. (A voice: Too long). It might be too long, but that was for the people t:> decide in November. Equally the Opposition had been too long I'uliilling their office. Maybe there was to Ik , i change, but it would not ho along the lines they expected. It was necessary to grow contemporaneously with the times. Tho L'ibe:'al p-irty I:;k1 found the country almost on the verge of insolvency; it was at the end of a long rule of tho who may have nialadmini-ter-d it or not; at, all events Mi:\v Ji.l nut it ilise the uoevvsity of keeping abrec >t of a:i ever-ii.lvai.eini>; condition of affairs. He bad nothing, howcvi r, to say against the ()pp::si; ion, even as it existed to-day in shir's a'.d fragments, ho had nothing to say against it. Let it bo tolerated while it was in existeiue, liecause the would rather have the devil they knew than the devil they did not know. (Laughter). Mr Massey had identified his political career with certain legislative Acts. He had been responsible for t,he i i-tro.lii'-tkm, during his long parliamentary life, of thro? Hills. O.ie was the local Hill, which necr passed the local Bill Committee, ar.d the other two nevoir got thn.u.' h their second readings. The Opposition bad a>l ways been the br>ke < n the wheel of progress, showiii:g nothing in the way of (;.i.:;tnu livo a'lhlity or initiative. Yet they said they poised that ability, but the pe,ip!e wore, not going to take it < n trust: they would >.ait iiUi! tin y saw some evidence of it. Anyo; ■? c:>u':l criticise, and a Government required some characteristic more practical than that. (A voice: They haven't had a chanceV No, b> cause. the people will not give them a chance. Laughter). Hut ho was not there to abuse or enter into personalities or to say anything he considered below the Plimsoll mark of criticism. (Applause). Ho liked fighting, Wut what he did deprecate was the moans of criticism adopted by some of the press; thero was a tendency creeping into our affairs to suppress the virtues of opponents.