THE GAUDIN CASE.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2354, 9 January 1915, Page 11

THE GAUDIN CASE.

1 , • • ■■ crave space to express the disgust which is felt by many at the 6 maudlin sentiments of a few misguided 1 people at the sentence of the' Court- ° martial on Gaudin at Samoa. n ,P? n theM P eo P l6 talj a the trouble to 7 J hml f p , w « bad just taken the island 2 from the enemy. Its population largely 5 consists of German traders and others, 9 who naturally resent the presence of 8 our troops as well as our occupation of 6 their oountry. Their ships of war were 8 hovering round waiting, for the oppor--3 tumty to retake it, and there can be 4 no doubt that they were in communi--9 cation with their own people ashore, « jointly wishing no doubt to fend Christ* mas and New Year messages to their f late Governor at Motuihi Island. To 5 this end who could be found more suitable than the confiding and amiable partner of Mr. Kronfeldt, of Auckland? Now let these silly sentimentalists » consider that .this man Gaudin was a g captain in H.M. Forces, and should be, if he was not,- thoroughly acquainted l 1 with the regulations and conditions uii- ■ der which Tie-was permitted to wear . His Majesty's uniform. The visit in ,3 question was not the first he Had taken ;7 to Samoa since our occupation of it, 9 and surely ho must have known the i position if any one did. Did he not * know that the Administration were * anxious to find out what had become of 7 the is held in more or loss quantity by a Government in the conduot of its functions—and to this . end placed an embargo on its export? £ In the face of all this we find this Isi„ land trader carrying nice friendly let- ,, tors and laundry, to prisoners of "war, ~ with whom it_ should be, if it was not, f- impossible to "oommunicate < . Then there i- was gold, just -a few sovereigns from some late German offioial who wanted to pay some; bille in Auokland, and on behalf of his firm he collected some more from the D.H. and P.O. or someone else. 'All forbidden by proclamation. Li the face of this we' are told: that a petition is likely to be presented to B the Government to annul the sentence, B which by the bye it cannot do, as thank >, goodness it ia an Imperial affair. Are these people going mad ox whatP e Do they think of what is going on in e Belgium? Do they think of the best . of our own flesh and blood dying like e flies to protect the weak, and to keep the flag of freedom flying? It makes £ one's blood boil to think that our sons are offering up their lives to' protect i such as these agitators. 'Annul his j sentence, forsooth! It is to be hoped i no mawkish sentiment will interfere ■' with his serving the full time.—l'-am, a etc., ; NO PRO-GERMAN.