The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1917-07-05
From,the Christian

-ftMS.Ea
Yarra Bank. close to. has
gained a curious notoriety. 1t is to Mel
bourne something of what the marble
arch corner of Hyde park is to London.
Along its uncultfyated stretch there gath
er, every Sunday, a crowd OF speakers
and lecturers, all of whom address them
selves to the little bodies of satellites
grouped around them. As in Hyde park,
every sort of theory from evolution to
eternal punishment, and from prohibition
to socialism is preached. 1t is here that
some of the most violent attacks upon MI.
Hughes have been launched by the speak.
ers of the L. w. w. organization, and the
tenor of those speeches showS a rancorous
hatred of the prime minister which it Isl.
at first, difficult to account for.
Mr.. Hughes, of course, is man who
has known how to cultivate, to the full, the.
epigram, codified by Whistler, OF the
gentle art of making enemies, His man
ageTnent ofssthe CONSUMPTION bill was a
tolerably good Illustration of this. The
CONSUMPTION question was possibly the
most vexed in the whole country. and into
this turmoil of argument and counter,
argument, of inyective and yituperation,
the prime minister flung the referendum.
on recruiting. He mightShaveSsubnaitted
q bill to parliament. It would probably
LAY passed the House, though it equally
probably would have been rejected in the
Senate If 1t had been, an arrangement
spSGu@g ACllcQs&py 4Iic nOTdlIlaTy
methods, between the houses. But Mr..
Hughes was i'm a hurry. He could not
brook the. delay of debates, andslater pcs
sibly OF conferences. The result was his
direct appeal to the people. who an
EweTed that appeal in the negative. Mean
tmesMr. Hughes hurry had Involved aim
I'm, a worse difficulty than this. Anticl-
pating an affirmativetvote, he had. actu-
ally proceeded to call up the men eligible
under the defense act. This decision set
the country on fire. So fercely was the
fire famed by opular amnesty that, on
the very morning of the election, the
prime minister was forced to recall his
regulation.
Then came the split In the labor party.
n the appeal of the prime minister to
the electorate, which resulted in a fusion
OF parties that placed Mr.. Hughes once
more In power. and the labor organiza-
ttonz In a minority. The defeat Of the la
Dor organizations was even. more severe at
b polls than the defeat Of CONSUMPTION
had been at the referendum. The position
was, indeed, a peculiar one.- For some
years past the b caucus, acting
through its officials. had claimed to direct
the policy OF the commonwealth govern
ment, which was q labor government
This wns, OF course, unconstitutional. 1t
made the labor caucus the director OF the
policy Of the country. quite irrespective Of
the desires OF the electors. When. there
Hore, the labor party waa defeated In the
geaectdonE. the caucus rule fel1sw1th It, and
there was substituted in its place q ma
jority formed OF a fusion of tbs other
parties In the house with that portion of
HE labor party which had followed Mr..
Hughes
tar there was nothingspeculiar IN the
Gtsatiop. since II fnlowed the lines
ESuhich might Y been anticipated from
the moment Mr.. Hughes threw down his
GAxe to the labor caucus but under the
y1rface there was obviously something
more than this. 1t is Impossible to ignore
|gthe fact that the opposition Of the labor
party to transcription. seeing that con-
Epcr1ption had been introduced by one Of
the most popular OF labor representatives,
Who had become prime minister OF the
coni1nohwealth in a labor ministry, was
bkoundedso something far stronger than
: mere dislike pf CONSUMPTION. From the
Esdemocraticsp6int Of view Is. indeed.
obviously soothing to be said. other than
academicalIyss against conscription In the
present crisis. This has been ~abundantly
proved by the great dem~ocracies Of the
world. The republic Of France has sub
mitted to oonscription as an absolute
necessfty and has indeed found as.a leader
On the occasion the principal antinailItar-
fst IN ties.country, Gustave Herye. The
party In Great Brftains has warmly
supported the government tn what 1t too
has decided HI IL netessftU.-o the hour,
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