Page:Travel letters from New Zealand, Australia and Africa (1913).djvu/101

 *ing we saw a train start for the races. It consisted of half a dozen passenger coaches, and twelve flat cars provided with board seats. One of the passenger cars was a sleeper. This is the capital of the country. Think of the government owning the railways in the United States, and, in Washington, D. C., compelling the people to ride on flat cars. I imagine that "Tax Payer," and "Citizen," to say nothing of "Old Soldier," and "Vox Populi," would write stinging letters to the newspapers There is a paper printed here called "Truth," and I venture the opinion that it is the biggest liar in the Dominion. The last issue has a leader entitled "Christ—Cæsar—Napoleon." Under such a title a writer might lie abominably In Australia, a Mr. Beeby was recently elected to the legislative assembly against the wishes of the labor unions. Mr. Beeby challenged the right of the labor unions to order his every political act, and become the keeper of his conscience. So he appealed to the people, and told the labor men to go to the devil. They made a tremendous fight against Mr. Beeby, and said he was trying to take bread out of the mouths of starving people, etc., although he was really a very fair and sensible friend of the working class. The result was a surprise; Mr. Beeby won, although by a small majority. The Wellington Times of this morning, speaking of Mr. Beeby's success, says:

"There is a good deal of hostility to the labor element, because of its disregard of the best traditions of constitutional government."

It was a fair and square fight between conservative people and the labor unions, and the people won.