The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 1891. THE PRESS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2150, 15 January 1891, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 1891. THE PRESS.

It is really hard to bear with equanimity the unblushing effrontery of the Christchurch Press. There is no paper in New Zealand can equal the Press in shameless disregard of truth. In its issue of the 12th instant it begins its leading article as follows : “One of the moat unfortunate results of the late strike and of the general election which followed has been the creation of a considerable amount cf class feeling and class animosity. The leaders in the strike movement acted on the assumption that the interests of the employers and the employed were necessarily antagonistic, and they spoke and acted as if it were necessary to the complete success of the workmen's cause that, the employers should be made to suffer. These leaders went even further, and in some cases proclaimed their determination to win if possible, even if the co’ony should bo temporarily ruined.”

Without desiring to be regarded aa championing the cause of unionism we cannot allow this gross falsehood to pass unnoticed. According to the Press the leaders of the unions were guilty of all the mischief, but what are the facts —Ist: A gentleman in Victoria boosted that he forced the . strike so as to get i> off in the slack season; 2nd: The unions in this colony did their best to confine it to Australia, but it was forced on here by the Union Company ; 3rd : From the first to the last the working men were clamoring daily for arbitration, . but the employers always refused it; . 4tb : When the Government invited ' the parties to the dispute to meet in Wellington so as to settle matters not a single employer «f labor presented himself at the conference, excepting the Hon. G. McLean ; sth: When at , last they met the labor delegates in Lyttelton they refused to admit Mr 1 J. A. Millar, the chief of the labor movement, to the meeting. From beginning to end the tone ot the labor party was most conciliatory, and on the other hand the capitalist party , were most arrogant and overbearing in their conduct. Another thing which ought to be placed to the credit 1 of the unions is the splendid conduct of the strikers with very few exceptions. Never did men on strike in any country behave so orderly and so well. Yet notwithstanding all this the Press does not scruple to bring them in guilty of all the evil results of the strike. There are always two parties to every quarrel, and there were two parties in the strike dispute. According to the Press the capitalist party laid down like innocent lambs, and allowed themselves to be fleeced. Is this a fact ? The Press tells us class animosities have been engendered through it, Does its pet lambs share this feeling of animosity ? Are they still doing all in their power to crush the unions by giving preference to non-unionists wherever they can get them? From the first of the strike to the present time we have preached the gospel of peace. We have held that any one who would arouse men’s passions aud cause irritation and illfeeling was an enemy to social order, and ought to be discountenanced. Acting on the belief that conciliation was the proper course to adopt we ‘ have all along done our best to promote peace. And what has the Press done ? During the strike it adopted a violently partisan attitude, and now it is as unconciliatory as ever- It brings the unions ia guilty of all the mischief, and the capitalists are harmless lambs, la this the way to promote good feeling and make people forget the class animosity which it deplores as an evil ? Nothing astonishes us more than the stupidity of the party who think that the best

way to conciliate the unions is to malign, slander, and insult them. Their conduct betrays a lamentable lack of knowledge of human nature. Let unions bo treated fairly, and we shall hare no trouble with them ; let

them be met with repression, and we shall have endless strife. We must admit, however, that the Press is the best friend unionism has in the colony, because it will always act as a very sharp spur to move them on to action. A tyrant is always liberty’s best friend, becauses be forces men to rebellion. This is exactly what the result of the conduct of the Press must be, and consequently it must be regarded as a menace to social order,