THE VON ZEDLITZ CASE AND MR. HISLOP.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2601, 25 October 1915, Page 6

THE VON ZEDLITZ CASE AND MR. HISLOP.

Sir,—Mr. Hislop resorts to the dusty pages of his old Webster and uses 1647 words therefrom in a ponderous endeavour to crush my Email force of under 600. In a multitude of counsellors there is wisdom, but in a multitude of -words there is seldom sense. Mr. Hislop charges, me'with innumerable inaccuracies, astounding mis'quotations, and waiit of morality in my treatment of the von Zedlitz case. Manifestly Mr. Hislop is angry, for ho uses up tho major force of his great battalion of words in launching thunderbolts'of invective at me. Whon the actor -who plays the villain's part receives the hisses of the audienco • he. knows ho is doing well, and bo, to change tho metaphor, when Mr. Hislop hurls his intellectual bouquets ,■ at mo 1 know that is praise indeed. "Come, let us to our mutton."

Mr. Hislop's letter on Professor von Zedlitz, and myself is replete -with contradictions. He says: "The professor has written no letter to the Press." There is, he adds, "no sucl: letter" as I quoted from. Then Mr. Hislop says: "I -will quote verbatim from the only published letter of t'lio professor's." "Did you read Hislop's letter?" asked a man in a tramcar of his friend. "Yes, till I came to tho place where Hislbp says tho professor wrote no letter to the Press. Hislop's all wrong. I read the letter, myself." This gentleman did not understand Mr. Hislop, and he did not read far enough to learn that Mr. Hislop was only raising a quibble over tho phrases, "letter to the Press" and "published letter." Herein is my inaccuracy; herein Mr. Hislop's forensic art. ' Again, Mr. Hislop quotes from tho professor's letter in the Pre6s thus: "If I proved myself a useful citizen of. New Zealand" (quoting the AgentGeneral's statement), "I should be exposed to no sort of discrimination on the ground of nationality." In.referenco to this I said Hcrr von Zedlitz had fourteen years to become a citizen of Now Zealand and failed. Now, anyone, savo Mr. Hislop perhaps, will realise that a man has first to "become" a' citizen before he can "prove" himself a useful citizen. Herr von Zedlitz, for reasons best known, to himself and not yet disclosed by Mr. Hislop, failed to take the first step to fulfilling tho condition implied in the Agent-Goneral's statement, yet Mr. Hislop rings the changes 011 "becomo" and "prove," and asks you to instruct mo on tlie morality of saic'h conduct! Those petty quibblings aro altogether unworthy of an intellectual giant. Hero is another. Mr. Hislop contends that Herr von Zedlitz did becomo a citizen of New Zealand, and ho rushes to "my dictionary, an old Webster," for fortification, and adds: "We wore all under tho impression that tho professor is a citizen," becausc ho is "a permanent resident." Permanent residency in a foreign country does not constitute citizenship, 'else Mr. Hislop would be believed if he contended Jlmt Naoolottu became a British

subject through being "a permanent I resident" of St. Helena! A citizen of a country is one entitled to the rights and privileges of citizenship in that country. But, argues Mr. Hislop, with Tare subtlety, Professor von Zedlitz "pays local rates and is on tho local roll." That does not prove the professor belongs to the household of the British nation; ho is only a paying guest, so to speak. To become a citizon of New Zealand ho had to take out naturalisation papers, and he had fourteen years in which to tako tho first stop to prove liimself a useful citizen, and he failed. I am afraid Mr. Hislop must consult on this point some' more worthy authority than his "old WebBtor."-

1 have to thank Mr. Hislop for liis quotation from tho Act about enemies. " "Enemies' means residents in enemy countries whatever bo their nat-ionai- £>'■". A PPIy ttiis to Professor von /edlitz and Mr. Hislop may bo found denouncing liim as ail enemy; t yct with this definition hot from his pen, Mr. Hislop says tlie parallel I raised between the Aw Zealand merchant trading with a Gorman merchant and tho Victoria L-ollego Council retaining a German' professor in tho pay and service of this country, when we aro at war with our arch-enemy Germany, is a rank absurdity! Speaking of another German's case, Mr. Hislop, with a fine sense of superior detachment, exclaims, '"But I would certainly not intervene," and really, for the sake of the von Zedlitz case it is a pity ho did. Mr- Hifdop informs l us that Herr von /iedhtz "was offered. position and property in Germany on condition that ho settled there." And, according to the law of Germany, "title and estate" would still bo bis if ho settled there. At all events, according to old Webster's "popular meaning," that is the popular interpretation of the relations that still exist between von Zedlitz and bis Fatherland, and Mr. Hislop himself gives practical confirmation to , this popular interpretation. Consideration for your space prevents mo from exposing a long list of delectablofatuities perpetrated by Mr. Hislop in 1113 letter; but hero is one tlmt ought not to be missed, even by vour lady readers. Wanting to show 'how Herr von Zedlitz ceased to bo German, Mr. Hislop writes: "'The professor was taken to England by his mother, who was British, when ho was seven." Tho statement about the professor's age is not correct-, but lot that pass. How could his mother be British after having becomo tho wife of a German and been a resident of Germany? And how could all that and his being taken to England affect Herr von Zedlitz's nationality? We will have Mr. Hislop yet wanting us to believo that the Kaiser is not German because liis mother was British ? Here we find an exquisite disregard for law and the proprieties. But then no creat philosopher, or student, of old Webster, need take notice of these littlo things that go to make home happy. "Mr. Siovwright," writes Mr. Hislop, "makes a very serious charee against Governmental authorities." Of this the Governmental authorities will no doubt take/notice; but in mitigation of any offence, I want to express, with your- leave, my satisfaction with the National Government-, in "humiliating and bullying," to use one of Mr. Hislop's intellectual flowers, the Victoria College Council into doing what was right. If they want to escape bullying and humiliation they can assert their manhood and resign. Mr. Hislop's commiseration for a body of men who squander the country's money and patronise enemy aliens is entirely a work of supererogation.—l am. eto;, •T. D. SIEVWRIGHT.