SAINTS AND SINNERS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3519, 3 August 1926, Page 4

SAINTS AND SINNERS.

POLITICIANS AND THE PRESS.

There is much unconscious humour displayed in the proceedings of Parliament. The average politician takes himself as being the repository of all virtues. What he does not know can be passed over and, but too often, he assumes to e fully qualified to direct all the unfortunate citizens who are not Legislators, and run their business for them.

The pose of immense rectitude is taken as particularly applying to those who belong to the Socialist Labour Party. They are virtue personified. This was shown in the lectures dclivod in the House by Mr. H. E. Holland and Mr. J. McCombs on the Pness Association and the Daily Press generally. Mr. Holland invited the House to pass a resolution telling the Press Association to be fair at all times, which was backed by some moral advice from( the Piost-master General and adopted as a pious declaration, no doubt pleading to those who are never anything but fair themselves. Not content with/ censuring the Press Association, Mr. McCombs gave voice to the opinion that the Press generally is unfair. The complaint is that the Press does not do justice to Labour —meaning not labour in general, but the Socialist Party to which Mr. McCombs belongs. Who is, it, however, who can do justice to this party"? If the proprietors of the daily papers gave them all the space they would still want to emulate (he action of their red colleagues in England wlio 'insisted on their right to censure the leading articles. It is an interesting picture which is presented toi the public gaze. Here are the saintly politicians facing the poor sinners, who, no doubt, for their sins run the daily papers and the Press Association. Of course, these politicians are always fair and just —who can think otherwise? The saints, nQ doubt, extract considerable comfort from their lecturing of the poor sinners. On this occasion we confess, even though we may .be censured for it, our whole sympathy is with the sinners. There is so much sham and humbug attached to these saints of the red party. PRACTICE ANDi PRECEPT.

Like some other ardent professors the practices of the Socialist politicians fail miserably to square with their precepts. They are verbally all for liberty and justice. Let us test their professions with some actual .facts. They complain that they! are llot tolly reported in the Press, that some of their matter is suppressed. Turn to the papers they run themselves and you find that they alone are reported, others are cut out entirely. The one side, their own, is presented and other views are not cut! down, but excluded ' altogeh'er. Some little time ago one of their papers, l lie Grey River Argus, published matter attacking and misrepresenting the New Zealand Welfare League. When the League submitted a reply, publication was refused by the Argus and was then pub'ished in Ihe Grey mouth Star.

What humbug is it for those who Indulge in such practice to engage in preaching to other people about what- they Should do. When in connection with the general strike at Home the Press of the, country was suppressed by the strikers did this New Zealand Labour Party condemn the wholesale attack on liberty? Not a bit of it. It joined in encouraging, the outburst and winked at the attack on the freedom of the press." This party prates of freedom Imt is ever ready to excuse tyranny and injustice when it is carried on by those of its own -lass or party. Its exordimjn to virtue; may serve its political ends, but it is nevertheless peck-snifiian in character —a preaching that is contrary to its own pratiees. A DIFFICULT TASK.

The Press Association may have erred in not giving Mr Grounds more opportunity to contradict the statement which appeared in the Daily Mail. Even so, we can see no sulficient grounds for the motion passed in the House as it smacks too much of the conceit that Parliament never errs. What, to accept and what to refuse is no easy matter for those in charge of the Press Association wires to decide. The Labour Committee issued « statement through the Press Association which inferentiajly supported the general strike in Britain. We submitted a counter statement. At first we were told our matter was propaganda and could not be put through. We pointed out the other was propaganda also, and then our message went. It is a moot question whether both should not have been cut out. What is news and what are views? What is information and what is exactly meant by the term “propaganda?” No! The Australian’s task is not a light one. and our members would be wiser to refrain from sitting in high judgment on its activities. NOT WIHAT THEY SEEM.

The outcries against the Press thgt are indulged in by Labour Socialists from time to time are not either so virtuous or innocent as they seem. Much of this agitation has for its objects certain ends which are undesirable in the public interest. Mr. McCombs drew a fold of the cloak from one of these objects and permitted a glance at it. The purpose is to impress on the minds of the people that everything which appears in the Press is biased, unfair and quite unreliable. That idea should not obtain credence because it is not true.

In trying to get away from read-

ing in blind faith the socialist is seeking to teach the masses to read their papers in blind prejudice. Another object certain socialists have in complaining of the Press is that they hope thereby to frighten the papers into giving them more control “lest they should be unfair to labour.” After all it remains a fact that we have a very free and independent Press in New Zealand. The men and women engaged in maintaining it would laugh at the idea of posing as saints even politically —at the same time they are not sinners more than others. Of one thing we feel sure that the liberty of our people is as safe in the hands of the Press as it is with the politician. (Contributed by the New Zealand (Welfare League).