The Daily News WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1904. AUSTRALIAN POLITICAL SITUATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 238, 12 October 1904, Page 2

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1904. AUSTRALIAN POLITICAL SITUATION.

The denunciation by Mr Tom Mann, the English Labour leader, of the Watson-Isaacs alliance in the Federal House of Representatives, ns rel>orted in our cable columns yesterday, may render a resume of the situation of interest. In the re-grouping of parties in. the House after Mr Reid's accession to cilice twelve Protectionist members, with Air Isaacs as their leader, having become imbued with an idea that tho existing tariff contained! many defects requiring considerable and immediate remedies, foi'iuud an alliance with the Labour Party. The terms of the alliance, however, are somewhat obscure, as each party retains a separate tat-ity. The first plank of the joint platform "i& the Concili'ation anid Arbitration Bill, "as nearly a» possible in accordance with the original bill, as introduced by the .Deakin Government"—i.e., the form that cost Mr Deakin his official existence. It is added, however, that "any member is at liberty to adhere to his votes already given." The tariff plunk consists of a demand for a Royal Commission to inquire as to necessary tariff legislation ; but "each member is to decide for himself how ho is Ho vote on the subI ject " The terms of the alliance, in brief, are nothing less than cryptic ; but the union is to be for the life of this and the, next Parliament, and the contracting members agree, as far as possible, to insure each other's i seats. In plain English, it is meant that the Labour Party will not attack the scats of their allies. Ilut a factor to be reckoned with in this matter is the Labour Party at present outside the House. The roison d'etre of the new combination is not easy to perceive, and evidently Mr Mann has found this h a difficulty ; but he very conveniently disposes of ft by Baying.tfaat nothing- gpod can come of such an alliance. The Labour Party gain twelve votes, and raise their voting power to thirtysix in a House of seventy-five, but, apparently, they accept Protection as a policy, which cannot be pleasant to the Free Traders among them. The t\\live Protectionists, on the other hand, would appear to have made their seats safe ; but the Protectionist) Party in the House is broken up. There are now nominally two parties in existence—Ministerial and Opposition—and there are Protectionists in both. 15ut the present grouping is artificial, and does not seem to follow any cleavage line of principle. Mr Heid declares his aim is to re-group Australian parties by what is the true watershed of Australian politics—socialism or anti-socialism. In all his public utterances he praises the discipline and earnestness of the Labour Party ; but he contends that they put the class against the community ; they saciifice the individual to the Stato, the Parliament to tho cnucus. In the claim of the party to preference of employment f o r unionists as against non-unionists Mr Reiid argues that Labour members are false to their own party motto of "equality of opportunity for a""! There is to be no "equality of opportunity" for. non-unionists. And in his opposition! (Jo this policy Mr Reid, an Australian writer observes, has common-sense and general public sentiment oil his side. If a uis>-. lutioii conies', Mr Re-Id will make this the ground of his apjieal to the electors; his success will depend largely op whether the average elector takes tho trouble to master the .situation, and to record his vote. Some of tho Protectionists who have formed the league with the Labour Party have the notion that they will strengthen fcho more moderato elements in that party itself. Tho Labour Party has two diverging branches, of which Mr Watson and Mr Tom Mann may be taken as representatives. Mr Watson if. sensible, moderate, and practical ; Mr Tom Maim scorns the mild diet of Arbitratign and Conciliation Acts ; nothing less than a collectivis-t type of society will satisfy him, in which, to use his own memorable words, there will be "room fo' - , any private receiver of rent, interest, or profit." And Mr Tom Mann, it must be remembered, is the paid emissary of the London Labour Unions. There arc thus two strata of opinion In the Labour Party ; but, if we are to judge by the teaching of history, in a case of social revolution, or evolution, the extremists usually triumph. They have energy and organisation, and convictions.