COVERING HIS RED SHIRT.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 May 1922, Page 2

COVERING HIS RED SHIRT.

POSING AS ADVANCED LIBERALS. GAME OF POLITICAL HYPOCRISY. (Contributed by the N.Z. Welfare League). If ever a political fraud was perpetrated on the electors of any country it is certainly that, which is being played by the Iloilandite Red Party before tH people of New Zealand to-day. We have the spectacle of Mr H. E. Holland, M.P., leader of the wrongly named New Z aland Labour Party preaching from end to end of the Dominion the most spacious political lie ever put into circulation. Finding that its plainly Red revolutionary “objective” and policies of “Council of Action,” class dictatorship and ultimate Communist control oi the Dominion are not acceptable the . party ruled by Mr H. E. Holland adopts the tactics of posing as just advanced Liberals. This is the method advised by the Russian Soviet dictatoi s. To gain control over the masses by professing anything that is suitable lor the time; Sind wheti power iS.. cored, then, to enforce the Communist programme against all opposition. _ Speaking at Wellington Mr Holland said “Ballance and Seddon had laid hroiid and strong the foundations on which a truly democratic state could be built up” and then with charaferistic impudence he claims that his party is •‘the only party that could and would build nil-'industrial democracy on hhe f. uudutions laid by Ballance and peddoll.” How is this party proceeding r It comes along with a pick on its shouL d r and, without having the deeenoy to change its red shirt for another colour, it sets to work towards destroying ti ese foundations which it shamelessly praises at the same time. Both Bnllance and Seddon were Nationalists ttUd I mperialists who, with other Statesmen of other''parties, laid the foundation of an intense regard for the unity of the British Empire. Now w© have a body 'of political charlatans, imbued with aspirations of vacuous internationalism, standing forth as a party that cares abs diitulv nothing for defence of the Empire and, yet, professing to be the politienl descendants of Ballance and Sed-. den. At one tittle this party had a. plank in its platform declaring for. & “Citizen army on a voluntary basis. but even that they deleted as being too much of a concession to National L)eL IT view of the coming elections we i are the Red leader covering his red shirt of revolutionary intentions with a do-ik of professed liberalism, which profession is neither new norArue. As I ttle as possible is said of the party S ; objective, “the serialisation of the I o cons of production, distribution ana ’ 0 chiuv'e.” The public is not mform- ! C'i of Mr Holland’s having but recently . ['- on part in a congress in Australia : with some of the most out-and-out Comi,- unists; or of his having returned to i \>v Zealand with a programme for the nat ionalisation of all the principal ind 'stries ; the establishment of a Council of Action (of ivlnch he is a member) ; the election' of a Supreme EddttoliiiC f'o -nril and other revolutionary RTOpos ils which led even the Socialist FrCn.ier of Queensland (Mr Theodore) to exclaim "you might as well change the i p-me of the party and call it the Com- , munist Party.” Instead of this actual revolutionary, movement of Mr Holland ■id his party lieing placed before the Mociors, in a dozen different speeches Mr Holland asks the people, in effect, .egard his party as the new Liberals, e is stressing the point that his party .lauds fof proportional representation. Let us look at this twice. When the Li terals support proportional representation thev do so honestly oil the prim--ole that'Liberalism is the crecll that vanees the rights of citizens as individual members of society. The party, owever, over which Mr Holland preidcs repudiates the foundation pnn,pie’of individualism. Its profession being one with the Liberals of old is • i utter sham because while these nod fur individualism, this Red Party ■unis for collectiveisni. The HoUand- . v ,io not want proportional represeu•itioii bv itself. What they are after s proportional representation plus the power of a class political machine. Tins would ensure that whilst the general od- of electors would be split into ,e tv groups their tfass party’could I ntinate the country and effect their •eal purpose of establishing a coHectiv--r state under a class dictatorship. The people must lie blind indeed ' . ’ev do not realise what this revoluionarv party means. It is a political f an ■ Which professes moderation and practices extremism; poses as Liber-1 and destroys the foundation principle ot ~,1 Liberalism, personal liberty; prevonts an appearance of democracy to cover the real intention of class dictatand takes the name of Labour ai, j uV’ promulgating false economies which are injuring-lhe working masses in their living and their exercise of free judgment. We oppose the Red Party , cause of its absolute political disI honesty. It’s professions are fraudu'ent therefoie should not be accepted.