The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1919. THE PROGRESS OF DEMOCRACY.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3358, 10 December 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1919. THE PROGRESS OF DEMOCRACY.

' ” With which ias incorporated “The Taihape Post. and-Waimarino News.”

Australia, as well asf New Zealand, is at the present ‘«time,-. in the throes of a general election and while we’ are too close to take a. comprehensive view- of all that is taking place here, ’and what it portends, we stand, .sufliciently afar off from Australia to get -"tho situation there into better ‘perspective. The progress «of democracy we have found from experience, cannot be hastened beyond the 'limit;s which . nature seems -to enforce upon all peoples. If anyentteinpt to force the pace of evolution inordinately is made it becomes revolution; there are not wanting abundant examples of this in Russia and other parts of Europe, where 3 the efforts to bring about sud‘den [social changes can be studied in all [ their varying degrees of ‘terror-isaiton, suffering, and death. What is happening politically in Australia holds con- _ corn for New Zealand, simply owing to {revolutionary democra’_cs in both c‘oun—j itri-es more and more unifying their} methods of fighting old social usages! and old industrial standards. A retrospect of the progress of democracy in‘ Australila. will convince most. reasonable people that unless civil war is re. sorted to democracy moves onward only in accordance with nature’g, ways, no matter how hard revolutionaries try to force the pace. In Australia -to-day there are rival Labouv: factions. just as there were "ten years ago, when the first Labour Government came into being; ..they were not so evenly balanced in those days as now, tlierefore the strife between them was much less marked. But all this goes to substantiate the contention that physiological! variation which operates against the stability of the “One Big Union” idea, and the creation of any ‘huge Ol'g‘3.lll§B.tlo.n, that is ‘workablg and tractable under one guiding head, will constitute a safety valve, a break upon recklessness of extremists, and so Save Society from destruction. It amounts to an axiom in highest military circles the world over that democracies such as we have in the British Empire, are at a grave disadvantage against nations and empires which govern with a much stronger hand; in which there is 1 less individual liberty, and, as in Germany, where a. much tighter rein is kept on the people. It is obvious that I any great (lemocfatic advancement’ must be world-Wide, because the precautions that must be taken by the mom dexriocvatically inclined will tend to prevent them getting far -ahead of the less democratic peoples on whom there is a. much tighter governing rein_ Until there is thoroughly dependable, Itried organisation such as a League of Nations to prevent war, -every country must have its experts in national safety. Thcfurthest democratic’ exiremists will go in-t-safeguarding their

respective countries is the establishment of a citizen arrny of 2; rather free and easy character. The greatest. experts, on the other hand, ‘state that the chief ‘menacing feature. of the future is the indisposition of British democracy to take any precaution against what is most likely to happen", that is, something similar to what has been experienced with Germany. This aspect of democracy and national safety is o.ne of vital importance» to Australia, and it is of no less concern to New Zealand. Efforts are being made in Italy at this rnomcnrt to force democracy out of its natural gait, and revolution is constantly -threatening. What is of utmost importance to us is that the leaders of democracy in Australia, when they came into power for the first time, realised that the establishment of extreme democratic cond.'i't‘i.ons sudgdenly was, in other words, to precipitate revolution and civil war. V Mr Watson, the first Labour Premier, was a man of well-balanced intellect‘; he was not radical enough 'for the extremists, and he was soon 'followed by Vlr Andrew Fisher, but >llO-ither leader did anything to forfeit the confidence of the greater proporltion of electors. In considering ‘the progress of democracy, we find the’ extreme section still grovelling around the same old questions they were most concerned about ten years ago, when Fl.-abour made its debut as a. govern- ’ ment. Ten years ago they wlanted the l“New Proteetion,”_ that is, ‘-the reguli ation of wages in protected industries, ‘and of the price of their products; phow far have they gone on the road to achievement is reflccted in the present irampancy of profiteering. They want«e‘d sriationalislation of" (monopolies, -.a State Bank, insurance against unemployment, a citizen a.rmy,.a .g'raduategl ‘land tax. The wi-sdom of establishing pa State Bank has been proved beyond question, but all other reforni-s sought tar-c still in a transition stage, exceptling the regulation 0? wages and prices in protected industries_, which is in a retrograde condition _:that should cause radical democrats to ponder over their methods. When Lhabour was less tainted with revolution it was successful, but just in proportion to revolutionary processes gaining co.nverts, so Labour power decreased. There will never be :1 reversion to any other form of government in.Au-stralia, but little real progress seems possible while such exanlpl.es= as that in Queensland are extent of what extreinism produces. Aboutfall Labour;hasilachieevd in its ten years of government the establishment "of a State Bank, this is purely owing tothe anarchic element which will be at the head,’ or it will burst up the whole into fceble.'_factions. Despite the ravages of tliefleiieniy within the w'ave of democracy is rolling onward; the plaitforms issued by the Various political parties "in the elections now pending in “both Australia and New Zealand bear ample evidence of democratic progress. "The democracy is gaining something every day, but before its ‘ideals are even within sight there must be 3. corresponding dcmocratisation of the peoples -of all great nations, for there is no greater‘ clog -to democratic progress than being compelled -to maintain such military force as will render attack by a powerful aggressor 'i'mprobabl-c. In New Zea. land Labour is being dragged along on an impossible mission by its Cxtrelllist leaders; those leaders know that every vote cast at the coming election for the impossible men and their platform will be wasted. -Labour cannot be returned in suflicient strength to achieve ‘anything; leaders ask people for very much more than they are wililng to concede, and so «the whole effort of Labour will again prove abortive. Worl{Cl‘s are the prepond-erantipolitical force but so long-as they submit to I'l3)’ leadership ‘of impo-ssibllc ‘extremists, they might as well not be possessed of that power, for tlrey preclude all hope of effectually using it.. A few L‘.-Il}Olll‘ candidates for Parliament will be elected to support a certain platform, but what is the use of lumbering them with a platform while there is not the tlightest possibility of doing anything with it? VVhy do sensible workers go on wasting their franchise on preordaincd .t'a-ilure? The differences with which extremists tart; permeating modern democracy is preventing the r:lpi.(l building up of that structure Just as surely as confounding of tongues stopped the building up of ‘the Tower‘ of -Babel in. ancient times. M.-“del'zlte workers in the cause of de-mos-;a(y refuse to waste the franchise that earlier democrats secured for them en a few extremists who will be absolutely helpless to achieve any one plank in their platform in the Parliament to be elected. Why the .old demo_eracy is crumbling is because it: is not just, and no ~dem.ocracy other than that which is Just can ever replace l.”