THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1908. A BRIEF CONTEST.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3021, 19 October 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1908. A BRIEF CONTEST.

The decision of the Government to hold the first ballots in connection with the General Election upon the 17th November next means emphatically that the contest in most electorates will be of unusually brief duration. It may be urged, of course, that the Government is anxious to "hurry up" the election in order to prevent Opposition and Independent candidates from thoroughly "stumping" the country, and thus causing the ruling party some annoyance, if not actually weakening their strength, but, we think, the real solution of the date for the General Election being arranged for a date earlier than usual is due to the fact that a number of second ballots will have to be taken, and, consequently, the election will not be really concluded until about the usual time. Everyone is anxious, no doabt, to have the hurly-burly over well before Christmas, for politics and Christmas festivities are not at all

an appropriate mixture. The elec tion will create but little genuine interest throughout the Dominion. Here and there close contests will be witnessed, and there will probably be a few surprises, but, so far as any real benefit that will accrue to the country from the expense of taking the polls it would probably prove of more advantage to the people if the money were not spent at all. The Opposition party—such as it is—is absolutely without organisation, and no effort has been made in many electorates, so far as we can see, to bring out candidates likely to be returned. The Opposition Leader and some of his colleagues in Parliament have frequently contended that a tremendous responsibility rested upon the shoulders of the Opposition, viz., to do their duty by the thousands of electors, it may be said scores of thousands, who vote no confidence in the Government. There is no question as to the responsibility, but how has the duty been discharged? Simply by pursuing tactics with which the great majority of those who are opposed to the present administration have no sympathy, by advocating the candidature of well-known politicians, whom the people have rejected on previous occasions in no uncertain manner, all with the object of establishing an Opposition party such as existed in the early days of Seddonism. We \ give the Opposition credit for having ; tried to serve the country to the best of their ability, and for having done some good work on occasions, but surely repeated failures to win the votes of a majority of the electors in so marked a manner as has been witnessed during the past nine years, should be sufficient to make clear the futility of the tactics that have been adopted. The "Evening Post" in Wellington gives sound advice, in the circumstances, to its readers when it remarks: — "In our judgment electors will be wise who support at the coming contest the best men who may offer themselves as candidates —men of character and ability informed with honest democratic spirit, irrespective of party ties and party declarations. We suggest this course in the hope and belief that, whatever may be the composition of the new Parliament in a party view, it will, in its general character, take a higher place in the estimation of the country than the Parliament which has just ended." In thirtynine electorates Independent candidates are to be found. Is not this , fact indisputable evidence of the widespread spirit of opposition that exists in regard to the present administration, and could anything more' clearly point to the utter incapacity or unwillingness of the leading spirits of the Opposition to weld a party together on lines that would be advantageous to the Dominion—to form, in fact, a party that would be really strong in Parliament. To-day the country is at the mercy of an all powerful, extravagant, non-progressive Government, and we think it can be fairly asked whether the Opposition is entirely blameless for the unsatisfactory position of affairs.