The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. FRIDAY, JULY 30, 1920. UNDER WHICH KING?

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3540, 30 July 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

FRIDAY, JULY 30, 1920. UNDER WHICH KING?

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

During the Addrcss-in-Reply debate in Parliament Mr Holland endeavoured to persuade Members that conditions in Russia were not at all what they had been led to believe frofn cabled reports of happenings in that unfortunate country. He assured the House that he was in receipt of many books and other literature from and on Russia which were banned by the Government of this Dominion, and he inferred that a noble, humane work was proceeding there under 'the guidance of Lenin and Trotsky. Mr Holland either directly or through one of the authors of those prohibited books, accused the Prime Minister of Britain, Mr Lloyd George, of being an unprincipled scoundrel and a .liar; he extolled the virtues of the socialist leaders of Russia; while casting reflections upon the nationality of the Prince of Wales, and seemed, even ,to challenge the constitutional rights of the present Royal Family to the Throne. While Mr Holland could not find it in his conscience, in his Judgment of what was right and decorous, to say one sentence appreciative of that British Government from which has sprung that unparalleled freedom, and that democracy which has now spread into all parts of ue world. Surely it is true that Mr Holland does see red when his sense of comparison arid proportion cafe see so much to admire in the regime in Russia uuder the sway of Lenin and Trotsky, and does not see anything of v.rtue in his country, and in the people that -were his own forebears. The speeches of extreme Labour Members during the last session of Parliament left in 'the minds of all other Members the one uncloud-, ed belief that the Extremists' one) purpose was to overthrow constitution-, al systems of British Government, not merely to clean out the Augean political stables, and institute a government of equality which w'Ould not. be dominated by lords and dukes, erstwhile brewers, (soapboilers, 'butchers and whatnot, who have attained to the altitude of being Peers of* the Realm by virtue of the millions of money taken from the people and which no man on earth could accumulate by honest trading and honest profits; by men who have purchased honours with the money they have filched from the people by donating huge sums to the political funds of Toryism. If such cleansing of the Legislature of Britain and its Dominions was what Extremists were pledged to in conjunction with the humane policy all arc voicing in the present session there could be reasonable cause for hope or fear that Extremists would one day occupy the Government benches. It may be stated that when accused in Parliament recently that the Extremist purpose was to set up the simile of Soviet government in New Zealand, one of them declared that the Extremists had no such intention. From this it is clear that those few men should in their own interests publicly declare their policy and state what their true aims and objects are. It is not unreasonable to assume, after reading in Hansard about that, little smash up and smash down in the country’s constitutional political system —-not (the excrescences on that system —that it was for the out and out Lenin —and Trotskyism—rhe real simon pure of Russian Sovietism, and they snood out boldly and determinedly to bring it to materialisation and fruition in Br.tish dependencies, amongst British people. If E'Xtromists r arc opposed to the establishment of Soviet Government, and honestly acclaim tha.t they are convinced that Its institution in Bri-

tisl> communities would In* subversive of British freedom and contentment, then, it is thoi’- duty, and seemingly to their advantage, to say so: tiv let the people know there is a fa’se impression abroad; why do they hes’tato? If Extremists are misunderstood they are solely responsible, but there are no indications that they are misunderstood. They have quoted Philip Snowdon and Mrs Snowden, the 'English socialists; they have twitted Mr Massey for having acted as cha'."man of Air and Airs Snowden’s meetings, held in New Zealand, but thoj' studi-

ously avoid, quoting Mrs Snowden’s opinions on what ./obtains in Russia under Lenin and Trotsky. Is it nor a fact that' those Two arch-fiends have had all the wealth of Russia they could lay Sban'ds on; %hoy forcildy took most of it from its rightful owners. and have spent it in an orgy of human slaughter unexampled, unprecedented in the most strained and fantastic fiction written by the most gifted authors in diabolism. Gan it for a moment be denied that Lenin and Trot-

sky came not to bring peace, freedom, justice, equality ol political rights, but that sword which should convert all Russia into ono huge shambles with human blood running everywhere. If Extremists are opposed to instituting a similar b oody regime in this Dominion let them declare It beyond any possibility of misunderstanding. It is not sufficient to say they would not favour Soviet government in New Zealand while they persistently demand that the most outrageously extreme Bolshevik propaganda should be encouraged amongst Now Zealand people. Will they say it is untrue that Mrs Suowden, while in Russia"xor the purpose of studying first} hand Soviet conditions under Soviet government, was offered seven thousand pounds by Russian people for the boots she was wearing? If that is true, and Mrs. Snowden made the statement in all seriousness, what is the financial condition in Russia, and everything else that depends upon a "healthy finance? Docs it not indicate that industries must languish unless the. Soviet leaders make it a condition that all workers shall be supplied with food by their employers. It may be' assumed that some such provision does obtain as Mrs Snowden mentions that a playactor receives £20,000 a week and his victuals'. Mrs Snowden’s evidence will scarcely be denied credence by Mr Holland, then he must admit the breakdown in Russian finance, and with that breakdown, a collapse of everything based upon finance. Without healthy finance what can be accomplished even in New Zealand? Very little indeed of more than a negligible degree of permanency. With boots at £7OOO a pair and all other necessaries of human existence at similar prices; with crippled industries; with the wars and massacres that have been incessant since Lenin and Trotsky assumed the domination of all the Eussias; with no money to purchase goods from, other countries, how can men with commonsense advocate similar conditions in New Zealand or in any other country? Russia has now money but that it should pay repudiated debts with, and should t|ie Russian niote value ever regain anything like the international average standard those who are forced to hold them, because nobody will take them, may one day wake up to find themselves as rich as Croesus, that is, of course, if Lenin and Trotsky do not repudiate liability for them as they have dene for the money lent by other nations to the Russian Government. It is too great a tax on one’s credulity to ask any sane man or woman to believe that Russian Soviet Government is any Improvement on that under the good old British constitution.