HONESTY AND HUMBUG.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 132, 13 September 1910, Page 5

HONESTY AND HUMBUG.

"DEAD TO POLITICAL RECTITUDE." MR. MASSEY'S MERCILESS SPEECH. By Telegraph.—Pres? Association. • Palmerston N., Last Night, There was a gathering of Opposition supporters at the Municipal Hall this evening, when Messrs. Massey, Herd* man. liine, Malcolm, Buick and Noa« worthy were present and gave The meeting took the form of a social, given by the Political Reform League, and is intended as the first of many similar functions to be held here. Mr. Massey spoke of what the Opposition had done since he had last spoken at Palmerston. Subsequently they had fought an election, at which* they stood for honesty against humbug. Although they had been in Opposition for anany, years, only one man had left them to go to the Government, and it took thai! man years to find out how to fump down off the fence on which he had been sitting. What the Opposition was fighting against, was the abominable system of "spoils to the victors." The only time he had been ashamed of being a member of the House was last session, when an Opposition member moved itt connection with Government advertising, that public money should always bg spent for public purposes, and in the best interests of the country and aoti for party purposes. On that occasios, 35 followers of the Government follo\f»fi' the Prime Minister through the mud and voted against the motion, thus favouring the spending of public anoney ton party purposes. At present, encouraged the idea, that if a mam want to share in privileges, he must} become a Government supporter. That system was wrong, and deliberately! built up to support the men who sat on the Government benches. That system was responsible for the present Land Bill, which was even more ob> jectionable than that notorious measure of Mr. McNab's. He predicted that the Government would entirely fail to land fy either leaseholders or freeholders with either leaseholders or freeholders with the new Bill, and the Bill showed that the Government was utterly ignorant of political economy, and dead to politft cal rectitude. It proved that the Govy ernment had not the slightest idea of what the country wanted in the way of land legislation. The country wanted legislation that would open up idle lands; that would encourage enterpritte and energy on the part of the people. If it was the best Land Bill they could produce the Government should retire into obscurity. Mr. Massey concluded by an appeal for support, and said that they wanted other places to follow the example s«t by Palmerston North. Mr. Herries said the success of the gathering augured well for the success of next year's fight. Regarding the Opposition, people thought that the Opposition supported the "fat man," but there was no greater calumny than that. It was no part of their policy to encourage the mopping up of land, and as a matter of fact, they were more in touch with the working man than the Government. What the Opposition wanted was to have the country populated by an industrious yeomanry of small holders. They wanted to put a party in power who would clean out the Native Department. They wanted to have the Upper House an elective House. These were the three things on which the Government had no policy, and on which the Opposition had a definite one.