|

|

|

|

In the course of his Paris Commune lecture at the | Gaiety Theatre, Mr Frank Hyett had occasion to refer to | the Labor Party and its submergence in petty party | politics. What is it, he asked, that the Labor Party | lacks?

|

A Voice:

|

Mr Hyett: | | (Interruption and applause.)

|

continued Mr Hyett, | |

|

Mr Hyett proceeded to present the standpoint of the | Labor candidate who argued, | In his seat winning the candidate justified | chicanery and opportunism. A Laborite in fear for his (Mr | Hyett's) future had advised him, | - | meaning that it was not wise to attack religion and | otherwise act against the prejudices and ignorances of | certain people. | (Cheers)

|

Laborites kept asking why couldn't Hyett come to them | - why couldn’t Curtin? Why couldn't Ross? | It was said Socialism could be preached from Labor | platforms. But say, could it? Could they tell the whole | truth about election cries from a Labor candidate's | platform? Would they even be invited to do so? No; if | Socialists were at present in the Labor party they would | be talking as the Labor members talked - | and that was one reason why Socialists were better apart. | Outside they could speak that which was in them. | (Applause.)

|

The speaker went on to deal with incidents of the | Broken Hill lock-out and the coal strike - | and Labor Parliamentarians’ part therein. He again stated | that Labor leaders were afraid to tell the electors the | truth. Personally he'd rather see a Labor candidate go | "down" speaking the truth than win by mouthing lies or | half-truths. Honesty was going to bring the workers to | victory. False issues should not be tolerated. Those who | stood for the abolition of the competitive system must | dare to say so. Otherwise the outlook was black and | hopeless. The truth was the wanted thing and the | necessary. The truth about religious mummeries and | political subterfuge. (Cheers, led by Mr Montague Miller, | who rose in his seat. It was an electric moment.)