Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, 9, 1913. THE PARTY SYSTEM.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 9 July 1913, Page 4

Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, 9, 1913. THE PARTY SYSTEM.

northern branch of the Earners' .Union has seni A W*M & minion .Conference, advocating tl« wiping out of the Party system* of Government' and the substitution of an Elective Executive. The farmer is, of course, an intensely practical man. He cannot see why tw ihorses attached to a plough should pull in opposite directions, simply because they are of different colour o. possess distinctive names. When he bows his wheat, ho expects a little rust, but he does not anticipate that half his crop will be good, and 6 other half bad. He sup . poses that some of the. heads will lit larger than others, and that the yield of one portion of the knd will be greater than that of another* So with politics. He cannot see why people who sow ' their votes at the ballot box should reap a harvest <;f cross-grained politicians., some rusty, some, with large heads, and gome with no heads at all. The ideal state iiii politics, so far as the 'farmer can &ee. and so far as a great maJiy others can perceive, is one in which legislators,' imbued with a-spiration s for the good of the people as a whole, sh.:!l assemble together and frame legislation which will make for the permanent welfare -of the Commonwealth. There will h'hvavs b*» differencs-s ofopinion, to be sure. But, in '<% democratic community, the principle that a majority shall rule on questions affecting good' government is generally conceded. Why, then, should not a majority of member s of the House frame the Jaws of the country according to their light and learning? Why should have-a-dozen men, calling themselves a Cabinet, be possessed of the power to decide what is good for the remaining seventy members of the House, and what is good for the country ? Why should representatives of the people be compelled Ttoxoia fcr, legislation which, in their.

inner consciousness, they know to be . bud ? Why should othersincumbent to vote against, measures 1 why they realise, are in the best interests of the country? It is all because there has been'handed down to us by a superstitious and conservative people a form of government by party that possesses ' not even, the saving grace of common-sense.. "Ii we look back _ on, the .pages of history we will discover that many of the grave national crises have been precipitated by the desire of one, political party to secure a temporary advantage over another. If we study our social and economic laws we will find thati many of them have been framed from sheer expediency, rather from considerations of national development. We shall be told that no form of government other than party ia possible in a mixed community. We reply that such an assertion is a reflection upon the intelligence ol an educated democracy. The conviction has been forced upon us by the experience of our Dominion Legislatures that we should have better laws, more permanent legislation, and less waste of time and money, if the part} system were wiped out entirely. \> should it not be possible for the re presentatives sent to Parliament bj the people to select an Executive vhich would give effect to the .deck, ion of member.-* Xg & hody ? Soix - yiie will say that, with an Electiv Executive, there would be no "liar monv in "the Cabinet. Why shouii there be any special harmony? The Ministers should administer the affairs of their respective Department? Amd if they failed to give satisfaction they would be responsible to tin House, which, in turn, Is responsible to the country. For the life of. i we oannotiißee why an Executive

lected by the House should not render as useful service as one selected by an individual. Wisdom is sup posed to ooaie from the counsels. < the multitude. But we, in our herit ed ignorance, expect it to be vested in individuals. Hence the continuation of our one-man Parliaments and prostitution of our forms of democratic government "to superstition. The Swiss people have broken .away from the humilirtin syste/n of party government. The;, have adopted the principle of an Elective Executive, and, so far a can be. discovered, it lias been applied with-a measure of success that was beyond all anticipitions. defy any man to say that New Zealand is getting the best from i brainiest men under the present conditions, . •, And we• also, defy ;.'<« y ,p v•: iiician to say thati Jbr; .him ..to.- exercise, his, judgment Jree> andruntrammelled,,-- on all occasions, and ..remain a party ■ man. He ran either r>t»v the part of the hypocrit'. or the "traitor.