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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 1, No. 21 October 5, 1938

Swinging the Vote

page 3

Swinging the Vote

As polling day approaches, the Press will be found attacking, with unparalleled fervour, the present Government party, and prophesying disaster to the country if it is not defeated. In a word, we are faced with an Election in which the forces of reaction will use all their tremendous power in an attempt to restore that condition of organised stagnation which they appear to look upon as the normal condition of human society. In this attempt the press will be their chief weapon. They will use it to create a "fear psychology" among the electors. This is by no means the first time such a thing has happened.

Let us turn back the files of the "New Zealand Herald" to the year 1893.

We choose that year for a particular reason. In 1893 a situation existed in New Zealand that was rather similar to that which confronts us now, in 1938—forty-five years later. After a period of depression, during which the conservative Atkinson Government had imposed harsh measures of "economy" on those least able to bear such burdens, that Government had been defeated. In 1890, by a combination representing, broadly. Liberal and Labour interests.

In 1893 this new and progressive Government was put to its first severe test—Its First General Election, after being Three Years in Office.

What did the "herald" Say in 93?

The following extracts are all taken from leading articles in the "Herald." and the dates are attached. Listen! This is what it said:—
  • 23rd Nov., 1893.—"First, we must remember that the great expansion of our exports has not enabled us to settle and dispose of our difficulties once for all. It has extricated us from all Immediate financial peril, but we have still that fearful debt of somewhere about forty millions hanging over us. Which has lately been milled to by various methods of sly borrowing

    ££££££££££££££££

  • 27th Nov., 1893.—"Our chief anxiety is for the sake of the colony, to prevent rush mid wasteful legislation, to enable the colony to make a complete recovery so that there may be no fear of being compelled to borrow, so that the burden of taxation, which is exceedingly heavy, may be lightened, and that the colony may make steady progress."

    ££££££££££££££££

  • 25th Nov., 1893.—"To the elector who has no love of State Socialism, and no taste for incessant experiments with the social machinery. It is ... a simple matter to place the guidance of the ship of State in the hands of Mr. Rolleston." (Read Mr. Hamilton.)

    ££££££££££££££££

  • 23th Nov., 1893.—Mr. Seddon's platform provided "that there should be a State bank of issue . . . that State farms should be established all over the country."

    ££££££££££££££££

  • 24th Nov., 1893.—"We hear from the South, on very good authority, the Ministers are by no means so sanguine as they were that the general election will give them a triumphant majority. . . ."

    ££££££££££££££££

The painful uncertainty, the uneasiness and anxiety, of the Government (If they ever existed) must have been dissipated easily enough by the result of that Election, which was held on 28th November, 1893. Here are the figures:—
Government 49
Opposition 16
Independents 5

That Election marked the beginning of a period of nearly twenty years—the greatest period in our history when unexampled prosperity and contentment ruled, and the eyes of philosophers and sociologists throughout the world were turned on New Zealand. The "rash and dangerous experiments" of the Seddon Government excited the envy and admiration of other countries. People came to New Zealand from all over the world to settle down in the now land of promise.

(Taken from "Who Said Red Ruin?"—An Examination of Newspaper Methods.)