He nine of Revieirt, iO/ilOH. 



History of the Month. 



327 



the term "Christian," and that whatever name it 

 may l)e dubbed by, there is a growing spirit in the 

 coramunitv which cannot be called by any other 

 name than Socialistic — tlie spirit of social reform — 

 although at the same time it repudiates the idea of 

 the extreme point regarded as the objective of some, 

 with regard to the nationalisation of the means of 

 production. Mr. Reid is trying to seduce the Con- 

 senative Protectionists, but Mr. Deakin will take 

 care that they are kept too busy repeating their own 

 Shibhr.Ieth to spend any time in learning Mr. Reid's. 



One of the greatest surprises of the 

 Mr. Irvine month was the address of Mr. W. 

 Progresses. H. Inine, formerly Premier of Vic- 

 toria, in Melbourne. Mr. Irvine has 

 heeT) regarded as a Conservati\e of Conservatives ; 

 but his ;,ddress at St. Kilda suggests the idea of 

 a waking giant. Had some of his old supporters 

 sat down to write a precis of his probable address 

 from a knowledge of his former politics, they would 

 have Ijeen hopelessly astray ; and yet Mr. Irvine has 

 not turned his coat. The position at which he has 

 arrived is the result of the natural evolution of an 

 enquiring mind. He was not at all slow to condemn 

 the negative policy of those who simply fight anti- 

 Socialism, and in that of course attacked the policy 

 of Mr. Reid, a finger-post which Mr. Reid would do 

 well to carefully note. Mr. Irvine's own words upon 

 the matter make his |>osition \ery plain: — 



You will n.Tturally ask me if I am in disagreement with 

 those who have Ijeeri fii^htine: under the l)anner of anti- 

 socialism, wliy I am so. and it I liave anytliintr to sub- 

 stitute. In the first place. I will tell .vou why. Suppose a 

 oandid.it« stands on an election platfonn. and is opposed 

 to socialism of all forms. It ia a very easy thiiiir to ask 

 him, " .\re you in favour of vestini the management of 

 the railways in a private company?" Wliereupon he will 

 reply, ■ Xo." The consetiuence is that he will he told 

 that he should inscribe his political haiiner. not with 

 "Anti-socialism.' hut with " Xot Too Much Socialism." 

 That will not ca,rry U3 ver.v far. No tiarty has yet been 

 formed or maint,ained on the policy the sole purpose of 

 which ia a denial of the policy of some other people. 



The amazing thing to a great many [jcople is that a 

 man of Mr. Ir\-ines tradition and susceptibilities 

 should iia\e discerned the actual point of weakness 

 in the Federal Opposition's programme. Of course 

 it is what always bajipens when a man watches 

 the signs of the times; he grow's. And Mr. In'ine 

 is most highly to be commended, for as long as 

 anyone remains in the Stygian mental darkness of 

 Mr. Reid. he cannot hope to lead the people into 

 the light. I take it that Mr. IrA-ine's speech surely 

 signifies on broad lines his acceptance of the prin- 

 ciple consistently urged in these columns, that it is 

 not to Parties as such, or against Parties as such, 

 we must look to or fight, but rather to measures that 

 are hkely to benefit the communitv. 



Mr. Irvine While Mr. Ir\'ine was right as to the 



and limited powers of the Federal House. 



the federal his attack on the Constitution with 



Constitution, regard to the Senate was interesting 



and novel. He thinks that the real reason for the- 



r'.,. -■ ~-ked. almost ;m:novablv-wedged Parties of 



Lynn.} Sir Arthur Rutledge, |P/l»(o. 



Becently elerated to the Qaeenalaud Bench. 



the House is that the Federal House is not invested 

 with sufticient power and responsibility. Whether h- 

 is right as to cause and effect, he is right in desiring 

 a wider f.eld for Federal action. Here he is cer 

 tainly on right lines. Necessarily, States will b.- 

 parochial. Australia as a whole can only be pr" 

 perly served by the F'ederal House, and probabl> 

 its record would have been more satisfactory had it 

 been granted greater powers. Federal expansion 

 must necessarily take place in order to bring about 

 the most satisfactory continental results. Of courst- 

 State legislation would be much curtailed, but that 

 would ntx be a bad thing. It would turn the eyes 

 of the States more upon sr<-ial reform, and compel 

 them to take up a great many matters in the inte 

 rests of the people which it now neglects. Mr. 

 Tr\ine's suggestion regarding the constitution of the 

 Senate is impracticable, and it was curious that he 

 introduced it. He thinks that Federal legislative 

 difficulties could be avoided if the constitution of the 

 Senate were altered so as to provide not for a pro- 

 perty 'iiialification (which would seem to be the 

 natural road into which anyone desiring a change 

 would turn), but that the Senators should be elected 

 by the Parliaments of the States. Up to this point 

 Mr. Irvine was very practical, but here his remarks 

 were unpractical and chimerical. It is interesting, 

 sitting for a moment or two in retrospection, to im- 

 agine what would have been the result during the 

 few years of Federation if the Senate had been com- 

 po<iP(\ of men elected from the Stit" Parli.iments. 

 -seeing that these Parliaments have considfred it tl ir 



