The Saint Paul globe., 1905-04-09

only slightly to one side or the other,
as their spolicy dictated, to control the
business OF the house and obtain all
they wanted from governments anxious
TO held onto Office. They. in fact. al
most wholly dictated the ministerial
programme. They realized, and used
to the full, the fact that a transfer
of a vote or number of votes from one
side to the other means a doubling of
voting power.
AS consequence Of this method. the
last ten years have witnessed the addI-
tion to the statute books of the Aus
tralian states of multiplicity of meas
ures of an Enthusiastically socialist char
acter, leading on to communiStic ideals
l have spoken in the first tense i'm
regard to this method, because in one
or two of the states and in the COM
monwealth legislature the labor party
leaders have not been able to resist the
temptation to accept office, for ever SO
short time, and, as a result, they have
been shifted from their dominating
"cross" benches position into ministe-
rial seats, or into direct opposition, in
alliance with the more radical of the
nonlabor members.
The result of all this has been that
true liberal principles have been treat
ed with contempt, and the 'liberaP'
labeI, because of its political attractive
ness, has been indiscriminately tackled
onto socialist proposals the nature OF
which gives the lie to the bottom prin-
clple OF true liberal policy-freedOm
1t would be impossible in the space
of single article to even generalfze
regarding all the measures and socfo-
logical effects which have resulted
from this growth which has attached
Itself, like political aphis. to the sew
eral Australian bodies polite. but 1
hope to be able to show and illustrate,
nN TagI ~.
erect or these results on our industrial
life and the extent TO which they are
sapping the foundations Of our national
wealth, enterprise, self-help and self
respect, though we secretly boast as a
community Of our descent from the
freeSt and most Independent of the
worlds races.
Effect on Public Life
The effect of this three party method
and of the constant demand for "class"
legislation, designed to drive" capital
and regulate commerce and industry,
has been-among other results-to SEN
sibly lower the standard of political
character. Instead of our parliamentS
and their leaders, being animated by
high ideals of public life and a firm re-
solve to stand by just and sound prin-
c1ples, even though they may be for
the time unpopular, the political arena
mas become sort of Dutch auction
mart, in which that man makes the
quickest progress toward leadership
who shuts his eyes to such principles
ana stoops to go one better than the
previous bidder in bargaining for the
support of those who can turn the scale
or tilt the seesaw of the legislative ma
chine
The labor movement and the labor
influence have been powerfully felt in
every state and S,fn focy
have been federated under the COM
monwealth, the same movement and
the same influence have operated and
have left a distinct mark upon the stat
ute book of the larger body polite, and
by so doing radiated their paralyzing
effect upon all the active interests
which combine to make the wheels of
commerce and industry turn for the
general good of the community.
II l was asked which of the acts
Which the labor party has been the
means of passing through one or other
of the legislatures has been the most
injurious, 1 should find it hard to give
satisfactory answer, for it is impossi-
bic to trace all the i'll effects of any
particular piece of legislation, or to
trace many Of the ultimate effects at
all, IN any one generation. AS Herbert
Spencer has shown in his essay on
over Legislation" and in many other
parts of his writings, particularly in his
Study of Sociology" so much of the
injury OF that kind is unseen, and even
when seen not directly traceable to it's
source, in consequence of the complex
1ty and Subtlety of human affairs as
carried on in modern times.
One General Result
There is. however, one general result
that is Enthusiastically revealing itself in
every mart nf Australia toll
in the two larger states of Australia
New South Wales and Victoria-and
that is the gradually increasing want
OF confidence on the part of those who
supply the sinews OF war for commerce
and industry Of all kinds-the capt.
talists.
There was a time when New South
Wales government securities stood as
high In the estimate of English and
Australian stock exchanges as those Of
Canada, with the national condition of
which Australia possessed so much in
common, but today, though Canadians
maintain their value, because of the
steady and politically sober manage
ment OF that country'S affairs, the Sc
curities of Australia, comparatively
speaking. are at zero, and it is now rec
ognized throughout the commonwealth
that the power Of borrowing money
from the mother country, save at very
much increased rates OF interest, is, for
the time at least, at an end.
When the federation of the Austria
liam colonies was near it's realization,
in 1899 and 1900, it was confidently CAL
culated by those whose opinion was
valued that under federation it would
probably be possible to effect a con-
version OF Australian public debts and
so save to the several states in the ag-
gregate from e 100000 to C 500, 900
year in interest, but the calcula ton was
based on the assumption that the man.
agement of the affairs of the common
wealth. including the conception and
making of it's laws, would be of such
a steady and level headed character
that commonwealth bonds would be as
acceptable to the financial world out
side as that Of the dominion Of Can
ada.
A measure is passing through the
federal parliament to apply this princt-
pie to the whole of Australia in cases In
which the questions raised extend from
one state to another. The senate has
gone the length of including farm and
dairy laborers and family servants In
its provisions. That, if passed, would
be the last straw; but it win be thrown
out of the bill on it's return TO the
house of representatives.
Already the possibility has aroused
the farmers, and / have before me
whole newspaper column of telegraph
ed notices of farmers meetings. In