The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1919 THE CAUSE OF LABOUR.

Taihape Daily Times, 4 February 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1919 THE CAUSE OF LABOUR.

(With wMcb iB Tucorpfwated The Taihape Post t-fld WalEsaiiuo Newa).

* Federation of the labour of this country has been virtually accomplished, and no time is being lost in prosecuting the ostensible object of the accumulation of such a mass of political force, which is. education of people generally on the labour doctrine throughout the whole Dominion, with a view to electing a labour party at the coming elections that shall make its power felt in the House, even if it fails to secure a majority at the polls. At present the volume of success labour is likely to achieve at the election of a new Parliament is very problematical, but it is quite within labour's political rights to adopt all the constitutional methods at its disposal, and no reasonable person would fail to acknowledge such fights or to withhold a welcome into general participation in the triennial political competitions. The greatest danger to the la'bour cause is the leadership, which appears to be Bolshevik" and noV labour; in fact, despite the obviously strained efforts to make people believe that they are not Bolsheviks, their defence, of Bolshevism and their efforts to make believe that the disciple? of Lenin and Trotsky, and that even these two great German frauds are not such black devils a? cables ana" telegrams from all parts of Europe and' America are'painting them, leaves no idoubt about their Bolshevik character. The people of this country will hesitate in sending men to make laws who have no respect for law; who flout and disobey laws, who care nothing for the rights of majorities; who like their confreres in Russia would overthrow all law by sheer brute force in campaigns of frightfulness in which the homes of the labouring people suffer equally with all others; who would institute a regime of murder and plunder, and like those in Russia, would seize everything fhey could lay hands upon and use it for their own—not the psoples—political advancement. Such men come to the people of New Zealand in sheepskins, but the nose of the voracious Bolshevik is discernible; they hate the British Empire only as Germans bated it, and their real desire to improve the lot of labour is just aboufun a parallel with Germany's desire to improve British labour conditions. New Zealand labour is the unsuspecting, trusting "Little Red Rising Hood," and Bolshevism is the wolf, !by soft words and deception, insinuating its way to power when it can turn and devour its victim and then give its attention to the grandmother in the Homeland.. Can it be possible that these men who have no respect for laws enacted by the majority are innocent, of the fact that they are the jsckals of a terrible cult that is now wallowing In human blood in an. effort to convert all Europe into a chamber of horrors? On occasions, these disrupters of all law and order introduce their propaganda so gently, obscure their real purpose so artfully, ingratiate their "way into labour's confidence so cunningly, and steal >n m or the people's affections so subtly, that were it not for memory taking us back to those occasions when they encoln'agecT labour to disregard laws and revolt against going to assist the thousands of our brave brothers who had already gone to the war to fight for the sacredness of their homes, and our homes, we mignt be influenced to evil by their spurious sentiment. No journal extends a heartier welcome to labour in taking its rightful place in the field of national and local polities, but there must be a keen discrimination between the great mass of labour thai would be horrified and insulted to be told that the}' were supporters of murdering and plundering, and those who by their actions, have demonstrated to undeniable truth that they are nr friends of majorities, whether they belabour majorities or majorities or arother sort so long as they conduced to a seizure of power whereby they could cammenCe upou an Empire disintegrating career. One reviews the unlawful, disloyal past of the men who would draw the great mass of labour after them, and wonders how it is that such men have neen y trusted at all with the custody : of labour's honour. Those~*/Jho fought l ''in the labour arena three or four decades ago laid it down that labour sought by the attainment x»f

equal rights before and under the law for every man, to build up a great people whG should continue to strive for the highest human Heals; it was labour's purpose to entirely remove all fears from the minds of workers about their future, and to inaugurate conditions in which it should not be possible for any person to want for any of the necessaries of life, food, housing an-" healthful conditions; when none shou' be overworked, and lime for needful recreation, rest and study should be available for all, young and old, but the successes of old-time friends of the masses have been seized upon, twisted and turned to the use of both toryism and Bolshevism. Only a few years ago Mr Massey linked hig party up wr that of labour, promising labour all sorts of good things if it would only vote for Masseyism. Is it &t aIT surprising that labour should show some measure of revenge? We can accuse Bolsheviks of opportunism of the meanest most disgusting and culpable character, but has the Massey Government been frer, from indulging in opportunism of rbe most degrading form. Th« opportunist can only succeed temporarily, and it is the practice of such tactics that encourages others to exploit opportunism iu striving to lay hold on the reins of Government. At Taumarunui, a few' evenings ago, Mr. Holland was virtually correct in saying that the Labour Party were the legitimate successors of Ballance and Seddon; but, in fact. Mr. Holland was indulging in most dishonest and cruel opportunism. What does Mr. Holland know about Mr. Ballance, or even Mr. Seddon? What man or woman, is tuere amongst us that could imagine Mr. Ballance or Mr. Seddon in the same political fold with Holland, Semple, and Webb? One only needs to recall the war in South Africa to realise how Mr. Seddon would have dealt with the Hollands and Webbs who would have left our brave fellow citizens to die by the Mnd of the Hun in France, and would rather suffer imprisonment than go to their rescue. But that is one of the distinguishing marks between labour and Bolshevism; labour rushed to arms to help their Vrothers in trouble, >.'■ preferred to go to gao l aud sava ' their skins. Upon labour the | mantle of Seddon fell, but that so great and patriotic a statesman could 'ever look with anything but horror upon Bolshevism - is •too" absurd for anything. Hollands and Webbs masquerading in the virtues of Ballance and Seddon, two of the greatest patriots ' the Empire ever produced, two men that did more for the uplifting of the masses, the underworld &S well as labour, is the height of incongruity, and would be intensely amusing were it not fraught with the greatest danger to the true cause of labour. During this war the opportunism of greed to exploit the worker has paved the way ror 1 the opportunism of Bolshevism to exploit the masses politically. Where are the rational labour leaders whose love and regard for humanity are not stained in streams of human blood? It must not be thought that what Bolsheviks have enacted in Russia, Germany and other places will not be attempted here. Bolshevism is Bolshevism as toryism is toryism, wherever it is found; Bolshevism achieves by bloodiest orgies of revolution -what the I other brings about by a lingering relentless course of starvation. The sn 7 vation, the complete emancipation of the..masses cannot possibly lie through cither Bolshevism or toryism. Where is the rational labour party?