DEMOCRACY A FAILURE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2559, 4 December 1888, Page 2

DEMOCRACY A FAILURE.

TO THK KDITOR. Sir,— Formerly I used to think that the franchise was tn be extended, and that what was wanted was to keep the so called poor man who would sell his vote for a pint of beer from having a vote. In my opinions I have turned a complete somersault, and alter bng and deep thought 1 have come to the conclusion chat no man should have a vote. I firmly believe that the fifty-five-hundred and five thousand-acres or pounds man is just as corrupt as the poor man and the beer, and upon the same reason that a man of position who committs a crime is more to blame than a poor man who has not the same advantages and consequently more temptations, so I say the five hundred acre or pounds man is more to blame for selling his political honesty than tho poor man who comparatively speaking has not the smne interest in goed Government. Mr Editor, I go upon the lines that there is not an honest man on this earth ; it is no use talking that we should bo honest; you must take this as your stand point and political legislation must be so as to meet this stand point, and despotisitn is the only true condition which will meet it. Of course there are degress of honesty the bumps of one's head have something to do with it, and also very largely the circumstances and trials and temptations under which now we are individually placed. In a political point of view, despotism is the only true condition which will meet political corruption. To show that democracy cannot rule itself, and that it does not know what is good for itself, I will not refer to the Raglan people, who have always, and again to-morrow would sapport the member who helped to bring in a tariff which is robbery to their now greatest industry. I refer to the flax. In the future they will have other industries from the natural resources of their district, which will also be robbed. In the manufacture of this flax there is not a single implement they use, or a single article of clothing they wear but what is taxed, If they work at night their candle is taxed. This flax has to compete at home with other flax, and if there were free trade the flax could be produced cheaper, and consequently the demand would be greater. The Raglanites cannot see this, but aru led away by a will of-the-wisp ; by a shadow. The Major, at election time, drives himself over, and tells them that Raglan will yet be the Brighton of the Australasian Hemisphere. Gammon rules demoCTacy, To show that democracy cannot rule itself I will not refer to the Hamilton people. The Major during election time goes to a lltunilti.il shoemaker and orders a pair of boots and just before the election he calls and tells the shoemaker that the boots are the best pair of fitting boots he has had since he came to Ne,w Zealand, The beauty of the thing was that the shoemaker was quite proud of it, and in telling it ho could not see that ho was gammoned. The Slnjiir knew how to fetch him—gammon rules democracy. To show that democracy dues ii"t know what is good for itself I will not take Te Awamntu—Te Awaniutu is a splendid farming district, its wealth lies wholly in its good land ; it is to its advantage that the fanning interest should not be robbed to bolster up any fictitious unnatural industry at its expense. Yet what do we see ? We see Te Awainutti vote for the Major. Yes ! vote for the very man who helps to rob them. In its ignorance it is bribed, partly by sentiment and very much by the hope of a few small tin pot favours, which it thiiiks the Major can and does get for them. In their ignorance they sell their real interests their lif« blood for what after all is .1 mess of poltage. I tell tho To Awamntn people ignorance rules them— To show that democracy cannot rule itself, 1 will not refer to tho Auckland people—the hopeless Auckland people who ever have been, and always will bo, the sufferers from fudge. There is not a false nostrum, a silly fad, an unreasonable idea, or an illogical thought, but what they have a strong affinity tn. The latest absurd nonsense they swallowed and devoured was that if they had the unearned increment of their city it would feed and clothe all their naked and hungry. Now this stump saying, like all stump sayings, would not bear looking into. If the State was to get the unearned increment there would be mighty little of it to get. I will show how the fact of their being unearned increment creates unearned increment. If I buy just now an acre of land, say one mile from Auckland, for £200, this acre at present, say for growing vegetables, i 3 not worth to me more than £50. That, say, is its value, as to what return it will givo me. Consequently, if I hud no hopa of future increment, that £50 is what I would give for it, not the £200; so by doin? away with the individual, gettlmr the future increment, you reduce this £200 down to £50; biit it may be said that by and by the land would

put valuable at its iiwn proper time, nnrl there would In! increment tu thn State, but 1 say that, without tin! Ixipc! "f this individmil mvned increment, tlic rise in value would l:c very slow, and by very f.-ir n«t to tlio same extent, and even that little increment, and it would bo little, in comparison, would never go to the .State, under despotisim it would, lint under democracy never. I.)euiuoracy wmdd fr-t up a cry of some Uiiul or another, fur instance, it could be said lint this increment w.is taxing industry. Tlie owners of the houses on the land would say that tlie State charging tliein such a high reiit for the land was more than they could hear and they would so represent it that by this heavy taxation they were kept back from extending their business, and their Hieat stroke would be, by representing that this not extending their business was keeping hundreds out of employment and they would then lime the many on their side. Look wk»t a few shareholders in the district railways did; is it to be supposed that hundreds of liotiseholders could not do what a few shareholders did. Then look again at the foolery of the Auckland people in regard to free-trade. If there is a city on this earth I bat should go in for free trade it is Auckland. It is bound to bo the sea-port of New Zealand ; its great interest lies in the free commerce of the world. Why will Auckland not take a lesson from New Ynrk ? New York is for free trade. Are the New York people fools? Auckland is in the same relation to New Zealand as New York is to the whole (if the Atlantic and middle States of the Union. Mr Editor, it is to my own district that I refer as an example that democracy is not fit to rule itself. In my own district there W not a man amongst ns fit to have a vote. We are, every «e of us, politically rotten, and that to the very core. Six miles from here there is a. district on the main highway from Alexandra to Raglan. This distiicthas never fnru.ed itself into a road board ; consequently ic has never paid rates nor made roads. The people in that district were shameless loafers as far as roads were concerned. They could not leave their district on either direction without travelling nn roads which weie paid for. Their district on one side waa bounded by our Pirongia Board; on tho other sido their district was bounded by some other road board. They would not, and never did, form themselves into a road boaid till the other day, by some means unknown to us, the Governor joined them to us. Well, the people of this district would not tax themselves to make the road, but still were determined to have the road, but not at their r.wn expense. A few years ago it approached our then member —the late Mr Whitaker —but it was such a scandal he would have nothing to do with it. They also approached Mr Lake. Ho (Mr Lake) told them straight and plain to put their hands in their own pockets to make the road. They would not do so, but they were not to be beat. When the Major was canvassing he let them know that if they voted f:>r him he would get them the rual. It was no secret with the people, for they talked quite openly that the M-ijor would get thorn the road, and they voted for him on that understanding. At the election time it was no secret whatever, nnd only a few days ago one of these n!on told me he would, as long as he lived, vote for the old Major for getting the road. The getting of £300 for this road was a great scandal; it was just making a present of £300 to the men of the district. At the very time these parties were selling their votes', he (the Mijur) was talking in virtuous indignation fitylo upon tho past rascality of the past jobs and Bcandals, and. nevertheless, though those people had loated upon our roads wp. in the Pirongisi, acquiesced in the scandal being done ai though at a riistanco we also wished the scandal to be carried out. There is not a politically honest man amongst us; no, not one. Politically we stink Democracy is the supporter of all abuses L'iok at the abuses of the'education system. Tho primary object of the Education Act was that every child in the colony should, be able to read, write and figure, but like the Charter House School in London (my memory is perhaps in fault and perhaps that is not the right name) any how this school was founded one or two hundred years ago by a wealthy London n.erchant. It was in Ihe original design of the founder to be for the benefit of children and orphans of decayed merchants who had by misfortune become poor. By and by it became to be used wholly by the children of the well off to the exclusion of those for whom it was intended. I think to some extent that evil is now some what remedied. Well, our education scheme was never intended to become a luxury for the rich, but to the great disgrace of democracy it has became so, and wonderful to say, the poor thoroughly uphold the evil, it is so put to them, and put to them in such a way that they are befooled. Along with the Education Act tl 6 e came at tho same time, or shortly afterwards, another shilling added to the duty on tobacco. Now I am very far from being a rich man, and although the shilling was a consideration to me I was quite pleased that it should be so, seeing it was going to a good cause, that every child should learn the three Rs. But I will be blowed if I am going to pay the big duty so as to give luxurious education to the rich, I will grow my own tobacco rather than do so. Mr Editor, I never liked stumpers, but if this education scheme is not cut down to what was first intended, Although abhorring the stump upon the stump I will go. I will take tho poor man and his bacca, and if the abuses in tho system are not at onco done away with I' will raise the very devil. Mr Editor, I have it may be said confined myself to small questions; I will now go into larger. It may nnd will bo asked do I want ti. have a Government such as Russia has? ]JoI want Siberia, do I want the knout? I will at once say that if you pave to-day the power in Russia to the Nihilists, tomorrow heads would be chopped olf and rolling about liko ninepins in a bowling alley. The present reign, bad as it is, would be mercy to what would follow; but it is not for one moment to be supposed that an English speaking race would have such despotic goings on as in barbaric Russia. Look how in England Monarchy is toned down to be actually a blessing in place of a curse. The monarchs have to keep pace with the times. Look at the Princess Christian becoming a great and good philaiitrophist This good change will grow larger. What I want by a despotic head is ii strong head who will have power to keep pace with the advance of the age. That advance is good, but democracy will not let this good bo. A strong monarch would have the power to say what was right, and he would have the power to put the right in force, and I distinctly and decidedly say he would do so. Selfishness alone would make him do so, for anyone but a fool would see that it was his great interest to do what was right. Look at America under democracy. It is humilia ting to see their goings on for some time before every Presidental election. It is not what is good that is to be considered. What is to bo considered 13 what will give their party a benefit in an election point nf view. They will, to gain favour, put forward Rchemes, ideas, and thoughts which are unfair, untruthful, and unjnst to the people. They know them to be so, but the end justifies the means in their eyes. Is it to be supposed such goings on don't hurt 'the people? t hurts them morally, which, in the end, will bring tribulation upon them. These elections every four years hurt them very much in purse. The time lost away from work talking politics, and accidents and fights; the loss from all these would keep twenty Queens. This is not nonsense, but is true..—Yours truly, Habafifi. Harapipi, 2Gth November, 1888.