POLITICAL PERJURY, ITS CHIEF CAUSE AND RADICAL CURE.

Auckland Examiner, Volume 1, Issue 2, 18 December 1856, Page 1

POLITICAL PERJURY, ITS CHIEF CAUSE AND RADICAL CURE.

We well remember the efforts made by British Ministers to reform the Reform Bill and prove to the world that Government could be carried on without corruption. Session after session Bills to put down bribery and corruption at elections were brought before Parliament, but all such Bills either perished in 4; thc massacre of innocents” British senators sessionally treat themselves with or were inadequate to pope with the evil, Government

by way of corruption went on as vigorously as ever,/and political scoundrelism laughed in its sleeve at the impotent efforts of political purists. No wonder, for these well-meaning persons while ready to strike were afraid to strike home. Instead of dealing with political corruptionists as vile criminals they seemed anxious to frame excuses for them. Instead of meeting their particular case by a revival of the pillory, or the venerable practice of flogging at a cart’s tail Irom Newgate to Hyde Park Corner, they suffered them to escape on payment of some ridiculously small fine or suffering some few months imprisonment.

The fact is that these purist never were sincere in their efforts to put down bribery and corruption at elections. Nor will be believe that our political purists are sincere in their desire to punish “ personators” until these jokers receive such amount and kind of punishment for their crime as shall convince them that to “ personate” is no trifling matter or to be compounded for by a £lO penalty. According to an old story three young men passing through a fruit-garden, the second seeing the first help himself to some apples said to the third, — Is it right to take another man's apples ? les, was the answer, for I have some in my pocket. Upon this principle we can account for the sympathy manifested by certain Constitutionalists towards those petty-pur-jury-rascals who for a bribe or to indulge an innate disposition for fraud, swore to be true what they knew to be false, and “personated” not only the living but the dead. Are we illiberal in supposing that defenders of such monstrous doings have either already profited by them or hope to do so ?

Me confess to believing that all who sympathize with the political perjurer are no better reasoners or more honourable men than he who asked if it was right to take another man’s apples, said—-Yes, for 1 have some in my pocket. Among causes of political perjury the chief, because most potent and important, is the all but universal opinion that in politics morality may be dispensed with ; that in politics perjury is not a crime, or if criminal, it is crime made venial by the occasion ; that in politics we have a game to play and are at liberty to employ marked cards or cogged dice ; that the right to vote on part of poor men, being interpreted means the right to humbug on the part of rich men; and that “ personators” or other political-petty-perjury-rascals are only to be condemned because they happen to be found out.-

When our Constitutionalists had this crime brought home to them the tu quoque argument was the only one they had wit enough to “ ventilate.” Now, you're another is at best a bad mode of “ choking off” grave accuations. If two rogues were equal to one honest men, or if two blacks did make a white there might be sense in this peculiar modus operandi the Constitutional Association reformers have thought proper to adopt. But it so happens that neither two nor two dozen scoundrels if rolled into a single personality would eventuate in one honest man, and that simple white cannot be got out of any number of pure blacks. We therefore recommend the Constitutional Association to defend “ personation” on better grounds than that the trick has been played oft’ on both sides and that no reason can be given why the privilege of being rascals should be denied to Constitutionalists while permitted to Progressionists.

No political party can defend its own frauds bv charges against another political party. And yet that is just what the Constitutional Association have done, or allowed to be done in their name. The entrance of some members headed by indefatigable Hansard—that busiest of our busy politicians- —into the Resident Magistrate’s Court a few deys since created quite a sensation. Their avowed, object wag to show that “ personation was

quite common, a thing of course. ;.t that Constitutionalists had just as much'right to personate as anybody else that “ it was most tolerable and not to be endured” that Progress men should have all the “ personating” to themselves; and ventured a palpable-looking hint that neither Gilfillan nor Graham nor even tbe Resident Magistrate had any claim to be considered politically pure. .According to these candid gentlemen both political parties are very dirty, the one being quite as deep in the mud as the other in the mire. Arcades Ambo y (in English equivalant to blackguards both), are two words which express the- full, complete, but rather unsatisfactory meaning of such a defence.

Now, our cure for a political disease which all will allow is pregnant with the worst forms of political evil is extremely simple. vVe would put political bribers, political perjurers, and the whole tribe of political blackguards, in the category of common felons. We would send themheads shaven to work in chains upon the public roads. We would make of them a terrible example, and in such fashion too that our children would see dispise, and execrate them.