Jlly, 1912 



History of the Month. 



XI. 



advLx.'acy of reform, and his achievements therein. 

 would deter many people from \oting for him. 

 Therefore, let us have a man with a number of 

 vices, and with a leaning towards public evils, so 

 that the shady section of the electors will vote for 

 him. That, reading Ijetween the lines, is what is 

 liring advocated. 



Of course, after a direct leading of 

 Despicable this kind, the rank and file 

 Tactics. Qf age-old conservati.sm fell into 



line, and a carefully organised 

 f)lan brought instant protest against Mr. Mauger 

 by wire, from all parts of the State. But the 

 thing was badly done. The organising was too 

 manifest. The People's Party and the Women's 

 league joined in the protest, which became mono- 

 tonous in its stereotyped wail. And the amu.sing 

 sid*' of the situation is that the " Argus," having 

 done its l)est to blast Mr. Mauger's political career, 

 then began to |>lead with him not to bring that career 

 to a clos*-. There is oiiK one piece of advice to 

 give to Mr. Mauger, .ind tiiat is to go ahead .md light 

 the b.'ittle. Having bi'en nominated, the proper 

 thing for him to do is to go in to win. Does the 

 " .^rgus " consider at ,dl the claims of the thou 

 sands of electors who do not believe as it does, who 

 ,ip])laud Mr. Mauger's efforts against sweating and 

 siK;ial evils, aiifl who h.ive a right to have their voice 

 heard ? One cannot bring to mind a more despicable 

 attempt to divide th^ forces of Libt-ralism than this. 

 Ff, as .1 ri^ult, a fourth candidate is put into the 

 field, and the Liberal vote is hopelessly split, the 

 '"Argus," with the Con.servative Leagues, may lay 

 the il.ittiring unction to their souls that thev arc 

 entirelv n-spon.sible for it. 



Of course, Mr. Deakin moved a No- 

 The Censure Confidence motion. The record of 

 Motion. {hg Government made that neces- 



sary. There was abundant reason 

 why the Oovernment should be indicted for its fail- 

 ure to realis<- its national and constitutional obliga- 

 tions, its flagr.int neglect of its manifest duties to 

 s<<:ure industrial peace, and to uphold the law; for 

 its maladministration of j)ublic affairs, its grossly 

 partisan appointments, and its reckle.ss financial irre- 

 siKjiisibility. Then' was no doubt of the note of 

 war in the challengr. .A.nd every separate charge 

 can lie proved uji to the hilt. The administration 

 has been por)r to a degree. The community has 

 l;e<-n rent by industrial disturbances, which the 

 Goveniment has shown no inclination to jirevent. 

 Indi.-ed, the action of the Government in various 

 ways has tended to increase and foment them. The 

 constitution has Ixjen derided, and resiHHisibility 

 lightly turned a.side. Of cours<^, the motion of c<-n- 

 sure was dcKimed to failure on the votes, the num- 

 bers b<;ing on the side of the Government. Never- 

 theless, the exposure ought to cxjme, and the electors 

 will do well to consider it. 



Mr. VV. H. Irvine's position is .1 



Mr. W. H. I urious one in politics. Kvery now 



Irvine. .^^■^^] again he breaks out in some 



absurd fashion that has the effect 

 of advertising him extensively, and of doing the 

 \erv opiKjsite thing that he says he set out to do. 

 During the month he entered on a \icious tirade 

 again.st his own party for not publishing the plat- 

 form which it had prepared for tlie coming fight. 

 The fact that the matter had not attained comple- 

 tion ought to ha\e been ascertained by him before 

 he made his S[:>eech, for all the charges he made 

 fell to the ground, and the situation has left him 

 in an unenviable position. The first question that 

 came to one on reading the .speech was, what is its 

 pur{x>se? If it were to provoke dissension in and 

 to divide the party, it could be understood. If it 

 were to make a bid for leadership, it could also Ite 

 understfxKl. But Mr. Irvine says that none of these 

 things were in his mind. It can only, then, l)e 

 regarded as a political al)erration. which probably 

 Mr. Irvine is by this time sorrj- for. One of the 

 line.st features of the Liberal side of jjolitics in Aus- 

 tralia is the freedom of action which every man 

 has, to say and do as he pleases ; but there is a 

 wide difference between this and falling on one's 

 friends at a critical moment, just when they are 

 coming into conflict with a common enemy. Liberal- 

 ism has a lot to learn tefore it gains that unity 

 which is necessary for conquest. The situation in 

 Australia to-day lies 'oefore it, waiting to be taken 

 up; but it is .safe to assert that, [wtween half-a- 

 dozen different kinds of Liberal Leagues, «ich 

 clamouring for its own way, seats will be lost in 

 numlKM-less cast's. There will lie a general defeat 

 throughout the Commonwealth if the muddleheaded- 

 ness shown by a section of the press and the Liler.d 

 parties in Victoria is repeated in the other States. 



And the pity is all the greater U- 

 Tlie Liberal cause the programme prepared is up- 

 Fregramnie. to-date and thoroughly comprehen 



sive, clear, and explicit, and repn 

 .sent;!tive of every class in the community. The pro 

 gr.ame is good enough to win on. All th.it is needed 

 is combination of forces. The programme includ. 

 in its most im|)ortant clauses such things as t: 

 unity of the Empire under the Brlti.sh Crown, thj 

 de\(Aonment of national intern. il commercialism, op- 

 lx>sition to pref<-rence to. or the pen,dising ol , any 

 section of the commimity, whether as «'mplnyers or 

 employees; the using all the iKjwers of the Common- 

 wealth to secure the fullest justice to all, and to 

 prevent any i)erson or i)ersons usurping the func- 

 tions of Gt>vernment. This is a very direct and 

 .ffo-tive blow at Caucus Government, with its blind 

 interl'erenc<' with the inherent rights of men and 

 women. But th<> platform oxpress<:-s further its t)e- 

 lief in fostering tin- coo|KTali\e spirit in all in- 

 dustrieji. This ought etTe»tually to ilispose of any 



