"Smoodging" and Muzzled Mouthpieces

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 87, 15 November 1912, Page 2

"Smoodging" and Muzzled Mouthpieces

Trouble within the Labor Party LABOR AND THE PRESS. DISCUSSED BY THE SOUTHLAND DISTRICT COUNCIL. THE VELVET HOOD. We lift tho following from the "Ota go Daily Times" :— JNVECCAKGIJ.L, Nov. .'5. At a mooting of tho South!: nd District Council -~!' tho l/wil \1 .Übm' IVrly on Saturday ni::-;lit Mr. It. I'.ur-• said there w,is too much "sun;;-.!.^!!-"

! going on to :h-.;s;e v. ho weie. not- Labor men nt iH-"rt. Ther-.? w>h too 'm;rh of the velvet. Lood nnd not enough of the mailed fist. Ho considered that a grea-t mistake had boon made in allowing the "Now Zealand ' Times" to become the official mouthpiece of the party, and the consequence had been the muKzlin,--!; of one of the loaders. Labor could not rub shoulders with capital without stultifying itself, and they should be as tho Bulgarians wore to tho Turks—fislit the enemy on every possible occasion.

Mr. Jacob Alsweile.r did not agr"-'----with Mr. Foirclough and meantime- ho d ; d not th.Hk it right that Profof-'t-ror Mills should bo criticised in the wpy Mr. FairoLii;.-.!) had done.

Mr. L. Noil said that he did not. think that the United Labor Party could bo accused of "smoodgimr " They were not fighting against capital, but against, capitalism and for tho uplifting of humanity. There were men outside the wage-earnora' ranks who were in sympathy with Labor's ideals, and molt men ought not to be discouraged. Lord Shaftesbury, for instance, was tho first man to undertake the emancipation of tho British workers. 'There were men in the community who wore half capitalists and half workers, and whose lives wore as arduous as the most hardworking wage-earners. These men wore willing to come over and abolish th° present system, and it would be boorish, and even insane, not to accept them.

Mr. J. Titchener said that he was a contributor to the "New Zealand Times," nnd from a Labor viewpoint he did not think much of it.

Mr. Fairclough, to illustrate that there was no sympathy between L-abor-ites nnd those representing Capital, referred to a d'senssion at a recent meeting of the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce at which Mr. lie Hoyles had said that Labor agitators ought to be strung up and Mr. James Callender had agreed that the punishment would be a just one. Ho said that the Federation of Labor was on the right track in so far as keeping aloof from the common enemy was eor n erned and in the militant attitude it had adopted. The United Labor Party was not showing enough antagonism to capitalism. For instance, it had taken Mr. George Fowlds and tho sinrrle-tnxers under ite wing. They wanted men with the straight-out Labor ideal.

Mr. T. O'Bvrne differ*.! from Mr. Faircleugh. and thought he should look at tho matter in a broader Ihrht. T T e had provoked a useless debate, and he could not understand why 1 c had done it. Without, making use of the press on every possible occasion they could notexnect- to make progress.

Mr. Neil remarked that he was so disgusted with tV. t-TO ■j J a"jw'i*xr!3"s +hey had in New Zealand for the way they were aclways fighting each other that he wov.ld not contribute to either of them.

Mr. A. Glass agreed with Mr. Fairclough that- they had left too much to one man. It was always necessary in such eases that they should keep a watchful eye over him. Until the United Lalxir Party became more militant it would do no good.

Mr. W. T. Eagle said that the discussion would do good. He was of opinion that a clique in Wellington had too much control over the party.

The President (Mr. M. J. Forde) agreed that the party was not militant enough, and be condemned the action of the executive in allowing Messrs. Geortrp Fowlds and Arthur Withy to use the- party as they were doing. On the public platform ati'l in literature that had been distributed Mr. Fowlds had been endeavorinc; to nsroeiate the Radicals with the Labor Party. There was no connection between them. A man could not belong to the Labor Party when ho was anti-Labnr. and I'hat was the relation in which he held the Radicals were placed in regard to the Labor Party.

Mr. Glass, at a later stage, referred to the Dominion Executive, and accused it* of taking from the council the regulating of work, for which it alone should be responsible. Ho referred to the publication of articles in a local newspaper which it was claimed was done und?r arrangement with the United Labor Party.

Mr. Forde also maintained that the Dominion Executive had no to make such arrangements - 1 : C.nvt first, consulting the local comic;', and both the local papers should have been "dven the option of accepting or refusing the arc;, les The ITon. J. T. Paul could, in his private capacity, contribute an article to any paper he liked, but it was a different matter when such nrtlo'-r "fo published under the aegis cf the party*

Mr. Nt.il :■-, ir e,-eh -voe:' should bo sivon the ehynco of ptib!isliin:.r the- artii'les. .'.-1- ■■■. nidi would acp.piyt t-h"r:> s]h-i;1 ' lie sup, ,ed in order that a wider field : . secured.

' Mr. Glass said that the great danger lay in giving the exclusive rie;ht to mv newspaper to publish official com-■r.-:mic:»tions from the p-arty. Especial]'-' "/:vj this the case with papers ■itvled thppiraJv-'"-; Piulical. as peoplo ■•■■•r? then put to t"'nt was i"> difference between Labor ism and Radi-"•:'-'sm. It was nurci" a ivatt-pr of l.nsiriess, of course, with tho newsnapers, but the public had not known ! this. They should net commit such n» , 'rror until the newspapers concerned ; had definitely declared themselves. i Radical papers were continually preach- | ins; that their nominees vipt" as pood as i Libor men. nnd when official Labor conI tributions appeared in socli papers the ; i.iiblic wpfp led to af.sume that there i was truth in t>.e stiatement. Then 1 ; -diould he no oorfup'an allowed in reI txa-rd to Libera! shii'k'rs «nd Labor i -.-urlcprs. 11" would rriotior ?■■•<■> r-nr-h pr- ' tides appear in an avowed 'lory paper ; fact, they would appeal more to the • r-rkei-.-i when puhlislied in that vr.nor. 'The "Southland Tim-'-*," too, had i,0 , .,„ < the ono paper that h:.ul been peri'ectl.r i!.\ir to the Lal-.ir mo'-cit'eut in mvi!- --! C'lriij!!, and its reporters 'had reii.rj- : o'.i'-lv ('tuned ni) (oc'cir Labor tit"'-tin" ■ or other gathering, and had provided ! liberal, an unto mid riei'ectlv fail nI poj-ts. Tl'.ey should support such a j P-tpc! - , w'iiir-'i haci alw.'iys dealt l' i; ii-l. | 'it-h thp.u, instead of one which nover ; ' .'■'. a;i of slinging mud at , them. j Air. o'Bvrnp said that Professor I Mills had comphined to him that lip had at times written to Messrs. Glass and Fordo and had received no replies.

He had said that it was particularly desirable that Mr. Eoide should contribute k> the official organ oi the party, the "New Zealand Times."

Mr. Glass declared that- Professor Mills had not done so except when he was asking for money.

Mr. Forth* said that he had never received a letter from Professor Mills in his life. He had been asked, by Mr. J. A. McCulloiigh, on behalf of Professor Mills, to eonuribulo. and he had replied that he would do su if he were paid for it. As advised by Mr. McCullough, he had written to th" editor of the "New Zealand Times'' on Ihe matter, but had not even bee-it favored wiilt the courtesy of a ; "'!>'>• '"' v "' ns earning his ; i"'ir.g by writing, and it was hh logical to ask a carpenter to build a house for notitiu't as i-o ask him to contribute iirti>l"s to a newspaper without being paid for such writing.

Theie was no motion before the meet in;,.;, and tho chairman closed the

discussion,