The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22. LIGHT AT LAST!

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 268, 22 March 1911, Page 4

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22. LIGHT AT LAST!

If the National League is not a mutual admiration society and intends to beluive itself inji moderate and reasonable manner, it may do some good. If it exist in order that its members may air their views on every conceivable subject, it may add to the gaiety of one nation at least. This League sprung into existence in Wellington, and its mission is to "safeguard the necessary freedom of action of the individual and the community." The members seem to be professional men —at least the spokesmen for the League are professional men—and they hope to create a national opinion from Wellington. The League is non-party. That is to say, that it is anti-Govern-ment and not bound to the Opposition, and it hopes to establish a "moderate" party, "moderate" being probably the vaguest term that can be applied to any political action. Delightfully, one of the members of the National League described it as "the belated turning of the moderate worm against the perpetual pinpricks to which it had been subjected," j the inference being that the Moderate'l worm has not been doing its duty in remaining covered up in the earth when he could have been out in the sunshine eradicating the evils that do so beset the people of this unhappy country. It seems, according to the League, that the New Zealand community is treated as "a hothouse plant and that its character is therefore not developed," The character of the "worm" has, however, evidently been developing like anything in the confines of its subterranean tunnel. The League desires to get "the moderate voice of the people," the obvious accusation being that, if the people have a moderate voice, they don't use it because the worm hag not, turned and the people are frightened. The League's business, "i therefore, is to teach the people not to | be afraid. A speaker at the meeting of i the League mentioned that the exlrem- j ists occupied by sheer noisiness a larger i place in public opinion that their numbers warranted. The extremist is the man one does not agree with. The League does not agree with a party, and | the party is therefore an extremist. The party will not agree with the League; j therefore the League is an extremist. It I is merely the point of view that is different. "To develop a man's character," said a Moderate Leaguer sententiously. "they must have conditions that would find out the weak spots in him and enable him to cultivate (lie strong points," or words to that effect. The Moderate Leaguers, therefore, hare left their comfortable burrows in order to develop character in mail. They do not say how they are going to set about it, but they are pledged to tight extremes in legislation—that is to say. legislation eou-id-cred by Moderate Leaguers to be extreme. One other League philosopher, having heard a Leaguer remark that the League must be kind and gentle and non-party, with no axe to grind and nil ! the rest of it, said in quite a soldierly way that the League must he aggressive and do the attacking and not mcrclv be defender. The League will attack opinion that is not the opiaio'i of the League, [f public opinion is indicated by Parliamentary enactments, the people have been stupid to send to Parliament the men who make the laws. 1; the enactments ,rrc offensive to the public, the j public will ultimately take a reasonable J revenge. The League's business is to show public opinion that it is barking up thff incorrect vegetable, that it is being wilfullly misguided without knowing it, and that it must in future save its national self-respect by carefully examining the political brand of its representatives. If, in the opinion of the Leaguers, the J politician's views are sound, in he goes, j and the country is safe. If in the opinion 1

of the Leaguers his views are unsound—outer darkness! There can be nothing partisan in such a course, can there? And just a word about "Moderates" generally. Said a Leaguer: "The Moderates always lost because of their lack

of interest. The enthusiasts and fanatics won by reason of their enthusiasm. By suoli a League they would impress on the public the opinion that the peo- ' pie of New Zealand were moderate thinking and not people who were led by. a lot of hare-brained cranks." The gentleman who used this moderate illustration is a barrister, and therefore skilled in argument. Here is the logic of the argument as one see 9 it. "I am a Moderate. I lack interest. lam not an enthusiast. I am not a fanatic. Because I take no interest, am not an enthusiast or a fanatic, follow me, and all will be well. I will save your national and political soul." The enthusiast -is a man of deeds. Obloquy does not dishearten the fanatic. He cannot be shouted down. He is the man who carries the people and creates public opinion. If the Moderate worm that has only just turned has up to this point allowed the fanatics who rule this country to do so without protest, a sudden development of temporary fanaticism will not change public opinion. "Moderate" means nothing except apathy, and we note with, surprise that a Wellington city councillor, who has, for the first time in his short career, placed himself under the banner of the Moderates, accused his constituents ot "apathy." They at least got out of bed to vote for him. "Apathy" is the other man's sin; it i 9 the rival who is "harebrained," the unenthusiastic person who sees confusion in someone else's enthusiasm, the man of vague opinion, who chargas another with definite, unalterable views, of fanaticism. We hope that the public of New Zealand will bear up under the accusations of foolishness hurled at* them, by Moderate Leaguers, remembering that they have hitherto listened to enthusiasts, and are now hidden to listen to non-partisan "worms" who lack enthusiasm. The "worms" will probably enjoy the sunshine for a little while, and then turn earthwards again, but in the meantime several of them, quite regardless of self, will teach themselves the gentle art of persuading an apathetic and (in the "Moderate" estimation) very stupid community to regard them as possible candidates for places in a Parliament to be composed, in the sunshiny future, of National Moderate Leaguers, There is indeed no sign of an "axe to grind." The closest investigation fails to discover the presence of eve» a gapped tomahawk. ; ' [ | I |