PAPER AND PERSONALITY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1994, 24 June 1919, Page 2

PAPER AND PERSONALITY.

THE political programme season is coming- in, and, after a long absence, is Avelcome, says the Post It Avould be snore Avelcome but for the fact that the persistent gap between jrromi.se and performance bus appeared to rob

political programmes of their . sincerity; that is to say, of their motive power. Nevertheless, we are sufficiently optimistic to believe that a new current of political thought has set in, amt that in the near future promises will come to mean something more than they have done in the past, if only for the reason that a revivified public opinion will have less toleration than hitherto for “pussy-footing” tactics and for pretentious window-dressing. But a programme, in itself, is not sufficient. In order to give driving power to its platform, a party organisation nowadays should bo strong in personality; it should revise the old maxim of “measures'not men,” from which was derived such barren growths as the puppet candidate and (later) the party hack. The proper cure for the hitler, and the best guarantee of Parliamentary progressiveness,, is to act on the principle of “measures and men,” or perhaps we should say “men and measures”; for, if lacking the required personal factor, political programmes, and even Parliamentary resolutions, are apt to become “scraps of paper.” Pi is impossible, therefore, to pul too much emphasis on the “man” side of the equation. These thoughts are aroused on a, first perusal of the programme of the Welfare League. If (he League can not only erect a plat form, but can place the right sort, of men on it, the people of New Zealand will have been richly served. The illusion I hat paper is a sufficient substitute for personality is now —or ought to be —finally exploded.