In Our Opinion

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 39, 1 December 1911, Page 10

In Our Opinion

i£-«A_WW>-'\_rA_rA_^^ QIR CHARLES OWENS, giving evf< before the British Railway Commission, said: "The logical sequence of sympathetic strikes would be to put tho trade unions in a position an_ power not inferior to, and probably; superior' to, Imperial Parliament.'.' 5 How opinions differ, to be sure. The* little Labor men of this Dominion: hold quite different views. Which arei true? . * TF the cost of living increased much -"-longer as it was doing at present, then 9s. per day wages was little enough for a man to receive in order to enable him and his wife to live decent-* ly and bring up a family."—Mr. Massey at Winton. This will never do. How long must we insist on the fact that the worker wants more than a' living wage? Would Bill Massey b0 content with 9s. a day? And if not he, why any other man? If a man earns' £1 a day he should get it; and all offers of a composition in the pound should be refused with scorn. This detestable conjunction of wages and the cost of living — the taking of the latter into consideration when fixing the former—is part of the price tho workers have had to pay for that blessed thing arbitration —which some' people look upon as a panacea for all L ab or _ trouble s. «$> ■ nnHE little Labor press of New Zea> -*- land has been reprinting some excellent articles of Charles Edward Russell, our American comrade, recently „- Here is the final paragraph of one of Russell's articles which the weakly, "Herald" might take . to heart with advantage: "Socialism or nothing. If? this cause of Socialism is worth believing in, it is worth following to tlie end without compromise. Either it is the greatest boon, incomparably, that ever, was dreamed of for the human race, ori we are a lot of lunatics. If it is what" we believe it to be, then what shall w_ gain, for it by compromise or coalition? or turning for one moment from the ultimate goal? All the offices in the world —what are they worth co_rparod 1 with putting an end'to wage-slavery P.' 1 - L. « \\. E have no faith in the childisE * * superstitions whioh linger on i_< the churches. But we have nothing. but the hand of fellowship for men of all creeds who embrace the gospel o£ Socialism. Some of the chm-ches are shoAyiiTg a desire to rid themselves o£ the "reproach that they have not sought* tlie establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven upon earth. There is one*pronounced discordant note in the.chorus' of recent approval of the working-class movement by church leaders. It comes from Dr. W. R. "Inge, Dean of S_Paul's. who, in an address to the" Women's Diocesan Association, declnrecl "that democracy was the silliest of fetishes. The transfer of industrial wealth to Eastern Asia*'would prove a' certain sequel to the European Labor, movement. A worse fate would probably befall Australia, which was within' eas'v reach of the far more efficient ye_ lo He was unable to join' the chorus advocating the churches' co« operation with the L_bor movement's Socialism might suit a country like New Zealand until the British fleet 1 ceased-to safeguard it. Then the yellow man would make short work of thej pampered trade unionists." This is &' typical utterance of a class-conscious prelate, who speaks as one having ■authority, and therefore gives no reason' for his statement. He seems to revet in the preposterous idea that the yellow man will destroy the democracies* of the southern "seas. That is very, Christ-like and brotherly. There is one' fetish the democracy will bow down to»' no longer, and that is the fetish of _ cultured, pampered clericalism, which; draws its support from the life blood of the toiler — flouted and jeered at by this well-fed hypocrite, who i_ a disgrace to his cloth and to civilisa. tion. $ \ RECENT is<-ue of the powerful --*- '•Cuming Nation." of . .S.A., cony uiinod portraits of Wm. Cornish and J-1. Cooke, together with an explanatory note of commendation. The newspapec aKo pointed out the likeness _ of the* N.Z. Defence Acts to tlie infamous' Dick _dilitia Law, and condemned the

prosecution of boys in N.Z. as a blot upon English-speaking civilisation. It is gratifying to note so esteemed a contemporary acknowledging the pluck and stamina of Cornish and Cooke, whose fight for freedom will live in Dominion annals. On the eve of an election, let us not forget these jailings of boys, nor the exiling of others—and also let us not forget that Major-General Godley still glories in pointing out, as if to intimidate, that disenfrauchisement and unemployment positively await the ;boys v/ho will not be conscripts, even (though prosecutions have ceased. Down .with conscription! .. $ . T\T ANTED KNOWN.—To Filibus- * " ters, Commandants, and the Trade generally. Through uncontrolled circumstances recent shipments have caused us to be heavily overstocked. Clearing sale of large and assorted collection of military officers and other paraphernalia, including generals to camp followers. Splendid chance for country gentlemen to secure a few flunkeys. 'Not being used to _ doing their own thinking, they are quite harmless. Uniforms and equipment thrown in. jots to suit purchasers. No unreasonable offer refused. —Apply Ward and Co., Officers' Commission Fakers, War Office. Wellington. References: "Evening News," Christchurc-h. Bankers: Goldstein's, Vienna and Berlin. . 4 NO tirrie should be lost by anti-mili-tarist leagues in protesting to Sir Joseph Ward" against the action of the Governor in taking the platform in support of compulsory military trailing. The country is divided upon the subject, and in the thick of an election the Governor should hold his tongue. We do not object to either Governor or Major-General expressing their views, but we do insist that if such high-up civil servants have the right to be active in political contests, then all civil servants ought to have tho same right. Arid as thtVy haven't, it is caste exaltation in its meanest form to make exceptions of the toniest civil servants. We have known Governors to be recalled for less than the N.Z. Governor's indiscretion. His campaigning is eloquent as showing the roundmg-up of all possible agencies in orcVr to save conscription. Nevertheless it is one-sided and unconstitutional; and must be protested against. A rVUIIING his recent visit to Welling- &-* ton, Robert Soinplt?, organiser of the Federation, of Labor, commented :>n the fact that the Labor organisation >f Auckland had passed a resolution "ondemning the action of the laborers n coming out over the sub-contracting juestion. That is not surprising from :reatu.res who have lost all desire to as?ert their manhood. Dead to the in:erests of their class,' they cannot re'rain from insulting their fellow-work-ers at the very moment they needed icJp most. The members of this body should be heartily ashamed of such des)icable, unmanly conduct, which is the ruit of envy Vuul all md will only redound on the head of its jerpetrators. + JT G. ELL, Liberal candidate for a --*- c Christchnrch seat, once belonged ,o the N.Z. Progressive Liberal_ and Labor Party, and was enthusiastic in 'the good cause." Socialists have long eased to regard Mr. Ell as of any irorking-clasß concern, but now that he s being opposed oven by the Labor 'arty it is interesting—very—to read ho following from Mr. IT. G. Ell's ore words to tho N.Z. Liberal and jabor Association's Directory of 1897: 'A hope -repressed in Inst yoar's Direcorv found "fulfilment in tho formation fa scries of test questions to candiates for Parliament arv honors at last encral election. These have been rint-ed in'this issue, aiid I would sugg'.st fc]iat tho division-list in Parliament c' carefully exmninorl, ami backsliding lettibc-rs promptly called t<: account ad be reminded of their platform ut-

fl^ nC f + i f *fe y fail t0 advocate on the nooi or the House the views expressed ia their election addresses, upon which ma y + tlleir return to Parliament. It this plan of action is systematically carried out by all the Progressive Political and Labor organisations in the colony, and the steps taken made public, we shall have a little more attention paid to our demands. It has been well said that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; and if we wish, to see the progress that should ue made by a people possessing the great, powers that we do under our franchise, we shall certainly have to be more vigilant in the future than we have been in the past.' . Oh, Ell! do not know whether it will * * count much with the Prohibitionists who want the votes of our people, out it is true that the Socialist candidates all believe in "the bare majority —not to got Prohibition votes, but on principle. If we are to have one-vote-one-vaiue, then we cannot give preference to one side by doubling the value of a minority vote. This practically is the position when the bare majority does not decide. * , . TT has come at last. The British So- ■*• ciahst Party. The Socialists of the Mother Country will no longer hide their light under the labor bushel. A resolution in favour of Socialist unity passed by 218 delegates assembled in Oaston Hall, Manchester, on September 30, was followed by a tremendous burst of applause, the whole assembly rising and singing "The lied Flag"— "Tho , cowards flinch and traitors sneer, We'llkeep the Red Flag flying here. 5, uiis is a great achievement, for which we have to thank the Labor Party. Disgusted with the utter failure of that party to preserve its independence and to fulfil the hopes of those who placed it in Parliament, the rank and file has declared for o. definite, united. Socialist party. "The , following resolution was submitted by the executive council of the S.D.P. : "The Socialist Party is the political expression of the workingclass movement, which has for its object the socialisation of the means of production and distribution; that is to say, the transformation of capitalist society into a collectivist or communist society. Alike in its objects, its ideals, and in the means employed, the Socialist Party, though striving for the reaisation of immediate social reforms demanded by the working class, is not a reformist but a revolutionary party, which recognises that social 'freedom and equality can only be conquered by fighting the closs war through .to a finish and thus abolishing for ever all c]ass distineti o n,s.'' That was clearcut, definite and revolutionary enough one would think. But so strong was the feeling against "revisionism"' engendered by the history of the Labor Party, that the words "the striving for the realisation of immediate social reforms demanded by the working-class" were deleted by 8o votes to 77. The delegates present at the conference represented tho following bodies: Independent Labor Party. 41; "Clarion" clubs and fellowships, 32; British Socialist Party. 11 : Social Democratic Party. 86: various local Socialist bodies and committees. 48. The work done by the "Clarion" in helping to form the British Socialist Party de SGr . ves all praise, no fewer than 6000 of its readers having responded to the appeal 6*f Victor Grayson and signified their desire to become members of the new party. The veteran H. M. Hyndman accepted the chairmanship of the united party, which brings Britain definitely into line with the great international movement making for the brotherhood of man and tho. bringing of peace and goodwill to men. Tt is a? great to be a, woman as to be a man, And there i<4 nothing greater than the mother of men. —Walt Whitman.