OUR SUPERINTENDENT AND HIS PROMISES.

Auckland Examiner, Volume 1, Issue 22, 14 May 1857, Page 2

OUR SUPERINTENDENT AND HIS PROMISES.

He who sows the wind should not be unprepared, or at all object, to reap the whirlwind. I, as the’phrase is, of my own free will, provoked opposition, and to cower before it would indeed be pitiable. From the first I have hurled defiance at the whole tribe of corruptionists. From the first, my “ steep aim” has been to — unmask hypocrisy, lay bare The front of-guilt, that men may see and shun it. I have labored in good faith, and, judging from the vehement abuse heaped upon me by the Superintendent’s hired defamers, my labours have been crowned with signal success. Only a hard-hitter could make them bellow so lustily. Reading their effusions I exclaim with Marc Antony— Oh! judgment, thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason. By original constitution, as well as grafted habit, a thorough despiser of impotent malignants, the efforts made by these unprincipled scribblers to discredit my statements and wound myself are at this dull season my chief source of amusement. I quite enjoy their abuse. No compliment greater. It tickles me amazingly, because political Jesuits most abuse those whom they most fear. Now, to be the terror of corruptionists is my ambition. Their love would disgust me; but their hate I welcome with infinite satisfaction. My articles are not written to please them, but to let the Auckland public know the kind of man Superintendent Williamson is, and the kind of policy for which we are indebted to him. Hitherto none of my statements have been disproved. No, not one. Could Williamson’s partisans have fastened upon a single error, they would have rejoiced in, and gobbled it up, as hogs do mire or geese garbage. All their pretended answers to my statements, leave undisturbed thetground on which those statements rest. Indeed, from people employed by Superintendent Williamson t: defend his policy and whitewash himself, I did expect a much better attempt at tolerable English and intelligible Logic than they have hitherto favored ’The system adopted by these unskilful controversialists is to make up in recklessness of assertion for paucity of fact. Every one knows that half truth amount to whole falsehood and half truth these ■political smashers are constantly attempting to pass. Another “ dodge” of theirs is the convenient one of cuttting-up opposition in detail, by separating what an opponent says into parts, and cleverly battling with each PART, as if they were combating the whole. To furnish case in point may just now be useful, and I will therefore do so. Examiner readers are not likely to forget my recent exposure of Superintendent Williamson’s shabby doings in relation to Magistrate Beckham and his Court. One passage runs thus : — Since the Jurisdiction Extension Act came into operation, our Supreme Court has been left in undisturbed possession of rats, or such other vermin as may think fit to keep up their quarters in it. How many appeals against his (Magistrate Beckham's) judgments have baen made? Two I and in both cases judgment yeas not set aside. Nothing plainer than this. Only a passion-blinded parfciiran, or addle-pated critic, could mistake its mean-

ing. That Murray Hamilton is both addle-pated critic and passion-blinded partizan, I need not take the trouble to affirm, but that he deals in half-truth my readers shall see. Professing to answer my plain statement, veracious Murray with uncommendable prudence quoted only a small part of it. Resolved upon finding a mare’s nest, he would not see that his own cases, though adjudicated upon since the Jurisdiction Extension Act came into operation, had nothing whatever to do with the matter in hand. Those cases were not appeal cases, as I proved last week ; but even if veracious Murray had shown them to be bona Eide appeals, my statement would still have been strictly accurate ; because it had reference solely to judgments of Magistrate Beekham, which, since the Jurisdiction Extension Act became law have been set aside by the Supreme Court. I said there had been two appeals, but that in both cases judgment had not been set aside. Murray Hamilton the veracious quotes the fag end of my statement—just so much of it as suited his purpose—tacks thereto a few ridiculous falsahoods, and then bombastically bellows forth—see what an “ eaves-dropping” talumniator this Publicola is. As if anxious to prove himself Auckland’s model.mare’s nest discoverer, he rnns on about cases which have no more to do with Publicolas nnmutilated statement, than calfscribblers have with common sense or common honesty. Let Murray Hamilton show that since rhe Jurisdiction Extension Act came into operation any number of Magistrate Beckham’s judgments have been reversed, and Publicola will touch bis hat to him. If unable to do that, let him set an uncommon example of common fairness by touching his hat to Publicola. Apology or justification I demand. Take your choice veracious Murray between making good your accusation or its honorable abandonment. Do one of these things, that the Auckland public may understand whether you are more dunce than dodger, or more dodger than dunce. It may he thought wrong to waste ink upon one so well-known as this Murray Hamilton {undoubtedly is. And I confess that crucifying him appears something like nailing a rat upon a barn door, or breaking a butterfly upon a wheel. But the “ snob” asserted so confidantly what only people well informad as to facts could know to be downright fictions, and offered so fair a mark, that I could not resist the pleasure of sending an arrow into him. Had he at any time been referred to by me, or by any other writer for the Examiner, something like justification of his conduct might have been set up. But without personal provocation he thought proper to make a grossly personal attack, accusing me not only of “ eavesdropping,” but other serious delinquencies. Under the circumstances, I thought it worth while to show what manner of man my accuser is, and the weight due to his testimony. Reptiles cease to be dangerous when the sting is taken out of them. The liar, known to be a liar, cannot deceive anyone ; even should he chance to tell truth, people will be slow to believe him. The rather given-to-lying boy who, according to well-known fable, cried—wolf, wolf, when the wolf did not come, cried in vain, when the wolf did come. No political or other sharper, found out, can do more mischief than the viper deprived of his sting. Bankrupt in character, to make both ends meet he finds at all times difficult, sometimes impossible. For these reasons I have condescended to show up Auckland’s “ model” mare’s nest discoverer who, by the time I have done with him, will perhaps be savage as a wolf and certainly be harmless as a lamb. PUBLICOLA.