The Daily News. MONDAY, MAY 11, 1903. AN INTERESTING SPEECH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 113, 11 May 1903, Page 2

The Daily News. MONDAY, MAY 11, 1903. AN INTERESTING SPEECH.

. « A few days we referred to the fact that Mr Ssddon had held the posit on J Prime Minister tf the colony for a period of ten yeaiv, and touchtd bri lly on the progress of the colony during hat long aud eventful period, At the Jeniocsiration hold in Wellington to >elebrate this event an address was presented to Mr Seddm txpre=sive cf. .ha appreciation of Lis friends and admirers. In replying thereto Mr Seddon made a speech of mote than usual interest. Mr Seddon cannot; claim that be is unaccus'omsd to public spuakiug, bt cause, we believe that t.mongst other records held by him is that of k svisg during the last twentyihree years', during which he has contiguously sat in the New Parliament', spoken oftener and at great r length thin any other mamber of the House. Mr. Seddon fi-st came in'.o prominence owing to his power of speech. In every sense of the t;rm Jlc Sadden is a great speaker, and from the first spscch he made in the House right dowu to the speech he made the other eveuing in Wellington, his speeches have always attiwct.d attention, There is a rugged eloquence and power about Mr Seddou's speeches that command a tentioa from the most hostile. The groat secret of his shcceee as a speaker is his eam-stness and the thorough knowledge he d-splays of every phase of the subject upon wl.iob he dwells. Only those who have herrd him on great occasions cm realise how forcible and eloquent he can be, and how ha can riße to the occasion and carry h ; s audience with hiua, Tlu speech he made in Wellington the o'hsi eveniDg was one of his happiest efforts It was a magnificent oration. Altogether devoid of that solf laudation, which, on such an occasion, wtuld haw ben, not otily albwable, bu- w,s al most demanded ; altogether devoid alec of any r-eeai of triumph over beiter. fois which, considering the bittoi opposition and misrepresentation hi has often had to contend with, would have been excusable. It was n well thought out statesman! k} speech As a history of the progressed the colony during the past tea years i was a striking testimony to Irs success as an administrator and a splendid vindication of the policy and principles o! the Liberal Party of which he is th( head. The wonderful array of fact; and figures marshaled into line wi 1 such ability and convincing force wea a complete and satisfactory answer tc all the prognostications of the opponents of that policy and those priu eiples. Dealing with the much abuscc labour legislation with which thiLiberal Party are S3 closely ideotifi ic Mr Seddon referred to the threatened strike in Glasgow, and th) struggle ir ) Victoria, and to labour troubles i; Prance and America, and said that it New Zealand we could lo„k on wstt calm placidity, working as we die under our present law. The demands of the workmen had been fairly m«r and he declared that emp'oy-rs anc capital h.ul never been safer than at th< present moment in our country. II , this legisb.'iou had incieas-jj ih. i workers' wages he asked this qmsti-ju J Had it dona any harm to the employer! 1 j'he ktkr'd property, his msc'uinoiy 1 his profits', and his stabili y, wer. i bettu'to-day than in the days of lon I tiuffi-:, with a strike inevitable. 11a-: that legislation brought down tho va;uof properties in this cauntry oratopp.-x i.'jdus'ry? 'llia answer must be .No It v,\.s inevitable that in a qjuttr, where high w.sgcs were p:<iJ, the pjtph would ba iu a condition of adv.uiuemeat arid prosperity. They wanted h-rrmony to ruign, and he deulated thai lire employer had nothing lo fear froru the Liberal Party, and th -fc the also might res" assured that th-.» pt-j----tic ion given him in past wou cl ucontinued, Mv Seddon mideasiil.ndit. defence of tho old age patsioas aid, after referring at some length totn

woikitigof tho scheme, s»id :—" AtiJ what Lad ths old p-nsion done ?' 1, had r. mov. d r.ngtvsb ; it bad |;ivcii j ;y, a; d i', had given ua tho ion?oV,:oa ; of kiiOv. i: g that cur deserving aged ; should so'w«nt for the ticc> ss.rios of I life. There had bsen no incrt-a; t> cf t:xt'ion nec-siry, such aa thr-y | had been watntd woukl be the rase/' Speikirg of the Cook Island?, Mr Sid don spoko of the time when Sir Julim Vogel arid the ihcn Premier, Sir ltoboit ikut, wire r ady to go by steamer lo mints: yuuioi when thi.y w.-re stopped oy a message frcm Downingsfcseet.i A'heiv, asked Mr Seddon, is Samoa to-1 ay? OjS portion had gone to Ga'■nany, and Mie oth«jr to America, He u(>ld, in regard to greater New Z.a!and, tlut the expansion of our bound.ries was an advantage to us, not oniy fcooa the lOcdid view of trade, but from be national standpoint, for ho mainainei tint we had aright to select our ■leighbou'S. It; was much better to have th< se islands forming part of New Zetland than that they should bo held oy a foreign power, Those island; *t:ro capable of groat development. . hera were toas and tors of tropical ;rui s wasted arnual'y which ought to ,'0 to the children of the workeis of ,h s c lony for their gcoj. Ih'.y ought obi wi'hin reach of the mn, women, and children of this olony, and not be left to a eelat fiw. Th y had jmfc! accomplished • ha ex ension of the boucJuiisof th-) ei yof Welling'on It ■v: s a wise 'lrng to have this Great r .VilliugtoD, and lo hivo a greater and vider municipal life—cf which'here *as not in New Z>ahnd. Wo .vented in this country a wider free lorn, ,x vtider franchise in the municipalities, tith the pov.ers of s lf-gwrcment in the birds of the people, and what applied to tVe cities in th's r-jspec' ap- - plied to Iho ex'ension of theboujdario3 ■f our colo-.y. Doling with tie linpiiid questi n, Mr Se'don was very impressive, at d urged very 6trongly the the nccD3f.ity of Imperial unity an 1 coop ra ion. Dcalirg with the future Mr Seddoa held tha 1 ; a liberal aud pa!i;y was of viial importatce. We ruubt net let our men and women ' eave these shores to s?ek land in ■ Canada and. other puts of tho world. 1 The 'ai d w„s here, and the people must be put up n the land. They nips', be 1 put upntS'B land on eucli co-idV.ioas 2 « would £ive them a fair division of '■* mtvfi's is be weon themselves and the . g State, wbicii was to bo the landlord. i Dealing with the laud f.ir Settlement 7 Act, Mr Sedd m claimed it had b;en n »i'eit s-iccjfs, cs a'si had b.ea the Advances to Settlers Act. People r talked ub ,ut the increased indebtedness, i. mt they Slid nothing about the s cucity. If In control had been placed n the hards of a Lecding Bo rd there would havo b en no complaints. Whit .vas o' j ct'.d to. was tha*. und:r the pre seat syst"m tho control was in the - hands of the p opl>, and hi hell that it rcu.t roaiaiu there. Ha trusted '.he p3op!e, and when he told them that in respect to th"?e loaus they were - to day over to the good," thay >vou!d sic that there c:u ! d not possibly '. be any loss. Mr Siddon contended tha"; one thing wantel was to have an increased population, and to have our t mark ts within our own boundaries, Q What better maikets, he asked, could a be farmers cf New Zm'and have than yr the inarke s of Nsw Zoalmd ? There 0 was no ship necessiry, no freight tc e p«y, and no control by middk-man, i, England and Scotland had a population S of 40,000,000; New Zwlatd, wi h ihe 1 same aroP, had a ropjlttijn of 800,000, j During lass year tbe inc.va'-'e was ovat r 20,000, ara daring the last three or u four mintl.s it h.d bjun at the rate oi I- 2000 a month. There was a great dial c more in this ineres'iog pp;ech, whict t we hava not space to deal with to-day a Mr Seddon expressed his gratitude tc . 'h se who had consistently supp:rtec . him, and sail it was this support whic': ~ had enc.u agid him to go on, and r wh'ch h>.d en ibbd him to do what he e had 'dam. While he had hedth and 0 stivnith he would coatinue to do hii ,[ best f r the people of Zealand.