The New Zealand Times. THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 1913. THE PEOPLE’S MANDATE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8341, 30 January 1913, Page 6

The New Zealand Times. THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 1913. THE PEOPLE’S MANDATE

It is somewhat wearisome to read in tho Tory organs tho persistent reiteration of an unwarrantable statement that tho Massey Government is in power by tho mandate of tho people. This is so far from tho truth that the effrontery of tho writers who continne to make the assertion, with a full knowledge of tho actual facts in their minds, is amazing. However, tho purpose of tho misrepresentation is perfectly plain. It is recognised that if a lie is repeated with sufficient frequency, and maintained with reasonable gravity, there are some unreflecting people who will eventually accept it mechanically as tho truth. Indeed, it has been argued that tho mendacious individual, by tho constant repetition of his own mis-statement, becomes in tho end convinced of its accuracy. Bo that as it may, tho change of administration in New Zealand is of too recent occurrence, and tho surrounding circumstances are too fresh in tho minds of the people,' to leave any room whatever for uncertainty or misconception concerning the matter. The Massey Government is not in power by the mandato of the people. That is an incontestable fact. It is in power in spite of the hostile vote of the people at the last general election. It is in power, purely and solely, by tho “ratting ’’ of several insincere and unstable persons who spoke as candidates from the Liberal platform and were elected as members by the Liberal vote. Is it conceivable that this can bo questioned? When the House met in February, a month or two after the general election, the divisions were in favour of Sir Joseph Ward and against Mr Massey. It is true that the majority recorded on Sir Joseph’s side in the first division was the Speaker’s vote, but it Was nevertheless a Liberal vote, and, morever, it was a deliberative and not a casting vote as has been represented. Whore, then, was the mandate of the country in favour of Mr Massey and tho self-styled Reformers when they wore beaten even by one vote ? But there was also another vote against them to which due weight has not been attached. Mr Wilford, representing Liberalism and Labour,’ was absent in tho Old Country. This loft Mr Massey and his Tory satellites in a minority of two after the country had declared its voice at tho polls. In the second division Mr Veitch’s vote left Mr Massey in a minority of three, with Mr Wilford’s vote still to come. And yet, with shameless audacity, tho squatters’-organs and tho other sections of tho Conservative press persist in tho reiteration of ,the untruth that Mr Massey is in power by the mandato of the country. Is it possible that unblushing mendacity could ho carried to more degrading extremes? Not only was tho Massey party in a minority of four votes in the House before the short session ended, hut an analysis of the polling at the general election showed that many thousands more votes were cast for the Ward candidates than for those supporting selfstyled Reform. As a matter or fact, the Massey party got only 36 per cent, of the votes recorded, or, in other words, for every 36 electors who gave their mandato on his side there were 64 opposed to him, his policy and his party. Is this sufficient ? Or, on the other hand, do tho Tory writers require tho figures of that analysis to refresh their memories? Well, hero they are:

On December 7th, at tho first ballot, tho people of New Zealand voted as follows: For Masseyism 173,648 Against Masseyism 304,681 This was the mandato of tho country. Was it in favour of the self-styled Reformers who are persistently declaring that they are in power by the will of the people? Bub. now that tho occasion lias demanded the refutation of a misrepresentation, wo may bo pardoned for carrying our illuminating analysis of the voting a little further. This is how the votes in the seventy-sis European constituencies were distributed between tho parties:

Per cent. Liberal 48.22 Reform 36.31 Labour and Socialist 12.73 Independent 2.62 Prohibitionist 0.12 How about the mandate now ? Do these figures, and they cannot .be questioned, support the reiteration of the statement that self-styled Reform is in power by the will of tho people P Most assuredly not. The constituencies are not responsible for what has happened. “Reform” is in power, but by the mandate of several political “rats,” and certainly not by the mandate of the people. Take, as an illustration, the case of tho Bay of Islands. It is Liberal. It rejected tho Massey candidate. It elected an alleged Liberal in tho person of Mr Vcmon Rood. But Mr Reed, knowing that his constituency had declared against Massoyism, and without consulting the electors, assisted by his vote to place Mr Massey and the self-styled Reformers in office. This is not a solitary example of the kind of mandate that the Tory party holds from tho people. The Thames furnishes another. It is sufficient, however, to refresh tho memories of those who aro disposed to bo carried away by tho persistent reitcraton of tho assertion that tho present Government came into power by the mandate of the country.