“ HOPE OF GAIN.”

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3330, 23 September 1911, Page 9

“ HOPE OF GAIN.”

THE DEBASEMENT OF LIBERALISM.

STRIKING STATEMENT BY MR FOWLDS.

A remarkable statement was made by Mr. Fowlds to an “Auckland Star” reporter. He said he did not think that his withdrawal from the Government will mean, the emergence of a new party, and added: “f hope that will not he necessary. What I should like to see would be the reorganisation of the Liberal party on a more democratic basis. The Government or members of Parliament for the time being, do not- constitute the Liberal'party. The Liberal party is composed of the pa- p.e holding Liberal pMKdpks both in and out of Parliament. You cannot brush aside the traditions and achievements of tlie Liberal party in New Zealand, without a great and. .Lasting Loss to the people of this country; but a party cannot live on traditions and name labels alone.

“There is always a danger of a

party after long years of prosperity and dominance losing sight of its fundamental principles. It naturally attracts to its banner all sorts of people who hope to gain something from the party in power. Tl;e adhesion of people who are attracted by a hope of gain, instead of by the love of its principles has always a paralysing effect on a. party. Parties may even adhere to • names, while they entirely reverse their principles.” In connection with Mr. Fowlds’ statement about the, Liberal party “attracting to its banner all sorts of people who hope to gain something from the party in power,” it may be of interest to recall, says the “Dominion,” a striking passage in. a striking speech delivered by Mr. Fowlds on February 24th last in Christchurch at the “citizenship meeting’'' held in connection, with the Methodist Church Conference: “Perhaps,” he said, “some of you might suggest that if looking to the State or to the national Goevrnment to do everything for you is an evidence of the national spirit then we have been too successful in its cultivation. In that conclusion I would entire y agree with you. . . People in this country have ‘acquired a marvellous hallucination that everything they can wring from the coffers of the State is paid for bv somebody other than thc-mselves. . . Some ‘people’s idea of local goy-emi-'U’t reform ceems to be limited co what they call ‘an assured finance,’ and when, you inquire more fully what they mean by ‘assured finance,’ you find that they mean a steady stream of revenue drawn from tlie coffers of t-i-? general Government.”