The Maoriland Worker. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1911. The Elections— First Ballots.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 41, 15 December 1911, Page 10

The Maoriland Worker.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1911. The Elections— First Ballots.

A Journal a? Industrial Unionism, Socialism and Politics. "Organ of the Now Zealand Federation of Labor." - FAIR, FEARLESS. ANO FREE.

We 'wish to offer genuinely hearty congratulations to the eight. Socialist candidates upon the fight they put up. The distinguishing feat-are of their fight was its revolutionary character. Eight declared and straight-out Socialists went to the polls, not to win by hook or by crook, but to advance the most far-reaohing and roost fundament t-al concept that has ever entered into political contests. That concept is Social Reconstruction from the bottom upwards hy economic change —by the abolition of wage-slavery. And over and over again we mxist say to ourselves that unless this be the primary purpose of Socialist candidatures then such candidatures will be virtually worthless and must finally fail. Never losing sight of in' the greatness and grandeur of our object we may always feel exalted in fulfilling the smallest part of mightiest whole. Win or lose, the custodian of the international Red Flag may well feel elated at the sacred privilege of being permitted to carry that flag aloft defiant and inextinguishable./ Not dismay, nor despondency for the Socialist standard-bearer, but pride and hopewin or lose—in the certain conviction that to lose is to win, for resistlessly the triumph approaches upon the foundation of the reverses. The Cause cannot fail; events and evolution have writ its inevitability upon the page of progress, upon the soil of destiny. We are glad that eight candidates stood for Socialism, glad that in every list of candidates and in every table of results the word "Socialist" had to appear. In itself nominally nothing, yet this trifle splendid propaganda in familiarising the people with the term, as prelude to understanding, or taking for granted the idea behind the.' term. For us the elections in this sense may be likened to the despised acorn" designed to grow into powerful oak. We are glad, we say, that eight avowed and pledged Socialists ran for Parliament, and we cannot help repeating that for what the running symbolised the workers of New Zealand are as fortunate as all concerned for the truest cause of humanity are favored. And, further, we are even somewhat amazed at the comparative success of the Socialist candidates. In . politics, as in all polls, so many defeats seem to. be iii the nature of things ere the tide, turns, and the New Idea swings with the current rather than against it. Indispensable- preliminary to Socialist success is temporary failure. Thus in tlhe election of 1905 one Socialist candidate takes the field and scores 91 votes; in the election of 1908 five Socialist candidates secure 2£21 votes; and in the election of 1911 (so far) eight candidates get over 9000 votes, while two get into second ballots and two others run formidable second to the , winners. i

Nor must it be forgotten that in at least half our eight seats., matters were more or less "mixed' ■' and disorganised until the elections were almost upon us, uncertainty prevailing for a long while as to whether seats should or should not be contested. Added to this, the fact that electorates were passed by in which the Socialist vote is obviously strong, and we have- an unanswerable case for satisfaction and optimism regarding results and prospects. ' As for the four contests in 'which the Socialists are at the bottom of the poll, let us take heart and nurture hope, for four men went down facing fearful odds, only within a few years to ride those odds and dominate the situation. Those bottom men are as true and courageous as their more successful comrades — ; and it is safe to prophesy that'the full eight will ere long sit together in 'Parliament as colleagues leading the mass mind to mass ownership of wealth. ■ It's as a party we stand or full together: it's for a cause 'we accept humiliation as saiiguinely as 'we accept plaudits. Frankly, we could cheer for very joy upon the results in respect to our eight candidates. Altogether, those results are splendid—and what a glorious battle! Entered upon practically witthout unified organisation, how remarkably the contests indicate the possibilities and reveal the potentialities! Given three years of solid and strenuous preparation, thro© years of industrial link-ing-up, three years of learning and demonstrating the inseparability and inviolability of Socialist Party and Labor Federation—and at the next elections we might have a candidate in every constituency, and begin to ride the whirlwind and direct the storm. With this granted, always the possibility &f losses, but also always the joy of struggle (which is real life) and always the surety that be it defeat or victory we cannot lose! Of course , we want to win. Not to want to win would be quixotic. But if we do our best and our duty we can be careless of the outcome. Only, we must do our best and our duty—for Socialism is only inevitable because doing our best and our duty are also inevitable. If we £re the creatures of an environment we will wisely see that we are also the makers of a.n environment. To a large extent, man his own prison makes. What we now feel to be'vastly important is that * Federation of Labor and Socialist Party shall seriously" set : about putting their houses in perfect order by severe and brilliant attention ,to the machinery of administration. i'lhc relationship of branches tb. : centres and the co-ordinating of -all —with much more of communication and system and understanding than in the past —and headquarters and ramifications so connected as to permit of prompt ana united action; and, generally speaking, more movement together in principles and with knowledge of each other's tactic otr strategy—all this calls for clever, and close overhaulage; and equipment. We shall bo dealing more fully with this question in future issues, but here emphasise how necessary it is to set early in motion the N.Z-F.L. and S.P. conferences of next year, so that all concerned,may be made interested and 'the whole business of perfecting organisation, be discussed, treated and accomplished. As supplementary matter of urgency, the compilation and construction of platform, pledge and procedure iji selection ballots should not be overlooked, nor should the thinking.' about the precise functions ami indimpendence and interdepend-cuice of both

Labor Federation and Socialist Party— for overlapping is waste of time, cash,, energy, and ability. . , As for the elections as a whole, our Interest in themis as nought compared; to the foregoing. It looks as, if the Ward Government may be returned with a considerably reduced majority, or we may hare a Massey Government. Fortunately the victorious party will not possess a formidable majority. Our readers will need to be on the alert regarding conscription. The elections ov.e.r —and aitcr all out clever cartoonist "tellingly hit off'the position in last week's issue—we may now see a less accommodating effort made to enforce the law.. y Respecting Labor at the polls some thing a,non. If we wanb New Zealand to march ahead it is positively unchallengeable that Socialism has to boat Laborisin, and to do this torrential propaganda must be insistent and persistent. Agitation, Organisation, and Education for any other object than the making of Socialists and Industrial Unionists can. only be pursued with disaster and danger to the work-ing-class. Make Socialists, Socialists, Socialists. To the workshop and thestreets! The war is to be waged upon Capitalism. Do you hear, do you realise what it means, do you consecrate time and talents to emancipation?