MR ISITT AND THE REDS

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2522, 23 December 1922, Page 4

MR ISITT AND THE REDS

“FACE TO FACE WITH A MENACE.” Some interesting remarks regarding the results of the recent General Elections were made by Mr L. M. Isitt, M.P., in addressing a meeting of friends and supporters at Christchurch last Saturday.

Mr Isitt (reports the Christchureli “Press”), in alluding to the support lie received from Liberals and Reformers, said he wanted to say that, the pledge that secured his support was not on his part, a bargain. The secretary of the Reform League would tell them that he made it quite plain to him that while of course he was very anxious that Reform should not run a candidate, and so increase the chance of a Red Fed. getting in, his pledge of 1022 was his pledge of 1010. It was not a matter of convenience but of conviction, and whether or no Reform determined to lain a candidate, liis pledge would remain unaltered. After thanking the Liberals and the Welfare League for the help they had given, he said that there were one or two things that lie was very anxious to utter. Some of his Liberal friends had thodght his position extreme, but it. was the result of careful consideration. In his opinion not only the Dominion, but the British Empire was face to face with a menace in comparison with which the difference between the two loyal parties were insignificant. For years be had been trying to convince bis brother members, both Liberal and Reform, that" the extreme Labour Party were making rapid dual progress —progress in (lie strength of their revolutionary socialistic conviction and progress numerically. He had been thought an alarmist. Very few members believed that extreme Labour would add to its strength in the election but now they had doubled their number and be understood that their vote amounted to over 150,000. The question was bow were they to meet this growing danger? In the past both Liberals and Reformers had been to blame. They had yielded and been placetive where they ought to have stood firm. They had been idle and silent where the Red Feds. Sundays and week-days, were ceaseless in their propaganda. If they really loved their Empire and believed in constitutional government, it behoved both parties to meet propaganda, with propaganda. and throughout the years, not merely at election.time, to go in for organised resistance.