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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,
|
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| 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,
|
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| 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.)