AN ADMIRABLE NOTE.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 December 1919, Page 4

AN ADMIRABLE NOTE.

In liis address at Waimate on Monday evening, the Prime Minister struck a tiote which will find a ready response from all but the most hopeless political partisans. He said he was not going to deal with party politics, "the times being too critical to indulge in party wrangling." That is an admirable view, but that it is not being generally followed the columns of the daily press bear eloquent testimony. Only a week or two ago, ]\lr. Massey himself described the arguments of his political opponent as "bunkum," "humbug," and "arrant nonsense," whilst he referred to the Leader of the Opposition as an "irresponsible politician." Equally reckless and offensive epithets are hurled by the other factions at the Prime Minister and his party, whilst we see newspapers professing a regard for the interests of the country engaging in a violent campaign of abuse and recrimination, not only in their editorial columns, but also coloring their news columns in order to advance the interests of a particular body. One would think that the last five or six years have taught them nothing. But we are sure this state of things is not indicative of tiic temper of the people. The latter cannot be swayed and fooled as they were in the past. # They have recently been brought face to face with stern realities, and look for sanity, clear judgment, and guidance from our public men. They realise that the times are too serious for 'fatuous recrimination and the raking'up of the past. They are concerned with the present and the future, not witli the past, which they want to see buried. They are looking for men who are not unduly trammelled by party ties, but who are competent to deal with the grave problems before the country, men who love their country, and are prepared to show that love by service and sacrifice, and the evincing of a spirit in keeping with the new era that has dawned.