Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1891. The Dangers of Democracy.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 3 February 1891, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1891. The Dangers of Democracy.

"■-■ "■» In the Speotator of October 4th, a very clear view is taken of the diffi. oultie9 young colonies have to withstand, owing to the power possessed by the labourer in being able to vote for the expenditure of loans, in which he shares by the rise in wages, and the hardship the settlers on the soil suffer by being abandoned by these men, when the loans have ceased and interest has to be met. " Yet in these rival paradises of, the working man, the trail of the serpent is, alas ! perceptable ; and it happens in this wise. Politicaltheorists are apt to overlook the facts that the cruder a society, the more eager it is to imitate, and the less capable it is of of self restraint. Now, universal suffrage in Victoria and New Zealnrul throws the final politi- 1 cal authority among a large and shifting mass of ignorant beings who

are constantly being recruited by fresh comers from England and elsewhere. These arbiters oLfiew destinies bring With theni, together with an innocence of previous political responsibility, a good :-ai\v ivJsound and undesirable ideas. They are accustomed to the habits and facilities of old and wealthy States, and they desire them in their new homes. Old settlers who have borne t-Ue Heat of the day. .re more patient and wiser, and prefer steady progress. The proletariat at large, however, is impatient ; they see fortunes, the owners of which were, within a short memory, no richer than the pfcoTest i the old gold digging h\&v has le"ft its legacy behind in the shape of a universal weakness for gambling ; but above all, the new-comers have been attracted to the Antipodes by the hope of high wages, and high Wages they mean to have. Apparerit sdCial equality, free education, paid Members of Parliament are all good in their way, but exorbitant wages are better than all; and the men who secures them for the people secures for his party a majority ftt the pUs'i A spirited policy, diUftitiuus railway or harbor schemes, constant loans, the bulk of which will- go in wages, — these are the aims of the enlightened voter ; and as he holds the scales he usually gets what he wants. Practically, there are no political (juestions'of momentous importance to be discussed in Colonial Assemblies, and the rise and fall of Ministers may be summed up in one word " Loans." " It is a curious piece of irony that the very class which has helped on the financial misfortunes of New Zealand is now steadily abandoning her for Victoria, leaving the burden of public debt, piled ilp largely for its own profit, to be suffered by the luckless owners of property. The readiness of a democratic body to incur heavy responsibilities, coupled with its eagerness to shift thc'iu to other shoulders from the mr.uent that tlie burden grows irksome, i ; on a of the most real dangers of modern times, and one which is fully unmistakoably to be observed at work on the other side of the globe." " To-day rigid economy is painfully teaching the New Zealanders, as some day it will be the lesson of the Victoiians, that to pledge the future to the hilt is a temporary and evanescent joy, Expenditure on public works is • attractive, and may be remunerative ; but the success of the ventures depends upon the economy with which the outlay is made. And the gist of the whole matter, as regards the democracy of New Zealand in a recent past, and of Victoria in the immediate present, is, that its expenditure has not been marked either by prudence or economy. The experiences of the one to-day will be that of the other to-morrow. The halcyon dayj of borrowing" arc short; then comes the stoppage of public works, the shrinking of private expenditure ; taxation presses with crushing weight on all forms of property ; no new capital comes into the country ; the number of persons on whom the bnrdon of the debt falls grows smaller and smaller, and disaster overhangs all. Meantime tho light-hearted son of toil flics to happier lands, ready by his vote and influence to lay waste fresh pastures. Such is the story of i New Zealand ; such threatens to be I the destiny of Victoria. "