CORRESPONDENCE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 19035, 12 June 1924, Page 9

CORRESPONDENCE

HOMER NODS. (To the Editor.) Sir, —Surely the late hour at which your critique on Mr Veitch’s address must have been written had something to do with the queer confusion that has crept iato the article in its reference to the Russian mix-up. Russia has exchanged a bad constitution for a worse, therefore, would it not be folly for New Zealand to exchange her present Government for another which might also be worse? Is there no difference between a change of Government and a change of Constitution? In the years since 1 first began to take interest in affairs political, I have seen many a Government rise and fall in the Mother Country and in this, but the constitution remains the same, and, as far as can be foreseen at present, is likely to do so for many a day to come. For England lias no rotten Czardom with its Siberias and its judicial murder to avenge: on the contrary she has a long record of legislation constantly improving, and of a Royal House that has encouraged such improvement and that has scrupulously obeyed the laws of the land. You profess to marvel at the patience of the audience assembled in the Opera House last night! I do not think there was anything to marvel at. From beginning to end of the address, which lasted just on two hours, there was not a dull moment, and there was notwithstanding trenchant criticism of a certain political party, not a word that was in bad taste. Seldom has an audience, removed (probably) by 18 months from the next struggle, been treated to such a masterly exposition of current political and the speaker had, it was evident, enough material in reserve to go on as long again. I was reminded, as I sat, of those lines in Macaulay’s Lay of Horatius, in which he describes the hero’s dive into the Tiber after having held up 90,000 Tuscans who had come to sack the city: “And when above the surges They saw his crest appear, All Rome sent forth a joyous cry, And even the ranks of Tuscany Could scarce forbear to cheer.” The ranks of Tuscany were there last night, though not in overwhelming numbers, but they, too, sat spellbound ; while Mr Veitch gave them hot coffee for supper. Their “No!” was shrill, albeit something attenuated, and the show of hands quite “gave their show away. ’ ’ But it was a thoroughly ‘ ‘ British” meeting and the presence of his opponents did no harm to Mr Veitch— I think it had quite a contrary effect I am, etc., J. AITKEN. June 10, 1914. (Mr Aitken must surely have been as completely '‘ ‘ spell bound ’ ’ as was at least one other member of the audience, who lasted out the first ten minutes of the “masterly exposition of current political affairs,” and then slumbeted serenely for the remainder of the evening. It was Mr Veitch, not the “Chronicle,” who dwelt on the evils of Russian communism and pictured the folly it would be for British people to follow that awful example, his obvious intent being to convey the impression that the accession to power of the New Zealand Labour Party would involve that calamity. But there, Mr Aitken is not seriously concerned about tfiat point. It’s just his pleasant little way of securing a cheap advertisement for himself and the gentleman for whom he pfrmanently officiates as trumpeter.—Ed. ‘‘Chronicle.”)