THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 1912. WRITTEN ELECTION PLEDGES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10542, 26 January 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 1912. WRITTEN ELECTION PLEDGES.

A good ueal of discussion is taking place throughout the Dominion at the present time on the attitude of the Labour Party at the last election in requiring candidates for Parliament to give written pledges to support the Labour platform. Mi- D. McLaren apparently considers -that &ucli pledges are not only useful, but necessary. On tilie other hand, Mr W. A. Veitch,- the member for Wanganui, declares that the giving of a writ-ten pledge to any party implies legislation by -machinery. He contends that a memJber of Parliament should 'fie pledged to principles, and "not to any particular party. ui support of Mir McLaren's view, it may be mentioned that the idtea of securing written election pledges is not new. It operated in tlie elections • in Australia some months ago, and was found to be .successful. As against this we have the experience of the last election in jNevy Zealand, when every Laibour ea-iuMdato who gave a written, pledge (with one solitary exeejytion) was defeated, while those candidates "nflio refused to give the pledge wore returned with substantial" majorities. If the Labour party, .-which is now in course of construction throughout the Dominion, insists upon a written pledge from ' the candidates .it puts forward, there is reason to think that it will alienate the sympathy of a large section of the working' classes. The fact -that a man belongs to the

Labour organisation should be a suffi- , cicMit guarantee that lie will use his | best efforts to promote the interests, of the workers generally The,effect of the written pledge in Australia has been that the functions of the Legislature have been largely usurped iby the Labour Conference. This was clearly demonstrated iby the conference held in 'Tasmania last week. Air Veitch, for his part., is not willing to J surrender his individuality, and maintains that Labour members should be permitted to use tlu ,r own discretion as to what measures tliey shall, or dhall not, support.' This is no doubt a true conception, of the Democratic ideal. Wihe.ll he has been a little ulhile in Parliament, however, Mr Veitch will discover that the position of a free lance i.s quite untenable. The exigencies of J j arty Government demand that there shall be an ete" ment of cohesion, and tihis cannot be produced unless private members are willing to surrender their individuality. While, therefore, it should not I ibe necessary to secure a written pledge that members will support the ■ principles of the party with which they are identified, it lis essential, foi the maintenance of the present defective and anomalous system, tfhat there should be an understanding between private members and the leaders of the oarty to wfhich they belong. When the people become a little more enlightened, they will demand ' the abolition of the party system en- { tirely, ard will emibrace the (Referendum, with a limited power of inlitiation on the part of the people. Utntil this time arrives, however, tentative pledges wall require to be give s n, or the whole fabric of party government will collapse. ?