scussed "Yes-No" Policy. We had both
opposed the Bill on its first appeal to the people, and seized the
occasion to thank Mr. Reid for his share in delaying the measure. "You
think the Bill as amended an improvement?" he asked. "Probably,"
replied Mrs. Young, "but as I didn't think the improvement great
enough, I voted against it both times." But I had not done so, and my
vote on the second occasion was in favour of the Bill.

But, as Mr. Reid admitted, the dislike of most reformers for federation
was natural enough, for it was only to be expected that "reforms would
be difficult to get with such a huge, unwieldy mass" to be moved before
they could be won. And experience has proved the correctness of the
view expressed. Anything in the nature of a real reform, judging from
the experience of the past, will take a long time to bring about. I am
convinced that had not South Australia already adopted the principle of
the all-round land tax, the progressive form would have been the only
one suggested or heard of from either party. Politicians are so apt to
take the line of least resistance, and when thousands of votes of small
landowners are to be won through the advocacy of an exemption,
exemptions there will be. The whole system of taxation is wrong, it
seems to me, and though, as a matter of expediency, sometimes from
conviction, many people advocate the opposite course, I have long felt
that taxation should not be imposed according to the ability to pay so
much as according to benefits received from the State. We are
frequently warned against expecting too much from Federation during its
earlier stages, but experience teaches us that, as with human beings,
so with nations, a wrong or a right beginning is responsible to a great
extent for right or wrong development. I have the strongest hopes for
the future of Australia, but the people must never be allowed to forget
that eternal vigilance, as in the past, must still in the future be the
price we must pay for our liberty. Later, Mr. Reid presided at our
Parliament House meeting, and afterwards entertained us at afternoon
tea. But one of our pleasantest memories was of a day spent with the
great freetrader and Mrs. Reid at their Strathfield home. I was anxious
to hear Mr. Reid speak, and was glad when the opportunity arose on the
occasion of a no-confidence debate. But he was by no means at his best,
and it was not until I heard him in his famous freetrade speech on his
fi