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Spoils to the Victors.

One of the Opposition's strongest causes of complaint against the Government is the unfair system they pursue of allotting the money for public works. So far as Mr. Seddon dares flout public opinion, and he will go far in this direction so long as he has an obedient majority at his back, he will so manage the disposal of the Public Works Fund as to favour districts which return Government supporters at the expense of those represented by Oppositionists. There is no pretence of secrecy about the matter, no effort to preserve a semblance of justice in dealing with the claims of different districts. The Seddon Government, by their flagrant abuse of their power, have made the phrases "Spoils to the Victors" and "The Right Colour" household words throughout the colony.

Mr. Seddon's supporters will assert, as they have asserted time after time, that no partiality is shown towards Government constituencies. Argument is thrown away upon those who refuse to recognise plain and obvious facts; but we can, at least, refute their contentions out of Mr. Seddon's own mouth.

The following are extracts from speeches delivered by the Premier during the last few years, in which he specifically warned all constituencies which did not elect Government candidates of what they might expect.

Speaking in the House on the second reading of the Aid to Public Works Bill, Oct. 21, 1898, Mr. Seddon, after claiming that the allocation of the public moneys had been just, and remarking that his supporters complained indeed that Government opponents were treated more favourably than they (!), went on to say:—"I am not one of those who say that other things being equal I should not favour the district that was represented by one who helped to maintain the Government in power.

Mr. Seddon sought to qualify this frank statement of his method of allocating Public Works expenditure by adding that he would always maintain "that where a reproductive work is necessary, and it is for the advantage of the country, in that case I care not who represents that district. The people shall not suffer because of their political opinions or whoever they may send to Parliament to represent them."

Brave words, indeed! But in the face of subsequent statements of his policy the public can attach little importance to the Premier's boasted impartiality.

We may next quote a Seddon telegram to a defeated Government candidate, Mr. Jackson Palmer, who was rejected by the Ohinemuri electors in 1902, and has since been made a judge of the Native Land Court.

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"I feel compelled," Mr. Seddon wired, "again to assure you how sorry I am at your not being elected. I feel, at the same time, that the general result will, to some extent, compensate and minimise" your disappointment. All the same it is hard to look over the ingratitude of those for whom you have worked so well. Certainly the miners of Waihi have shown a selfishness which will not tend to make one interest himself in their favour."

"But the people shall not suffer because of their political opinions." Of course not!

Then we come to the distinct promise of partiality in distributing the public votes, to which the Premier gave utterance on the occasion of the opening of the railway between Waipara and Scargill on December 16th, 1902.

"In respect to the Public Works expenditure Canterbury had a very strong claim upon the Government because it had really sent to Parliament nothing but Government supporters, and it would be the height of ingratitude if the Government did not take that into consideration. That was always the case, notwithstanding the fact that there were some people who would have the audacity to stand before the public and say they did not take that into consideration. It was much better to state boldly that where there was a united people prepared to help themselves, and who were pregressive, and prepared to help a progressive Government, if the Government did not bear in mind their requirements then it was no longer fit to be a Government."

Finally, we come to the reply made by Mr. Seddon to a deputation which met him at Whangarei (about 10th March of this year), in the course of which he said. "he would not hesitate to say that when other things were equal it was unreasonable and unnatural to expect the Government to look with the same kindly eye on districts returning members opposed to the Government as on those which returned Government supporters."

This plain and definite indication of policy is not, in the least degree, modified by the Premier's remark that he did not let" trifles of that description interfere with him doing what was just to each part of the colony." The latter statement was ridiculously illogical in view of his previous decided assertion that the Government, in allocating Public Works expenditure, were influenced by the political views of the various members. As Mr. Massey said such statements are not worthy of any man occupying a high and responsible position in the politics of the country.

But a Premier who sets to work deliberately to bribe the constituencies with public money is not the kind of man to worry about the dignity or responsibility of his position. All he cares for is to secure a sufficient number of obedient followers to enable him to hang on to office.