HIGH POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 274, 13 November 1908, Page 2

HIGH POLITICS.

In England, by tacit consent, foreign! affairs have been removed from . tin.' arena of party conllicl. Interchange of views and negotiations, are nearly always taking plaee between tlie Powers. At such a tune an injudicious debit to might be attended with the must disastrous consequences, ill a young country like New Zealand, when the prosperity of the people is so hugely dependent upon the English market—more particularly the English money market—it might be well if our leading public men displayed a somewhat ei)UUI sensitiveness to questions of finance. Of course it is one of the first duties of the representatives of the people to closely scan the bearing of taxation upon the industries, the interests, and the various classes of the people. Equally, it is their duty to keenly watch the possibly undue parsimony or the lavishncss of the cxpendjlure, but when financial questions arc dealt with broadly, then tile utmost care should be exer-1 ciscd that no statement calculated to seriously affect the credit of this country is put forward which cannot be substantiated by facts. For tile man inspired by some insane, two penny ha'penny hope of injuring his political opponents, who rushes into print with assertious that cannot be sustained in reference to the financial position of the land that lias made him—assertions calculated to bring about ruin and disaster—it is scarcely possible to imagine any condemnation too severe.

Some time ago reference was made in these columns to the one time somewhat frequent appearance in the Press of this colony—repeated in the press of England—of statements regarding die financial position calculated to most injuriously ali'ect our public credit. Clearly a bitter, petty and partisan spirit inspired the author of this so-called criticism. At the same time their happened to be in Wellington a gentleman who was credited with possessing precisely the same kind of spirit. At the last election this gentleman lost lli'w seat, and thereupon the injurious financial criticism ceased. Now, having become associated with a newspaper, precisely the same kind of criticism reappears. The statements recently put forward are based upon last quarter's returns of the revenue and expenditure. The Premier referred to the statements in his Now Plymouth speech. It is asserted that the Government have failed to forsee the national results following upon their own legislation ; that the consequence has been '' a cheek''—a dishonoured " check ''—and that much worse might be expected to follow. Promptly, as in Ihe old days, the falseness and viciousness of the statements have been exposed, and they recoil with tremendous force upon the party whose interest they were put forward in the hope to serve.

What is asked here is why Mr Masscy lias not at once repudiated the slightest sympathy with the views of the most indiscreet friend, instead of endeavouring to justify them. Five or six years ago when such unpatriotic and disloyal statements appeared th? Opposition as a body sat stock still, leaving it to be supposed that, if they were not .actually cognisant that tlrse statements were coming, tliev at least accepted and approved them.' Had Mr Mas„ey boldly stood up and denounced statements which, under the guise of fair, well-informed criticism, were calculated to injure the Dominion, lie would have carried the whole country with him. lit he had the eyes of comprehension with which to see he might, years ago, have- realised the consequences of his failure. Jn precisely the same way, had Mr Massey and his followers stood up—when Mr Fisher fulminated his voucher accusation—and after the evidence had been submitted to them declared that they didn't believe one word of it—that they were satisfied tile public men of Xew Zealand were not petty stealers from the public chest—again they would have carried the count.vy with tlicm ; but they seemed to hope that the charge was true and that their hour was near.

When llie Meiklo Compensation Hill was bciorc Parliament last session, an opponent of the measure reminded the Premier tliat the man Jlciklc had been travelling about the country for the past fourteen years traducing the Government of which lie was a member, and the parly by whieh it was supported. "Well," answered £ir Joseph Ward, | "what has that fael |n do will] the inherent justice of his claimV I trust that! any injury J may personally have suffered will not lead me into the denial of justice to another." So doubt the people of Xew Zealand have their faults, like all others, hut they do love to see their public men take high ground; the magnanimous action and the noble thought, arc dear to them. There are some able and most industrious men in the Opposition, but some of the prominent members of the party have yet to show I lie qualities requisite to touch the hearts of the people of the country. One of those qualities is putting the interests of the country before party and condemning unfair and unjustifiable attacks on the national credit. We-e these qualities 'exhibited, the Oppo«i- ---| lion would play a much more import- [ ant and successful part in the conduct i of the affairs of the country, because then they would command a greater .share of the confidence of the mass of I "the people than they do at present j