The Dominion. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1910. MR. HINE'S TRIUMPH.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 984, 26 November 1910, Page 6

The Dominion. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1910. MR. HINE'S TRIUMPH.

— « — Late last night tho Committee appointed by the House of Representatives to investigate the charges mado by Mr.. Hine against certain present and ox-members of Parliament, and also a charge against the Government of 1905, presented its report to Parliament. That report not .only fully justifies Mr. Hine in the action which he felt called on to take as a member returned to Parliament to endeavour ■ to safeguard public interests, but it proves him entitled to tho thanks and commendation of the whole country. In the face of great difficulties, and before a tribunal a majority of the members of which were his political opponents, he, assisted by the skill and ability of his counsel,. Mr. M. Myers, has succeeded in the majority of his charges in demonstrating' the truth of his allegations so convincingly that even before a tribunal of'the nature stated a finding in his favour was inevitable. But more than that, He has succeeded in something rnoro than proving the majority of his charges. He has forced.this Committee to admit that the principle which he has been striving for is a sound one; he has forced it to recognise that the improprieties to which he took exception—and. which in the cases noted elsewhere it is. admitted he has proved, to have been committed—are inimical to the public interest. The fact that the Committee deemed it necessary * to ,ie_commend that legislation be passed to provide against such payments being mado in future is a crowning triumph which can leave no room for doubt in the mind of either friend or foe as to the great service which the member for Stratford has rendered the Dominion in the direction of purifying our public life. Owing to "the late hour at which the report was laid beforetho House it is impossible in this issue to deal exhaustively with the details of tho Committee proceedings, arid the final conclusion's reached. The proceedings,were disfigured, as wo fully expected they would be, by the introduction of political and personal feeling which demonstrated very plainly the' impossibility of obtaining anything but a partisan finding from such a tribunal on an inquiry of this kind. This same partisan feeling crept into tho findings of the Committee, as will be noted in the wording even , in the cases where impropriety has admittedly., been proved. This was. inevitable—conscious or unconscious, tho bias which comes from political partisanship was bound to creep in. Anyone reading tho report oi the evidence must immediately note, for instance, that ■the Prime Minister's questions almost invariably were devoted to an endeavour to show that his Government were not to blame, and this was done systematically, and in cases where no/charge against, the Govornmcnt waa oven suggested. If further .pioof- oi ibis partisanship

wore needed it will be found no doubt ■ in the divisions which took place when the Committee was considering its ..findings and in the minority report. It must be convincing indeed, in the face of this state of things, that- 'Mr; Hine should have boon able .to produce evidence of so overwhelming a nature as to leave no loophole of escape in respect of so many of his charges. As to the cases in which the Committee found no impropriety' to have been committed, it is fortunate that'the public have-had the evidence before them, and can use their own judgment as to whether or not such transactions should be permitted in our public life. While we cannot feel that the Committee is entitled to any great amount of credit for the manner in which it has framed its findings in. respect of tho individual charges, we must compliment it upon its decision to recommend "to Parliament the necessity for passing' legislation to provide against, such improprieties as were disclosed being repeated. The Legislative Council Committee shirked its plain duty in this respect, and it is to the credit of the House Committee that it took, this-step, laying down a principle which, should act as a guide and a warning to all members of the Legislature, present aad future. We must congratulate Mr. Hine both on his personal triumph and on the great service which he has undoubtedly, rendered the country; No one who has followed the reports of the proceedings during the inquiry could fail to have recognised the signs of a lowering of the political standards which should rule in our public life. The question naturally will be raised as to whether the improprieties ex-' posed by Mb. Hine arc tho only ones that have, occurred —whether the practice of members receiving "commissions" of .various kinds has been confined to the cases proved through the courage and outspokenness of the member for Stratford and the ability and, acumen of his counsel. Whatever'the answer might be, it' , is very certain that Mr. . Hine's action will . have a most wholesome .effect on our public life, and' will go far towards serving the I purpose which he at. the outset indicated that he had in. view. .We cannot do better than quote the words.of the member for Stratford uttered in his place in Parliament on August 10 last,. wb.en first laying his charges before'the House: . ... . I should like to take this opportunity of saying there is no willingness on my part at any time -to push -myself .unnecessarily forward, but I feel I-have a very higlr national duty to perfornii and it was that feeling whicn caused me to speak in tho wny I did the other..'day. I feel suro.iny action would be justifUd in the eyes of the country if the facts I am iu possession of were known. In bringing these charges I am quito free from any personal feeling or prejudice of any kind, and I am not actuated by any personal or political ambition. It is on public grounds, and on public grounds alone, in the interests of tho country, that I am compelled, to call the attention, of this Houso and the public to tMs matter—a matter affecting the standard of our political and commercial life, in the hopo that the public conscience will be awakened, and the call for ■inquiry so .strong that tho Govermne'nt will be .driven to .action. ; ' These sentiments, which must have appealed to every., right-thinking person at the time of their utterance, should strike homo with redoubled force when' read in"conjunction with the,evidence already pub-, lished and the report of the Committeei which we .place before our readers this morning. . .