The Dominion. FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 1912. MINISTERIAL SLANDER AND SLIDE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1472, 21 June 1912, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 1912. MINISTERIAL SLANDER AND SLIDE.

It is to bs hoped that the PitniE Minister will profit from the salutary lesson which Me. Harms, M.P. taught him at Albany on Wednesday. For a very, long time past it has been' the practice of "Liberal" politicians to declare that the Reform party has carried on a ceaseless campaign of "slander, misrepresentation, and abuse." This declaration has become the most strongly emphasised portion of -the averago Ministerial speech, and it has figured very prominently indeed in the endless series of speeches by those gentlemen who are at present in- office. Nothing is easier than to-make a vague charge of a general kind against a political party. There is no risk of incurring damages for libel in declaring that the Reform party indulges in lying and slander; there is nothing to restrain the "Liberal" politician from making such a declaration excepting his own sense of what is fair and decent or his estimate of what is, and what is not, a politically profitable thing to do. Had Ministers even one specific instance that they could quote, they would have quoted it every time they spoke in public, in the hope that the public might infer that it was a sample from a great mass. But Ministers have never attempted to support these mendacities by even one case. They have been relying upon the force of ceaseless reiteration, forgetting that the public, on hearing the general charge for the fiftieth time, is less inclined to believe it than to realise the worthlessness of vague and unsupported accusations. The Prime Mikister has been almost as reckless as, say, Mr. Laurenson, in u_tterin.fr the stereotyped complaint of his beaten, party. It is only the other day that Mr. Massey, challenging him at long range, exposed the hollowncss of his charge that "wails of despair" were sent to London with the express object of prejudicing the flotation of the five million loan. At Albany on Wednesday be was humiliated far more quickly and completely. Grown careless through_ long habit he followed up his wearisomo and quite baseless assertion that the Government lost at the general election through the dissemination of "slander, misrepresentations, and lies" with a challenge to "any member of the Opposition to meet me on this platform and prove that such is not the case." Unfortunately for Mr. Mackenzie, Mr. Harris, M.P. for Waitetnata, was present, and proceeded to take up the challenge. With the unfairness eharaelflrlistic of modem "Liberal" methods, it was actually attempted to prevent the young member for Waitemata from speaking. Mr. Harris, however, has more than the average, grit, and he stood his ground and formally accepted the challenge. A most unpleasant situation truly for a Prime Minister accustomed ro hurl challenges and make vague charges with safety to himself! And it was a poor figure that he cut. He shuffled, at once, this brave challenger, this fiery accuser, and pleaded that he had no time to make good his challenge. And then he broke down utterly, and lied. "He had not accused the Opposition of circulating slanders," he said. Although if is satisfactory that this confession should have b"ecn forced from the blistering Puiiiu Minister bj. the promp.tuca<>

and determination of the properly indignnnt young' member tot Waftemata, t-IiLTo is something, more 'to he said. What does, whajb .can, the, publie think of a set of poTiticiians. who are willing to slander .a large dumber of individuals by the v.fetel.ied. method of a vague and: geniM'ai ■it'lh''-■ gal ion of abominable c(mdiU;i;, :i-nd : who yet dare not answer a (io.ni'iWi.d for proof'! If the Opposition ; did. not: cireulato the ".slanders aiitl. Bes" alleged to have been circulated,, who did .' Ministers cannot say. Lfct us ask tliem an easier rjUpiSiiovu What "slanders and lies" were ei ; i:c!i:lale.cU Again, Ministers cannot say.' Met it should he tlie simplest iliing, i'ri fhi( world to prove the c|reulation of si few specific slanders 41 they Were- cti?culated; indeed, it is ■tl'ie'.d.'u'ty of. those who can, to prove, thejn. G,t course, most people 1 kripvy what tire fact of the matter really is. The Ministerialists' .are' beaten— beaten by their owii .e'xccss.tvO. unsdoing, and the public'S-belatcd awakening to an understanding, ai t'lie methods which they have Using for so long; and''tliey<arp' iijitable to save their faces excepting, by imputing, iu_vague:>and : 'gcne"r:;al: terms, base behaviouV,tfl'ttci'r:;6:pi>6hents. We are, spcall'in'g 'tpiile'' ;s"ihccrcly, much surprised: . t'liali' M.i:. Mackenzie, whoso re'co.r.d in .a past time was a most ircditable: one,, should have been so'ijcady' '.tpl ire'so'iit to methods that in SMilussell. b;r'. Mn. Laurenson surprise-' . : ri;6'bd:dy'j : Evil company, we citirjonly/sifpjVdse,. corrupts good and completely in politics>.th'an: any> j where else._ A go6d?{mKy..' perhaps, will wonclePfwhy^-.thc, Parliamenfcary memhers=fdf'2ytlic f ::l{ei6riri : party did not long agp.;sefcthemse ; lves. : ! to do ris did for the m< Wednesday. ThereJis?Dp;deiiyin'g> it;• they should hav£ : .;^'shaVply : .; andi promptly cornered';th'cii\?':slandei ; 3r.o.i.: It is all very well fp;|treafc'-tlipm'' : '\vitjii contempt, relying upon'; the ; ccrtainty that tins sort of bliiff;'c6uld;^ri6Elia ; i'ifi any permanent success,.witliuiiiy liuji-. lie; it is all very wellitdSbß'-.-.cbhtent. with the knowledge'^that^the l ' lihbl: that shrinks from react against the pitrty .'Avhoseniiqm-' bcrs arc responsiblc.:f6rSit::'"'Biit ; it: is a real fault in members of the Reform;|p;ar£y' they did not, in o£ dc : -i cency, regularly expose, in Mn. fashion, the which are bad politics:.as<wpll?-as<ba:d. form—selected by the'llin'istcriali.sts' in their last the odour of standable that politician might with the appeal : :oiC^ ; :;Ey(ifilt<i}k Times for but there should befutfvcmifusibnvas:; to the situation it. Punctilio in' a clean combat >t6fthe :^btaten; fc6iir-: petitor; but uig on the often been little likely to command.'either %in : 'r' pa thy or respect. J;