OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2863, 18 November 1890, Page 4

OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

(FP.dM 0111 l OWN C.IURIiSI'ONDBNT.) Sydney, November 1, Mr A. O. Taylor's return for West Sydiit-y is a complete refutation of that lioan 'fallacy, " tho power of the press." The Herald, tho Telegraph and the evening papers held up Mr Taylor's sayinge and doings in the clearest li(?ht before their readers, and denounced him with a copiousness of diction and variety of metaphor, which, though somewhat more refined, was (juite worthy of his own exuberant vocabulary. If he were returned, said the usually sedate Herald, representative institutions might as well he taken out and poleaxed. The other journals followed suit with much more of the same sort. What is more to the purpose, there was hardly a word in all their diatribes, that was not amply justified by the candidate's present action or previous career. The "free and independent" of West Sydney took it all in, carefully pondered it, and— re'urned the object of all this well-warranted objurgation by a vote of nearly two to one. In the same way ago, Mr IJridlaugh, who at that time was about as porvcr.«e and wronglieadcd as '' A, G.' , is now, and who was as cordially denounced by the press, was triumphintly returned l>y the electors of NorthampTho explanation appears to be tint the press is only powerful in proportion, as it makes itself spokesman, and sponsor for some passion or sentiment which happens at the time to be dominant in the minds of .the masses. It interprets, it does not originate. The press is to public opinion what the engine is to the steam. However elaborate, well-finished, and polished, it is powerless without the motive force, Such power as it derives from its own editorial staff may be compared to such power as tho driver aim fireman could impart to their enaiiie by pushing it along! Now. althouuh the Sydney press undoubtedly spoke the sentiments of that largo ami respectable section of tho community, which has learned how to make itself tolerably comfortable under existing couditions.it was completely out of touch with the disaffected, who assembled no strongly at the election. West Sydney »3 the natural home of the sailor and whnrfliibour, aud, owing to tho strike they wcro able to muster in nnuiually largo numbers. Owing to the strike also tliev wore in uncommonly bad humour, having brought themselves to just that point where they arc to find it necces«nry to make a practical confesion of Iheir folly in striking by going hack to ask work of the men whom they have so persistently Vilified. It i" of no use under such circumstances to tell men that a candidate who woos their sutieragi s is a bad man. They want a bud man, tho worse tho better, according to tho cxthics which put pood for evil and evil for They know his badness cannot harm them, for they have; already reduced themselves to tho depths of misery and can get no lower. The worse he behaves to those whom they havo trained themselves to regard as enemies the better they will like him. This is the sentiment which Mr Taylor found congenial work on interpreting, "Which will make tho better whip to beat the Government which has compelled you to keep order ':" was the burddi of hiH cry, with sundry ornamental additions which my pen must not write. There was but ono answer to tho question, and tho ballot-box gave it. His opponent also laboured under the disadvantage of being: personally unpopular, as well an a political cypher, aud these considerations, there is reason to believe, caused many persons to abstain from voting, whilst others, from cowardice, indolence or apathy, remained at homo rather than faco the organised rowdyism which was conspicuous about tho polling plae.es. liut, uuder representative institutions, we have no right to complfiin if discontent and lawlessness find their representatives also. The Assembly is surely capable of taking steps to preserve its own ellk-ieuoy ajniinst tw>o or three wanvuli siijtl.i. In politics Mr Dibbs motion of censnro blocks the way. It comes on for discussion to-night (Wednesday). It is generally expected that, the Government will have a majority of about l.">. But few will maintain that the interests of the coiiutiy will be served by the debate, or that tin; burning questions which produce perennial cruns ot discontent and dissentiou will bo one whit nearer solution. PiirKiiroeut, and the Government at its head, iKitn-itlistaudiiij.' their fulsome flattory of tho many headed at elections, mid in spitu of their systematic pandering tn their prejudices, seem to havo completely lost touoli of the sympathises of tho working classes. Thin, mid this only, iu my opinion, explains the facility with which agitators of the JJrcnnan-hJpcnco typo are able to get them by tho wool, and lead them to aetn of the moat inaensnte folly. Rightly or wrongly, Labour has como to regard Government as an organisation whose chief end if to support aud enforce :i .system which gives thn lion's share of tho rewards of labour to thoso who don't labour, eitlur with the haiul or brain, except perhaps in the way of devising schemes of extortion or fraud. Let Government show that it is concerned about tho welfare of the working cla'.ses, who are the bulls of its subjecU mil the main source of its power, and such inscrutably mieidal acts of folly as have been perpetrated during the last few weeks will become impossible. This end, however, is not to be achieved by weakly truokling to prejudice or vice when there is an object to be served, aud then by throwing aside its tools like a sucked-out orange. Let tho Government begin to take for the people that which belongs to the people, first of all, the value which attaches to laud by reason of the presence of the people. They would soon recognise their true friends and helpers, and would reject the shame as a matter of course. He is worse than a fool who wi«he3 to steal from other people whilst there ia property of his own of which he win obtain possession in a constitutional manner,

As foresliailoived in my last, the Western niinei'3 have gone back to work. The Northern and Southern miners would gladly follow suit, but there are some doubts whether the employers will consent to receive them on the old terms. In Sydney the men arc taking the conduct of affairs out of the hands of the Labour Defence Committee and holding mass meetings, at which bitter cotnplainls sivo made. All this means that the strike is breaking up. Yet in the face of these facts, some of the leaders, with a view to obtaining, if possible, the X 20.000 which they askrd for some days ngo. have, cabled to Unglaud—" Ultimate success certain." To any plain man this looks very inncli like an attempt to obtain money under false pretences.

]f, instead of striking, the seamen, wharf labourers, carters, shearers and miners had each remained at work, and [j'it ii shilling a weak a m;in into a common fund, they would by this time have had sonic little capital with which they could have tuade liOine intelligent and u'eH-iiii'cuteil attempt to improve their (.•omlitiici. Aa it i.; they have destroyed everything, and built up nothing. All their W for in have only iLiiiil'u 1 in cutting oil' tin: branch on vviiicii they were sitting, and ninny of them, then , , is now reason to think, will have to siiH'er-yruat privation b.'fofi: they nij.iin obtsin jiositions equal to ihi/.-i: :;\lU:h lli-vy .so rashly threw away.

rninninni, in this i.istnnrv, hns brfn so abnsod :w to have bocomn the nwn'a I'-ncmy insto.nl of llioir ftiond. 'I'hrir blind guides, in its namo, havo rubbed I bom of their employment, ot their comfort, and ia too many canes, of their reputation and snlf-respcct also. A new departure is evidently nr-eessiiry nnlras the yoke of Unionism h to heeomn intolerable even to its own rnont faithful members.