PLEA FOR HOLLAND

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2132, 25 April 1914, Page 6

PLEA FOR HOLLAND

10 MITIGATE SENTENCE

DEPUTATION TO HON, J. ALLEN. (Br T«l«ZTfl.ih.—Fross 'Assqolatlan.) i Dunedin, April 24. & deputation consisting of members of various labour unions waited on tho Hon. J. Allen to-night in reference to tho sontenco on llcnry Holland, who was convicted of sedition at Welling--ton. Tho deputation was introduced by tho Hon. J. T. Paul, who said that ho 'was pleased to bo associated with tho deputation in the object which it had coijio forward to urge. They recognised that they were approaching Mr. Allen as a medium to the Minister of Justice. Ho had considered tho question from all points of view, and had como to the conclusion that it would bo a wiso and humane- action for tho Government rto recommend his Excellency the Governor to mitigato some part of Holland's sentence. -To havo progress they must have order, and the law alone could give freedom, but the law ought to be tho reflection of the will of tho people. The deputation wished to emphasise the following points:—(l), That the Government should take into consideration tlio fact that the offence was committed at a timo of abnormal excitement; (2) that tlio law has been vindicated, and the ex.crciso of mercy can do nothing but strengthen the law and enthrone justice; (3) that tho state of ' Holland's health is such that lie could not bo sentenced to hard labour, and a long term of imprisonment ■ will very injuriously affect him; (4) that thero are many precedents where sentences inflicted for offenses committed in times of abnormal excitement have been considerably shortened when that excitement has passed away(s) -that the. exercise' of this- act of clemency would acquit the Government of any suspicion ofvindictiveness. "We ask, therefore," said the speaker, "that the Government, recommend 1 -his Excellency to reduce the term to which Holland has been sentenced." Messrs. Maguire (secretary of tho Drivers' TJnion), R. Breen (secretary of tho Trades aud Labour _ Council), S. Boreham (Shearers' Union), and M. Allen (secretary of tho General Labourers' Union) also spoke. Mr. Allen replied that he would have tlio very-greatest pleasure in telegraphing to -the Prime' Minister telling him about the deputation, and drawing his attention' to the fact_ that it was composed, not of the militant section of labour in the Into trouble, hut of representatives/of law-abiding unions.. He knew -that'tlie_ Prime Minister had not an atom of vindictiveness in his constitution. He, was very glad to know, by their actions and by what they had -said, that members of the deputation realised the importance of maintaining law and order, and ho also recognised that their actions had been in the interests of law arid order when the late troubles took place. Mr. Paul's statement about Holland's illness was certainly a very strong argument in his favour, and this was the first that the Minister had l heard of it. Cabinet did not want to be vindictive; all, that it wanted was to maintain law and order.

HOLLAND'S FRIENDS. Pahlatua, April 24. 'K public meeting here, addressed by Mr. E. Hunter, organiser of the Social Democrats, passed a resolution expressing sympathy with Mrs. Holland and family upon the imprisonment of Henry Holland, a,nd calling upon the Government to immediately release the prisoner in the interests of free 'speech,, justice, and liberty,"'which are so dear to.all British people. There wore about 60 persons present. Several refrained from voting. Cisbornß, April 24. j The Social-Democratic Party to-night passed a resolution emphatically protesting against the imprisonment of Holland for sedition, "especially m view of the fact that. a leading legal luminary of the Empire, Sir Edward Carson, is allowed to go scot free for far more seditious utterances than any used by Mr. Holland."