A CITIZEN'S PROTEST.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1900, 7 November 1913, Page 9

A CITIZEN'S PROTEST.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Sir "Joseph Ward., in a recent that the members qf the Opposition and lie, as Leader of t-lwt body, were on the side of the "maintenance of law and order" iti tlii_s cymit'.'.v, yet at the saiiio time incautiously did not Iresitute to adversely comment oil the action of certain mounted special 1 constables who wore last week engaged in this very work in the Post Office Ssquare, and condemned them, without taking any steps beforehand to verify tho trutfafuhioss or otherwise of tlip informatiot). supplied to him. Had. ho: made a few .inquiries from neutral, pop-i ties, or waited,till the following morn'"Bi I'® would have discovered from the a ji i f )a ' 3ors tlrat the inen were compelled to a.ct as they did in. pure selfdefence, after many unwarrantable and cowardly attacks mado 011 them (always from behind) by a 'number of strikers. r S "V 1 a!l d also a parent of one of the mounted special constables, f would ask Sir Joseph Ward (who is a member _ of Parliament and Leader of His Majesty's Opposition) to reply to tho following questions:— (1) Seeing, that his speech had been mado on evidence which ho uj-ast, in common fairness, bow admit was wiife* liablo and not in aceor-danec with facts, will ho now apologise to the men he has so grievously wronged?. Men, who -are ln« fellow-electors and form part of tlie great backbone of this Dominion. ■ . ill l le disclose ths names of his informants so that the peoplo of Welwhose names he .invoked to emphasise his remarks, can judge far themselves whether they arc "responsible citizens of Wellington, the credibility of whose words would not be doubted in Wellington"? ,W) As on tho surface both Sir-Joseph ward and His Majesty's Opposition claim to be anxious about preserving "law and order" oil the ono side, how. do they justify themselves for their inexplainable omission on behalf 'ef' the other sid£, to draw attention to the ou-t- - unjustifiable attack by strikers on special constables' hi Waterloo Qiniy, at Whitcombo and Tombs's premises, etc. ? These attacks were mado solely on the ground that thosS attacked were "special constables," ■ sworn in on oath by the Magistracy to preserve this very same "law and order"; to protect, tho women and childron, and other weak ciitzens from tlie result of jnob rule.

(4) Will Sir Joseph Ward bo good enougli to explain his following different statements? In the lirst part Of his speech ho said his informants'were not connected with tli& • strikers, but were responsible citizens of Wellington, whose word would not be doubted, and later on, _ that lie had been informed of tlio incident by a man. ivlio was president of bug of'the unions ' connected with the waterside workers (lie did not know his name), vide "Post" October 31. Yet these very waterside workers) ore tlio strikers!

From the disgraceful proceedings which took place in Willis Street and Featherston Street .yesterday, and tli.e singular supineness .of ■ the permanent police 011 that oceasion, .it is evident that the speeches of Sir Joseph Ward, Mr. .'Webb, and other loaders are now bearing frnit. —L am, etc., . FATHER. November 6. . . .