Salient: An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 12, No. 5, June 8th, 1949.
. . . But no force
. . . But no force
What will inevitably be said—has been said already—of anyone who opposes conscription? That he is a Communist, a fellow traveller, that he supports Communism. Mr. Fraser in his conference speech has given us a taste of what is to come. Now it is true that there is not likely to be any intimidation physically during the campaign. No-one is going to be beaten up for saying what he thinks (unless that reported meeting in Greymouth means something'. And anyway, what need is there to intimidate anyone by physical force when you need only to call him a Communist to discredit him in the eyes of the voters, or threaten to do so to stop him talking at ail? Docs this look like letting both sides of the question be aired?
And what of the voters? We asked in our ideal that they be allowed to make up their minds reasonably, to come to a logical and unbiassed decision. Do you seriously think that they will? Or will every paper in the country carry banner heads on the Communist threat to the Democratic Way of Life, Soviet Brutality, the Need to Defend Our Freedom and so on ad infinitum. Is this a clear, hard logical presentation of the case? His emotions pushed and swayed by every new edition, every statement made and publicised by the R.S.A. the Chambers of Commerce and both political parties—how can the voter possibly fail to come to his decision on these emotional grounds?
And If you still doubt that this mockery is likely to happen in God's own country, just think—would an article saying these things have any chance of being printed by a single one of the daily newspapers in New Zealand?