THE INSENSATE "PARTY" SYSTEM IN TAKLIAMENT 229 



free to devote their brains and energies to the true interests 

 of the commonweal, are more concerned with watching the 

 movements of tlie Opposition than with framing measures of 

 national usefulness. 



Then the party out of power are practically concerned only 

 with the one absorbing question ;is to how and when they can 

 turn their op])onents out <»f office. 



Is it possible tliat national interests can be furtliered when 

 the party in office is afraid Lo embark on any course of real 

 and much-needed reform because of the dread that their 

 opponents out of ofHce may make })olitical capital out of it ? 



Does it not become abundantly manifest that under such a 

 suicidal system there can be no hope to-day, nor at any future 

 time, of any real lasting good resulting from so pernicious a 

 state of affairs, because of the paralysing effect that such 

 a system must necessarily have upon human effort ? 



What Government, harassed by tlie present system, and 

 working always under the lash of the Opposition, fearing even 

 the censure and perhaps the defection of some of its OAvn 

 followers, can possibly work in the real interests of the 

 Empire ? 



Is it likely that, under so impossible a condition, any 

 Government, of whatsoever denomination, can carry through 

 any measure that w^ould really benefit tlie people ? 



Is it not highly probable, nay, indeed certain, that every 

 liill brought up for consideration, instead of being framed in 

 that broad, liberal setting which is essential in all questions of 

 real national reform, must necessarily be drawn up in a manner 

 simply to disarm criticism and give the Opposition the least 

 })0ssible chance of making capital out of it ? 



Is it possible that national legislation, conducted in so craven 

 a spirit, and aiming only at half-hearted, palliatory measures, 

 can ever result in real good ? 



Instead, however, of dealing with abstract principles, let us 

 reduce this question to one simple concrete example. 



Evil Effect of Pakty System : A Conceete Example 



Let us take, as an illustration of the grave question we are 

 considering, the case of a mechanical engineer who has been 

 employed by a large })ublic company to put together the seem- 

 ingly complicated yet perfectly simple parts of a mighty engine 

 which lie scattered a])road on the floor of a great factory. 



The engineer is an expert and knows exactly what to do 

 and how to do it, and if left to himself the work would soon be 

 accomplished satisfactorily. 



