THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1894. MR EARNSHAW'S SPEECH.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2738, 15 November 1894, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1894. MR EARNSHAW'S SPEECH.

Wb often feel disgusted at the indifference with which the masses regard politics, but when we remember how frequently they have been deceived, and how treacherously they have been betrayed, we can only say that they have a good excuse for carelessness. No better instance of political tergiversation could be given than that of Mr Earnshaw, Labor member for Dunedin. He was elected in 1887 on the strike wave of popular enthusiasm, and die tiDgnished himself in Parliament by the virulence of his abuse of Mr Fish. Time brings its revenges. The mantle of Mr Fish has fallen on his own shoulders, and he is employing the same tactics to which that gentleman so unsuccessfully resorted. Wounded pride and personal vanity drove Mr Fish into opposition, but he thought that by the gad of the publicans and Conservatives he W&&W be re-elected. In the same way j£~ has forsaken his party, and his hoped aiti now centred o 3 the support of prohibitionists and Conservatives. That he will meet the fate of Mr Fish at the next election is certaiu, unless something happeus in the meantime to turn the tide. He addressed his constituents last week, and met with a warm reception, but not worse than he deserved. Mr Earnshaw claims to be a Labor member, and it is true he waß elected as such, but the way he represents that claßs is peculiar. To start with, he has characterised as iniquitous Mr Seddon's action in refusing police protection to Mr Middleton, of Benmore Station. Whatever any other class in the community may say about that a working man ought certainly to uphold it. If Mr Middleton were upheld in his action in importing bUekJejg labor Australia others would foSow his example, and we should in the course of time have the tragic scenes which disgraced the other colonies re-enacted here Above all others working men should dread such possibilities, and regard with undying veneration the Minister who had the courage to take such A bold step as to refuse police protection to Mr IVii -^-<il«to«m. The moral eflect of that one act must be great, for henceforward those disposed to deal harshly with their workpeople will not do so, because of the fear that in case of a disturbance they will not have the police at their back. j

Mr Earnshaw's gibberish on the subject of finance is not worth noticing, except in so far as it concerns labor. Mr Earnshaw says that no one in New Zealand expected the plunging financial policy of the Government, and quoted from Ministerial speeches in proef thereof. It is all very well to quote scraps from speeches, but if Ministers made one thing plainer than another it was that they intended to buy native and private lauds, and surely no one except a born idiot could think that they could do so without money. They also made it quite plain that they intended to borrow cheap money to assist farmers,.and everything done last session with the exception of the Bank of New Zealand Guarantee w»s foreshadowed by Ministers previously to the election. Mr Earnshaw's statement is therefore absolutely uutrue. But what manner of a Labor representative must he be who condemns State Farms to assist the helpless poor, and also the settling of people on the land I Is there any other means of assisting workiug meu except by settling th im on the land ? Every year the number of people un employed is getting lurger, and the only way to lessen it i< to settle them on the laud. "As a member of the Tariff Committee," saya Mr Eauiahw, " he could tell thorn that the committee, led on by j Mr Ward, had put on the necessaries of life sucu taxation as was a scandal and a disgrace to a?)y Liberal party." It is hard to treat Mr Earnshaw patiently. The taxation on the necessaries of life hns not been increased by a single cent. It is true tbat it was proposed to Increase the duty on wheat t > prevent Auitrali;tu wheat bringing down the prices still lower, but auuh brainloas idiots ai Mr Earn-haw prevented it. Our markets are glutted with wheat; it is bac.uisu V.m price is too low that the depression is eo deep, and yet Mr Earnshaw would have ua believe that to prevent' foreign wheat

from coming would have made bread dearer. The thiug is too ridiculous. It would be well for us all if wheat were double its present price; then there would be very few idle. Then Mr Earnshaw indulged in some irrelevant raving about corruption iu couueotiou with the Cheviot and Pomahaka estates, and wound up a speech replete with bitterness, billingsgate, and balderdash with an appeal to the people to hold him justified in his actions. Poor Mr fiarnshan ! Poor conceited, egotistical little elf—mosquito, the Rev. Mr Isitt once called him—he has undertaken an unequal combat. In his vanity he thinks he can injure the present Government, but so did Mr Fish, who was a giant physically and intellectually compared with him, aud Mr Fish went under. Mr Earushaw will meet with a similar fate, aud this the meeting told him pretty plaiuly. He was continually interrupted from begmniug to e d, aud at the close he was challenged to resign and contest ths seat again. He had sense enough to decline this, but his day will come, and when it does he will find himself flung back into the obscurity from which he so recently Bprung.