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THE GENESIS OF SLANDER.

The incident to which Mr David Jones refers in the letter wo print on another pago to-day is of high interest for its exposure of the machinery Of "Liberal" slander. As everyone knows, the "Liberals" inside and outside Parliament have unwearyingly persisted in saying that tho Reform Party havo circulated wicked and untrue stories against the Leader of tho Opposition.

Appeals to the "Liberals" to furnish some proof of their.statements have been laughed at. "We do not say," _o tbey reply, "that .ir Massey himself has " pursued a policy of defamation, but " the Reform Party generally have done "so. For example, they havo told the " public so-and-so, and 80-and-so." No proof is offered.. Tho "Liberals" know that proof is impossible, for the reason that the so-called campaign of calumny against Sir Joseph Ward is a pure fiction of the "Liberals' " own. The incident dealt" with by Mr Jones will enable the public to see how tho thing is done. At a private meeting of tho Women's Political Reform League Mr Jones _aid that in Sir Joseph Ward's own district opinions had been expressed concerning tho Leader of tho Opposition's attitude in the present industrial trouble which would not bear repeating—a perfectly proper remark, and, everyone will feel sure, a perfectly true one as well. By some means a "Liberal" agent attended the meeting, and told somo story to the local Opposition journal, which printed a paragraph to tho effect that Mr Jones had said that "since getting into office the "present Ministry had discovered things " about Sir Joseph Ward that they did "not like to repeat." This paragraph, which had escaped Mr Jones's notice, was fortunately observed by Sir Joseph Ward, who asked a question in the House concerning it. Mr Massey refused to believe that Mr Jones could havo made any such statement. Mr Jones, on being appealed to, was astonished and indignant, and telegraphed an emphatio denial of the Opposition paper's story, which he indeed considered was a libel unon himself. This denial has been amply corroborated by the secretary and president of the League branch. Mr Jones's reason for writing to us. to-day is the refusal of the offending newspaper to print his letter of protest. That journal, in apologising for printing the paragraph, declared that it had done 60 because tho paragraph "appeared to be abundantly verified." On the face of it, it ,is perfectly clear that the paragraph could not have been "verified" at all. No attempt was made to verify it before printing. It was a scandalous mis-statement likely to damage tho Reform Party, and that was considered reason enough for printing it. Now, if the matter had not been very properly taken up by the Leader of tho Opposition, the "Liberals" would in a few months have been busily declaring that the Reform Party's organiser had slandered Sir Joseph Ward, and had done so at the prompting of the Government. What most fair-minded opponents of. the Government will conclude is that there is no better foundation for any of the other stories about the Reformers' treatment of Sir Joseph Ward than for the one under notice. The unscrupulous person who deliberately invented this particular falsei hood, and tho newspaper which go | readily circulated it, make the combination which has been the origin of those cruel and unjust tactics against which the Reform Party has to fight. Of all the calumnies which the "Libe- " rals" have.spoken of as being circulated against the Leader'of the Opposition by the Reform Party, not one has ever been specifically attributed to any person, organisation or newspaper connected with tho Party. In future, when a "Liberal" newspaper or politician declares that the Reform Party has told this or thai!; wicked story concerning the Ward Government, or Sir J.-G. Ward himself, the public will know that no, such wicked story has ever been told, and that the "Liberals" are merely resorting again to the tactics which have fortunately been promptly exposed in the caso under notice. Wo hope that Sir Joseph Ward himself, who has no doubt been as grossly deceived as anyone else by the assurances of tho "Liberals" that the Reform Party has been circulating wicked stories about him, will learn from this little incident to disbelieve his unscrupulous friends, and will consider that his honour is safer in the hands of his political opponents than of 6ome of his supporters. He made it clear in tho little discussion in the Houso last week that ho could not believo that a responsible "Liberal" newspaper would print an absolute untruth. Ho knows bettor now.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19131201.2.25

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14837, 1 December 1913, Page 6

Word count
Tapeke kupu
769

THE GENESIS OF SLANDER. Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14837, 1 December 1913, Page 6

THE GENESIS OF SLANDER. Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14837, 1 December 1913, Page 6

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