DEMOS AND THE NEW ZEALAND LIBERALS

Time: Dawn Scene: A New Zealand valley; below a township built of iron, above a hillside overgrown with gorse and a hedge of the same, in which is a gap bloc ed with a bro en!down reaper and binder; sitting on the latter "Demos" musing# $ellbirds singing, and chorus of the frivolous in the distance, where scattered homesteads s irt the edge of the bush#

DEMOS:

Here how the bells call in another day; Another change- there's plenty come our way: In the mad session, Heaven be thanked now o'er, Too much by hal to have me ask or more !ive years ago a man was still a man; In '"# his all rom grace began; In '"$ he gave his manhood best, And now he's %eddon's slave and all the rest& ', (owers that guard the ortunes o our %tate, )e've all been tricked and ound it out too late; )hen we elected *ichard or our king, )e little thought what one short year would bring& )hat though he murdered +nglish as he spoke, He bragged a surplus, swore he was not broke , -ot )ard to prove it& .orrow/ 0o, not he1 And we believed him , now the truth we see& In secret they had borrowed rom the irst; 2enied it at the hustings, braved the worst; Then when the .udget showed us how they stood They swore they did it or the country's good& The session opened, !raser took his stand %ergeant-at-arms by %eddon's high command; Against the law - the law upholding power, The creature o the creature o an hour& %tout, urious, with *ussell may combine !raud to resist against the thirty-nine %eddonian slaves that on the %iberal side %upport the black-leg social suicide& 3ain hope that right against corrupted power And blustering 2ick should stand or hal an hour& .ut that were harmless to what cruel !ate Had at )ard's hand in store or this poor %tate; %uch petty crimes unnumbered nothing seem .eside the nightmare o the .udget's scheme& 4illion on million rolls rom that glib tongue, And bills are hustled through while rnorn is young, And sleepy members wearily debate 4onstrous monstrosities o the )ardian pate , )hy, 3ogel's wildest dreams were naught to these

5 self!reliant %iberals, i you please6 5 7iberal leaders, proud in place and power, )e raised you there in an unhappy hour; )e chose you or your dulness, thought indeed They scarce would rashly act who scarce could read& 'Twi8t ad and interest we thought you placed , .oth evils you combined, your creed disgraced& At leisure we repent who sinned in haste&
CHORUS

3oices o the golden year, %weet bird voices ar and near, In broadlea bower and erny dell 4any amoka-moka bell )elcomes in the sunny day; !airy ingers o the dawn .reaking over ocean grey, 5ver ields o growing corn, 5ver pastures broad and green, 9uiet valley and wild ravine, 5ver mountain tops that show %treaked with rosy-tinted snow, 5ver river deserts wide, 5ver cities in their pride& 5ver lakes that lash anew Tur:uoise tints o palest blue, 5ver orests waving air, '5ver earth and over air, ;ver truth and purity, 5ver love and charity 5ver all o heaven born .reaks the sunny mom&
DEMOS:

Ay, truth and purity are dead and gone5ur aith's been shaken in that 'honest <ohn' , .ig <ock 4acken=ie , reedom's deadliest oe, In spite o all his ignorance and blow& 5h, never shall the link be loosed again That shackles (omahaka to his name, 5r men orget the night he ran away !rom acing %cobie e'er election day& .ut now the worst o all is come to pass 0ew >ealand's press has written <ohn an ass, And <ock has sworn the press must bend the knee To %iberal despotism, or cease to be& 5 big, weak, oolish 4inister or 7ands, 5ur ree-voiced press is not yet in your hands&

%trike at our education, homes destroy; +ncourage dummies, honest worth annoy; 7ie, brag, blow, bluster how you can and may, .ut touch our press and you will rue the day& ?es, <ock6 believe me, this shall come to pass , 0ew generations still shall write thee 'ass&' )hen all thy greatness is orgotten :uite, As one who tried to curb the people's right, Thine epitaph in history shall be: 'A tyrant born behind his time was he& ' 5 *eeves6 the people's riend, misguided still , 5ur only hope when all else promised ill; The people's )illiam, sweet-voiced son o song, *emember talk is cheap, but art is strong& Although we ound no honey on your tongue, .ut venomed sha ts o bitterness that stung %kin deep the victim, then returned in @est 5n him who coined the catch word 'social pest&' ?et we orgive you& *ise, and sin no more; %how all %eddonian humbug to the door, And be at least yoursel , an honest man, )hoever leads the howling labour van; 0o longer or one class all else despise, .ut read past history with open eyes& And learn that all re orm on @ustice stands, 0ot on the hugeness o un@ust demands& ', *eeves, the people's )illiam6 4adness still6 Hope ades; there comes on us a might chill , &e gods, behold the 'mmigration $ill( ! .right, sunny morn, amid rata and roses, Hanging convolvulus resh with the dew , )hat care we who thunders or proses Bp in the windy city by the sea/ The wild woods or me, The wild woods are ree& )hile days are golden and skies are blue, )hat care we who thunders or proses , All among the lilies, the lilies and the roses , Bp in the windy city by the sea&
2avid 4cCee )right Tabletops, Hakateramea, 5ctober #D"E )tago *itness, # 0ovember #D"E

AH5*B%

05T+& *ichard F'Cing 2ick'G %eddon F#DEH-#"'IG was 7iberal (rime 4inister rom #D"$ until his death& The 7iberal Treasurer in the same period was <oseph )ard #DHI-#"$'G& *obert Flater %ir *obertG %tout F#DEE-#"$'G was elected as a 7iberal in #D"$ but opposed party politics and %eddon's autocratic tendencies; he retired rom politics in #D"D; ellow 7iberal -eorge )arren *ussell F#DHE#"$JG was another ierce critic o %eddon's slowing o the 7iberals' re orm programme, and in #D"I

tried to orm a *adical (arty& <ulius 3ogel F#D$H-#D""G was Aolonial Treasurer during %tout's premiership rom #DDE until #DDJ, a time o recession that 3ogel tried to so ten irst through borrowing, and then through retrenchment and inancial tightening& <ohn 4cCen=ie F#D$"-#"'#G was a member o the 5tago (rovincial Aouncil rom #DJ# until #DJJ and parliamentarian rom #DD# until he resigned in #"''& As 7iberal 4inister or 7ands rom #D"#, 'Honest <ock' 4cCen=ie introduced a graduated land ta8, created the """-year lease or land tenure, broke up the enormous Aheviot estate, and introduced the state's right to compulsorily ac:uire land& 4cCen=ie worked to provide cheap credit to small armers and new leaseholders, but created an enduring division by his alienation o vast amounts o 4aori land or resale to settlers& )illiam (ember *eeves F#DHJ-#"$KG was hostile to Asians and twice F#D"E and #D"HG tried to have a .ill passed to restrict Ahinese and pauper immigration&