WHO'S TO BLAME?

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2983, 27 August 1891, Page 4

WHO'S TO BLAME?

TO TIIK KDITOII. Si li, —If the country middle class have been traitors to the science of politics, and the principal point in the science of politics is just administration, much more have the middle elas-i of the towns been traitors ; more so from the fact that evils to come from their log rolling will iu the future be still more intensified. Take protection for example. Now that we have a protective policy it is not likely it will ever be done away with, for this reason that the vested interests created by protection will by-and-by become so great that it will become impossible to buy out these interests ; so for ever and ever we will have an incubus which will be eating into the prosperity of the people, both rich and poor, but more especially the poor. It was the middle class of the towns who forced this protective policy. Tlie manufacturers and employers of artisans thought it would be a line thing for them if they could get protection ; they thought they would enrich themselves by robbing the country. As usual, they created a cry that it was for tho poor man's benefit, all the time knowing that free trade New South Wales was a much better colony for

v.oi'Uingmen than protective Victoria. But Nemesis was at hand very shortly after, for these same poor men turned round and by their labour strikes smote the employers, and will perhaps smite them still more. Ido not want to see pandemonium, but if it should come it will be the biters bitten. Can those protective employers think that if they colleague with the artisans to rob the country that the artisans by-aud-by will not turn round and rob them. There will bi- more excuse for the taught than for the teachers, because tiio teachers were much more to blame. Then thcro were town merchants who were not manufacturers, but who were importers. These men were not dishonest as far as protection lay ; but they were equally dishonest in another direction. They got up a cry against the Property Tax—a tax which can be tho only honest tax than can be devised by man ; all other taxes are unfair. Well, by this fair tax the merchants had to pay their fair share ; but they wanted to get quit of this fair share of taxation, and as usual they appeal to ami bamboozle the workiug man. They represent the tax' as being unjust to the working man by the "cock-and-bull" yarn that the Property Tax kept 'iioney from comiug iiiLo the country to be invested. It may be some day that these men-—the democracy—will turn round aud rob them. Well, if pandemonium should happen and they (the merchants) be robbed, it will be tiio bitter bitten, if they taught the democracy to help them to rob the land owners, will it be wondered at if the taught should turn round upon the teacher and do as he waa taught. " What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander." Mr Editor, I have no doubt that in both town and country there have been many meu who denounced the XoOO exemption as all wrong in principle, but who, now that the exemption is .C3OOO, will say that iu principle exemption is all right. I warn these '• Wheel-about-jump Jim Crows" that bv so wheeling about they are putting a mil into their own corliu. If the graduated tax is to graduate tho big estates off the face of the earth, by-and-by these £3000 men will be the big men, and their turn will come to be graduated out of existence, when that docs happen they will be very inconsistent if they complain for what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Mr Editor, pandemonium will never happen if the middle clas3 are politically honest. Aud what does this political honesty consist of ? It consists in up> holding what is for the benefit of the whole." If you meet a man who lives within two miles of the railway and this man h.v; goods to send by the railway, if be should advocate Vaile's scheme his opinion is not worth a brass farthing ; for it' he lived 30 miles from the railway he would say Vaile's scheme was robbery. If you should meet a landless man of the middle class, who says that God made the land and it should belong to the people, his opinion is not worth a pinch of snuff. If you should meet a man who lives by his wits and turns to politics, if that man should say the honorarium should be £2"io his opinion is not worth the snap of your linger ; there is- not one of these now, wlio, if their circumstances were .to change so would their opinions change, that Fs what makes their opinions change ; the only true men are those who do not oil mgo according to their circumstances. There arc few true meu in the middle class and hy being untrue they are putling nails iu their own coiliu. llAßAi'Eri;.