SYDNEY LETTER.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2928, 21 April 1891, Page 4

SYDNEY LETTER.

(l:y OUR OWN' COKIIKSI'OSDKST.) Syhxky. March ;>I. PotJ'll 'AI. crises iiu'i jabour troi.bli s don't stop holiday milking. Sydney turns out some hundred thousand people 110 matter whether federation ii in (lunger or whether liibour con* ceives that it has a mission to gut nt tlio throat of capital, or whether any Other social cataclysm is at, hand. There arc a number of loiul-voiccd brass-browed persons, who tell us that society i* on its last legs, is very bad, and getting worse, and so 011. But society itself persists in giving theiu the lie, in demonstrating oil every available oceii -ion how jolly and lighthearted and good-natured it can be. Every place ol popular resort- has been crowded hundreds deep, but so long as I hey had anything like a fair chance, this'holiday-maker:; have made a point of enjoying themselves and allowing others "to do the same, notwitlistamlIhe discomfort caused by their numbers and the consequent thiongiug. There rre o' course blots on the pic-ture-exhibitions of greed. iwain.«, intemperance ami the like. J.ut these will ••rnerally i)' l found !o liave been the work of a t'ev.- ill-behared imlivi duals who could easily be kepi m cheek bv pi-op'T caraue Jim! firmness on tic 'part ol '.heir fellow hohday-mak-a,. All . h,.w. lieiiajaun. t' ll; ,l who p"t-ist.i iu liking tue liloi.s for the ]>icl 'in . The perennial Easier encampment is with usoneeniore. horced marches tryinsr to muscles relaxed by civilian ease, hunger, thirst, rigorous discipline, shain'tights, alarming discharges of musketry. riflery, artillery. and other villainous inventions, are the staple amusements provided for ami provided by "our galla,lit defenders." Some of them have miscalculates cither tlioir powers of endtnance or the nature of the task before tliein, and drop out of the ranks or persevere iu a. struggle with an exercise beyond their strength until they have done themselves serious injury. Tint for the greater number the experience is invaluable, not merely for the military knowledge imparted, but for the break in the somewhat monotonous routine of colouia.l existence.

The vacancies in the representation of Newcastle and East Sydney caused by the death of Mr Fletcher and Mr •J. 1!. Street will afford the labour party an opportunity of displaying their strength. If ' they can lay aside their wretched jealousies, asrree on a platform which shall command Ihe support of fair-minded and sensible men, and concentrate their efforts on a constitutional and attainable obj cot in place of the stupid and irritating chimeras on which they are at present being frittered away, they may make themselves very formidable/ Whilst I write, however, it appears that there are two candidates on the labour ticket in the field at Newcastle, whilst there is some doubt whether one can be found to lead the forlorn hope a.t East Sydney, reputedly, the .stronghold of capitalism. It is not by such tactics as these tho I electoral fields are won. But. however badly the coming elections are managed by the labour leaders, they can hardly do worse than they did a,t West .Sydnev. The doughty champion they tlien chose—Mr A. G. Taylor- - has" hardly been seen in the House since his "election, and when he is there it is questionable whether he adds to the prestige of his party.

Tu connection with the insurrectionary outbreak in Queensland, it will be remembered tlint papers implicating- :i number of prominent agitators in a conspiracy against, the security of the State were discovered. Sniiie of Ilio fraternity in Sydney ore also mentioned as being involved. As a rule, these goiili'vcontejit I'lomsf Ives with making the" bullets for bravv men to lie". But if they have roollv conunitted themselves to illegal action il is (jiiesttollable whether nil the sympathy of our pnpiihii'ity-hiinting politicians will be able to shield them. It is a s-igtre-i ivo eoniuionlury on this miserable " physical force " agitation that i( should fake place in the freest country in the world, and that the most discontented workmen should be, those wdm are the best paid. After the sensation that has been eau.vl by the discovery of a, conspiracy to overthrow the law, it is refreshing to read of a conspiracy to keep it. The conspirators in the latter case are the publicans, who hsivo arrivpd at, a joint agreement to observe tho Sunday closing clauses of tho Licensing Act. The idea is. that thirsty beer-drinkers, deprived of their accustomed beverage, will promptly demand the repeal of the clauses in question. Wo can well waive the obvious inference that those who have to arrive at an agreement to keep the law must previously have been in the habit of breaking it pretty freely. It even thus late in the day Brother Bung will give a loyal trial to the Act that was passe 1 for his regulation, we shall hail with joy his somewhat tardy repentance, and shall be in a better position to j ml ire of the merits of tho Act itself. Ii: the opinion of many whose convictions a.-e entitled to respect, it is a long' way a!n.ol of the moral feeling of the community, an 1, to the extent to which il k uii-aippcutod by public sympathy, it is in ee-.-eirily iie'li'-'ciivo. lint it is Ji.it at all certain that those who experience the satisfactory u< v.vll as tho unsatisfactory results of ak-dinence, even though tkk cbsk-.i'.uce be brought abcv.it by n cupel-ion. will lie anxious to rep.-ai the law. ft is just possible that they may ,-c-e that it is for their own vrood that it, infringes their liberty. The man wiiio timls money in his pocket on Honday morning, which, were it not for Sunday closing, would have gone into the publican's till, will possibly not be so anxious to tight his way to the latter omnivorous receptacle of " fool's pmcV as Brother Butur Wires. If this v-a-oning is lik-dv to have some weiirht in the case of bibulous males, c-hkdlv intent, with the selfi-hness „f '■ , ~--j e.n :!i;!r own gr.titration. !,".'.', i . ',_,]-. . j', Ukdy to weigh with

wives and mothers, who realise much iimre keenly how surely this money, which would have otherwise gone in doctored and maddening drink, is required for the necessities of the children and the household. It is to be ho'tod. however, on all grounds, thai the experiment will receive a thorough and persevering trial, not only in the outlying suburbs, but also in the city itself. . .

At Campbell! own, whither he had gone to view the Easter encampment, Sir Henry Parker delivered himself of an utterance tin the labour question and on federation. As regards the former lie seemed more anxious to show his sympathy with the unionists in their efforts to their pasi tion than his abhorrenee of the tyrannieiil and lawless methods they have chosen. Even the "old Parliamcntary hand," however, keenly ns he appreciates the value of the. hydra-headed and 'oriiy-'atided union vote, felt bound to state that the law must be olioved. Within certain limits it is prcttv plain that the genus politician is quite ready to combine with the genus agitator. The bitter must keep The law as to its letter, otherwise what would be the use of the politicians who make th» law. But its letter maybe lu'-ulc very elastic, as the history of our own great strike shows clearly enough. It may be made to excuse picketting, boycotting, and it bundled other forms of conspiracy and intimidation. It may be made ti excuse abusing and spitting upon men quietly going to their work, or the mobbing of others who decide to work for themselves. It may be made to condone the most violent and unscrupulous appeals to malignant and predatory passion, and the publication and utterance liet'uve ignorant and unthinking; masses of men of the most unscrupulous and miskwling falsehoods. And yet our leading politicians almost pathetically complain that messieurs the agitators arc not satisfied with these'verv considerable concessions, but wish' to set their friends and patrons (the politicians aforesaid) on one side altogether and take the law iut •> their own hands. Possibly after

a. few generations statesmen will learn that the passion for lawless domination grows bv what it feeds on, and that concessions, instead of allaying its appetite, only stimulates and increases its imperioiisiies-i. When this l-sson is learnt there will !>■■ mure zeal shown to nip evil in the bud I y intelligent and equitable legislaiiou and administration, than to pander to it. on account of its numbers or any other fancied advantages it may possess.

As regards fuii-.Tiition, .Sir Henry expressed himself as much more hopefill than one would have imagined from published reports. According io him llie delegates thoroughly mean to biiiif it about, nnd " "When there's 11 will there's ti way." Eloquently lie set forth the cause of federation as that of "Union, of brotherly agreement, of joining hands for the purpose of industrial advancement, for purposes of defence, and for all other purposes of human society." J>t it be clear that federation stands for these ami the like and for nothing contrary to them, and there will be no opposition to it. But when we see on one side an effort made in the name of federation to establish the domination of the two larger colonies, under the plausible pretext of 'government hy the people," and when we see on the other hand an equally indefensible attempt to perpetuate existing iniquities under the specious title of " State rights," our view of the prospeets of federation is not quite so rose-coloured as that of .Sir Henry. After all, the practical contingency that is likely to have most weight in bringing federation to puss is the fact that it will open a new and more distinguished career to politicians, who therefore lr~ vt! " strong motive to do all in their power to help it along.