The Southern Cross PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, June 16. "WHAT ARE WE DRIFTING TO?"

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 11, 16 June 1894, Page 8

The Southern Cross PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, June 16. "WHAT ARE WE DRIFTING TO?"

Coxey’s army is on the march, not only in the United States, but all theworld over, and, ridiculous as its proceedings may appear, it is the herald of the future. The great armies of the Continent are quiescent, and the coming struggle is as far off as ever. It is not the clang of arms and the battles of nations that is now exciting the world. A new army has come to the front, and upon it all eyes are directed. Coxey’s undisciplined mob. reminds one of Wat Tyler and Jack Cade of the olden days. But times have changed. Wat and Jack are a power now. It has taken a long timeto bring it about, but that we are on. the eve of a great change no man can doubt. Old faiths have lost their hold. Power is passing from thehands of the few into those of themasses. Here, there, and everywhere come fresh demands—refused at first, but conceded in the end. How will this new power be exercised ? Are we to sail out into the cyclone of strikes, or into the haven of State Socialism, the ideal Utopia ? Old methods have failed. There is to be a new departure. The French Revolution was a mighty upheaval—onethat changed the face of the world. But it was a protest against the past, without any solid aims for the future. Things slipped back again into the old groove. Kings returned to their thrones, and the old game of lighting for nothing went on again as of yore;., and then the people in their despair looked across the sea to the great Democracy of the Hew World, and thither went the multitude. But it, too, has failed to give that perfect peace and happiness so fondly expected. When two millions of people are crying out for work and bread in a country where a millionaire spends, two millions of money in the erection, of a country residence, and where half the accumulated wealth of theUnited States is in the possession of two score of people, it is evident that the sixty millions of their inhabitants have not, though in possession of a territory nearly as large as Europe, been able to work out the social problem—how to make the many comfortable and happy. Their political and municipal systems are rotten tothe core. Large bodies of men are perambulating the country, and in some instances resorting to violence and murder. The United States possesses within itself all the elements of a great and prosperous nation. They can laugh at the rest of the world, for they want but little from outside but still they are full of trouble. Am

over-abundance of wealth in the hands of a few-even their store of silver —is a trouble to them ; and if in such a country the masses are in despair, where are we to look for hope in the future P Coming nearer home, we have the Australian colonies in an unsettled condition. Victoria is twisting and turning, and, like the man lost in the bush, always coming back to the same point - —more taxation 5 for the colonial politician has only one idea heap on the taxation, and the country will be prosperous and the people happy. New South Wales is 4joing to solve the social problem by combining taxation and federation. South Australia is going to give the women the suffrage, and of course, as many fondly hope, that will put them right, while Queensland, perhaps the richest colony of the group, is simply drifting—a mere handful of people occupying a boundless territory producing gold, tin, copper, and sugar, the owners of vast herds of cattle. And still the people are in trouble and discontented, and some of them rush off to found a new Utopia in the wilds of South America. Even there they have not found that perfect rest which their dreams foretold. Yes, truly, there is a spirit of unrest abroad. And what are we doing? We have given the women the suffrage. That is the first great start. “ Close up the pubs,” says the prohibitionist, “ and save a couple of millions.” “ Annex Samoa, start a State bank, and flood the country with money,” is another cry. That is a step in the right direction, for the country wants money badly—cheap money for farmers. But what about the poor manufacturers and traders ? The Colonial Treasurer says we have a surplus, but even it won’t bring us out of 'our impending ftoubles, for trouble we must and will have. It’s in the air, and even here in little ISTew Zealand Coxey’s Army is on the warpath.