The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1919. THE POLITICTL SITUATION.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3372, 29 December 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1919. THE POLITICTL SITUATION.

With which ils incorporated “The Taihape Post. and Waimarino News,”

In accordance with this country's electoral -law, as the Massey Government made it, no oneean deny that the resultant triune contest, held recently, terminated in the law-makel"s favour, and -operated as the law-maker would have it operate. No one is likely to dispute that point, he he friend or foe, sympathiser with or opponent of, so one~sided a mc'a.sul'e, and it will prob-_ ably be amongst the shoals of AReform’s electoral law that the Reform

ship will be wrecked and stranded. Neither of the two parties who failed to succeed in ‘the “sudden death” system of electing a Parliament have given ‘any intimation of’ the c.ourse they are intending to follow when Par-' liament is in session, but there are indications that a definite course is being mapped out for the occasion_ It seems that Labour’s weakness in"the House will arise from a similar cause_ to that whichiprevented them using their full strength in the constituencies; it will be a “cut throat” game in which Labour" will play into the hands of’ Reform to defeat Liberalism, and it is the intention, when ‘the third party is defeated, to play oif with that party now several points ahead. Such ‘scheming for position and power is not, however, what the country wants, or expects of any party. 7but it cannot be said that a desperate situation does not exist for all three parties. Our Wellington correspondent had -an interview‘ with one of Labour's shining lights, in Wellington, and was frankly told by that Labour leader, It-hat, ‘although therc was no »agreement between the parties, Labour had, by its own determination, resolved to fight the elections on the side of Reform, so as to kill 1.-iberlalism outright, if possible, and thereby compel its routed units to fall into line either with Labour or Reform. The Labour Party had come to the conclusion that Liberalism was the only serious obstacle to its progress and success, and Liber«alism hel‘d in thraldom thousands of timid electors who had desired to go forward, and yet feared t_o advance, and this leader plainly state‘-d, that in constituencies where the Labour vote, could not go to the Labour candidates, it had gone to Reform. There was no collusion, he said, ‘but Labour knew well enough that when Reform was in the same case it would smite Liberalism hip and thigh. From this admission electors are made aware of the existence of a detéiniination by two: political parties Ito crush out of being the thirid. In the last election Labour strengthened Reform sufl_"lcient- ; ly to make it the anvil on wlilch to} pound out Liberalism-, and Labour‘ knows that Reform Will, when the op- i portune moment arrives, smite Liberalism hip and thigh. Such untoward arrangements may suit the plans of Labour and ‘Reform in the House, but do they flail in with the views of La: bour and Reform in the country? The country cannot affiord a carrying on of petfifogging party wars in the House, and it is doubtful whethEr‘Labour will continue to be a buttress of Reform when the serious work of legislating for reconstruction and repatriation actually commences. They aldmit that Liberals, theoretically, are a hundred times more progressive than Reformera, but they claimed that party progression had’been' scotched ‘=by coalition with the reactionary party; ‘that Libel-. alism had -become stagnant, lost iit,g/ir;- " itiative and-virility, and’ that, there. fore, Liberals were mere 7encumbgl-erg

of the Parliamentary ground. Liberalismhas not yet spoken, but the party is ‘to meet at -once and determine the attitude it will observe in the-‘House. Heaids on all sides -are being counted, and none more anxiously th-an amongst Reform, for upon the number, hardness and soundness of Reform heads will depend the nature of the interpretation Mr liassey will give to his proelection manifesto. With so many Independents in the new Parliament, together with the fact -that ‘the Govern~ ment does not represent the country, Mr Massey may start off well, but his positionwill become increasingly difficult to maintain, as the policy he must stand by" is‘ unfolded. Whatever Labour did to kill Libéralism in the elections, it should most assuredly vote with Liberals in the House to prevent re;«.etionar_v ‘legisl.n‘tion getting on to the Statute Book, and to urge on every progressive measure that -the country so desperately stands in need of. It may also he noted that there is a strong probability that candidates will be more closely held to their prornises at the hustings than ever on previous occasions. No one will realise more than Reform supporters that Reform is virtually dead in the country; that only such another premediated prearranged three-cornered contest can ever get Reform back again in a majority, l unless, of course, that policy is pur-J sued we think the wire—pullers of Reform will never sanction. So many‘ members know their suéeess depenidedl solely upon vote-splitting, something that trust cannoét: B'e'placed upon a second time, and they will, vloluntzarily, I

01' involuntarily, pursue a. course that will be in an opposite direction to that

of another election. They will realise the extreme difliculty of the situation,

and this will be intensified by the ‘knowledge that if they expect re-eleer tien they must tune their political harps to what is most popular in their respective elect-onates. For Reform members the future is difficult and un_certain; they know the people polled :1 huge majority against them; that with a second‘ or preferenltial ‘ballot their chances of success completely

ivanish, and it is not unreasonable to assume that such me'mbe’rs may gradu-' [ally drift over towards the people and Jawiay from Reform. Labour is jubilant over its success, a "vote was polled by 9 Labour that almost stupified the other

two parties, and it seems ,quite beyond all belief that another triangular elec-' tion will take place. From ‘time to time this journal pointed out, because it was so very obvious, that wol'l_<ers generally were being forced into the camp of -ofiicial Labour by reaction and dilatoriness of those in power. The Government may have been marking time until fthe feeling of tiheeountry was ascertained, anid nowiithlat they have discovered what the feeling of the people is will they-..\ still go on trimming, temporising, procratstinating, playing with the strong curl'eilt of pub

lib opinion, heedloss -of cex-min consei

quences‘? This country stands” in direst nood of‘ a certain class ‘and. quality of log,-islmion, and whatever men, or party furnishes what the people stand

most in need of,'it is towards that party and those men that ‘the current of public opinion will incre'asiingly flow_ .