The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-13
The First citizen Of New Zealand.

In the relations Of the late Premier
Seldom and tho colony Of New Zealand
tho most intimate az well "a the more
superficial observation showed him not
only 40 always in control Of the situation.
but even more forcibly as absolutely
dominating the men through whom
situations arose. He was not only the
political leader against whom opposi-
ton broke in vain, he was the leader OF
every association of New Zealand men
whose objects were such as to invite
his company. 1t was the pride Of the
colony Of the Southern Cross to call him
its first citizen. He had a salient indi-
viduality, the capacity to guide where
guiding awaited and to drive where force
was needed.
He had always to contend with the
imperial Government through the Gov
ernors whom London sent out TO Yelling
ton. An imperialist Of the most pic
turesque stripe, he was called upon to
set himself In opposition to the centre
OF empire in his perennial fight to main
tain the home rule of New Zealand
against the opposition Of capital and
statecraft to the experiments in govern
ment which have become famous as the
New Zealand idea. To Governor after
Governor he found it necessary to read
the lesson Of New Zealand's independ-
ence as the price Of its loyalty.
Within his own self-governing colony
the least of his tasks was to direct the
labor vote. When n sees that New
Zealand stands alone in the world as
recognizing the constitutional right OF
manhood to demand labor at a living
wage, it would seem that there was little
left to ask for. Such is the right that
the Government in New Zealand has
recognized. Three squares and a doss'
is the colonial name for it, the right of
the unemployed man to step up to a
Government Office and to demand that
he be put at work for such a wage as
will insure him three meals and a nights
lodging for every day. Seldom was
able to steer this condition away from
the reef of State socialism by providing
the machinery of thrift. His greatest
triumph as the chieftain of this part Of
the population was in so dealing with
the organizations Of labor as to avoid
the unionizing of the Government, which
has led to such a catastrophe as is now
to be witnessed in the n%eighboring Com
monwealth of Australia. All the labor
OF New Zealand was organized, but the
Government was the organization and
Seldom the chief of all the delegates.
1t Is easy to lead that class if n will
but satisfy its demands. Seldom re-
fused more than he granted, yet he
remained it's captain. OF far greater
difficulty is it to control capitalists, who
must grant the demands of the class
whose endowment is no more than the
capa city and willingness to work. By
laws which prevented the overgrowth
of fortunes through the combination OF
capital, Seldom cut off the trust idea as
a protective instrument of capital and
left the individuals open to a piecemeal
settlement of the problems which arose.
With what equity he dealt with indi-
yidual and class one may see from the
fact that in the recent general elections
the greater industries were his most
enthusiastic supporters.
What is to become of the New Zealand
idea without the man who has been the
motive power Of it all? The experiment
has been watched with interest, but
conservative observers have not been
blind to the fact that the future has been
heavily mortgaged. No man is indis-
pensable, yet Seldom has held all power
so long, has worked so wholly without
assistants, that the men eligible to sue
coed to his post are untried and prac-
tically unknown.