"GERMAN AND ANTI-CERMAN AT NEWTOWN PARK."

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2726, 22 March 1916, Page 6

"GERMAN AND ANTI-CERMAN AT NEWTOWN PARK."

'Sir,—A Britisher will always agree that there are two sides to every question, and therefore no exception can he taken to your presentment of the shore ease, as set forth in Tire Dominion of this morning. "Vonr readers, in order to judge without bias, one way or another, must be made acquainted with the facts as they occurred. Bv arrangement, Madame Boeufve, Hiss Beatrice Day, and 'myself went to the St. Patrick's Day sports ground,_ at Newtown Park, to distribute tho literature of the Women's Anti-German League. We gave out our matter to all and sundry. A man cams up to Madame Boeufve, and received .1 supply of pamphlets. After looking <it them, he came back and asked if he could have a dozen more. Madame Boeufve that she would ba pleased to give him a dozen, and im> mediately handed them to him. As soon as he got hold of them lie tore them to pieces, threw them at Madame Boeufve's feet, and in a very angrv tone i of voice said: "How can you, ?)e----longing to an oppressed race, lend yourself to this?" Madame Boeufvo at once replied: "What have you got to object to in this, only a Hun would object:-'" Madame Boeufve then went nil to say: "Ireland may have had her differences in the past, with England, but now she is proud to fight shoulder to shoulder with her English brother in the cause of liberty."

Several witnesses' overheard these remarks.

Your article of this morning says paragraph starting "thirdly").-""When he road a pamphlet handed to him last bnday that all sons of Germans should no prevented from holding any position ot trust, he regarded this as an unwarranted insult, not onlv to himself etc. - The "he" referred to in the above extract is, of course, the "hero" it the incident. "He" is insulted because Britishers express tho opinion that sous of Germans should not be allowed in positions of trust in British otticial departments! And "he" says that this British opinion of distrust of Germans is an insult to himself. Vorv well, we know exactly where "he" stands He has revealed to us just ivliero his sympathies lie, and the evidence of this is in black and white in lire Dominion of this morning! And he has stated, according to to Dominion, that tho Women' s AntiGerman League pamphlet has unwarrantably insulted various Eoval families. How typical of the German char, acterl It seems to be part and parcel of tho German character to claim relationship with people in high places llio Kaiser says "meinself and Gott " and the central figuro of tho incident under discussion writes: "Minesolf and the Royal families of Enropo!" Aow, as to tho effect of the- Women s Anti-German League on recruit. mg._.l_he Women's Anti-German League is giving,a big fillip to recruiting first because the whole of tho Anti-German beaguo propaganda makes a direct appeal to tho best and most sincere feelings of patriotism of every Britisher, secondly, tho women of New Zealand now realise that tho interests' of their sons and other relatives arc being safeguarded by the league's determined opposition to the inclusion of persona ot German or Austrian extraction, in the ranks of the New Zealand Army According to your article, this man thinks that it is absurd for the 'Women s Alltl-German. League to print at j,ho foot of their literature, "New Zealand for Now Zealanders." This is another incontestable item of evidence as to_ sympathies, and we have it in cold print m The Dominion I I wonder what be would like us to substitute for tho words 'fvew Zealand for the Now Zealanders. ' Perhaps he would profer Gott strafe England," or "Deutchland «ber alios."—l am, etc., ONE OF THE LEAGUE. March 21. Sir,—l was glad to see that tho other side of the story of tho incident in Newtown Park on St. Patrick's Day has been published. To my mind sonio of. tho organisers of the Anti-German League are certainly doing a great deal of harm to their cause. For instance, during tho Patriotic Exhibition, held in the Town Hall lately, two ladies of undisputed British nationality nnd loyalty wore stopped, and almost at tho point of the gun asked to join the society, iartly owing to tho manner in which the demand was made, and partly owing to tho shilling required for their signature,, they were not prepared to jom that afternoon. Tile reply they Rot, in addition to a lecture given in a very bad spirit on the duty of everyone to abstain from buying German goods, this league canvasser ended up by saying that her son was away fighting for the likes of these two' ladies. Now, in addition to being in very had taste, it was very unkind. One of tho ladies was elderly and of a very mild disposition, hut in addition to this she had two sons at the front, one in the Army and one in tho Navy; the other lady has two brothers also there. So surely they did not warrant the rebuke of tho Anti-German League.—l am, etc., ANTI-GERMAN.

Sir, —I did not intend to refer, in the Press, to what you are pleased to call a "Dramatic Incident at Newtown Park" (17th iiist.). _ But I am compelled to do so, owing to tho mendacious statements you publish in your issue this morning, and which you have chosen to vouch for as facts:—

Permit me to'state the facts so far as I am concerned, comment and other matters may ho doferred.

I was. standing on the roadway at the southern end of Newtown Park while the sports were being held, when Madame Boeufve rushed up to me, almost crying, and said she had been insulted by a mail to whom sho pointed, and wlio was leaning over the rail some dozen yards away. Having inquired the cause of the trouble, I went up to tho man and asked him why ho insulted a lady. He rather sneered at my question, and evaded it. . Ho admitted he had asked for a dozen of the papers Madame was distributing (a leading article which appeared in the "New Zealand 'fimos" a tow mornings previously). He immediately tore them up and threw Iheni away. ; .t asked for his name several times. He declined to give it, so I caught tho collar of his coat, and told him iu that case ho would have to interview a policeman: and I sent a messenger for one. 1 did not know who he was or to what nationality he belonged, although he wove a profusion of green ribbon, in his button-hole.

ftp then said he was a Govnian, the son of a German, and was a patriotic German, ! .o which, of course, no one could take exception, provided it was hot said and meant offensively; But h« was deliberately offensive. He turned his hack on those interrogating, and e.oolly leaul over ttie rail. . lie then descended the steps and walked across the Park northwards; not, wishing to cause a scene I permitted hinn to do so, move especially as 1. saw ho had no chance of escape. Within some fifty yards 1. met Superintendent O'Donovau, and asked him In i_;ct the. man's name, which lie did. and j. recognised at onco whom 1 was dealing with. To-day I found out who was in his company at the time oftliis uufoHutialo occurrence, and here js _ a statement which I ;rok full normissiou to use. llr. V. -I. licydou said: "1 was in 's company [or half an hour; he asked Madame for a dozen papers, tore them up, without, looking at them, juiil threw them contemptuously at her feel, rudely roniiirklnt!, 'Arc ,you ■wi Irishwoman; qan you behavo

yourself ?' He refused to give "his name when requested by you several times. You then took him by the collar, and said he Would have to boo the police. His remark to Madame was quite uncalled for, and his action a d d sight worse." The legendary "red-herring" is some what, cunningly attempted to be drawn across the track, but it won't do. Tha man on the 17th was a German patriot, today he is a whole-souled Britisher; one wonders what he is going to be next—provided it suits. His reference to his birth and ancestors, to Ireland and the Irish, to his inventions, the War Office, and several lloyal Families in Europe, iu whom ho professes to take a kindly interest, have nothing to do with ' the charge, and are disingenuously introduced to evade the real question and confuso people's judgment. The real question is did he behave offensively to Madame Boeufve. Surely no ono can doubt, who at all considers the circumstances, that his conduct was) a deliberate premeditated insult. What do you think would bo the result if an englishman or an Irishman acted after a similar fashion in Germany '( I fancy there would soon be a blank in that part of the family. 1 cannot conceive anything more likely to cause ill-feeling and provoke a breach of the peace than this man's behaviour. This is a. fact of which lie would have some reason to remember were it not for the timely interference- of Superintendent O'Donovan.— I am, etc.,

,„ „. THOMAS'CAHILL. Wellington Terrace, March 21, 1916.

[Dr. Gahill assumes that we have chosen to vouch for certain statements published yesterday as representing the •'otlier sido of the case" of tho incident iu Newtown Park on St. Patrick's Day. In viow of the fact that the whole of our information as to what occurred on that occasion reached us irom sources outside our own staff, we were- not in a position to do anything of tho kind. It was clearly stated that tho version of tho incident published yesterday had been gathered from the person accused of being responsible for tho trouble—it was his sido of tho story, and we felt that ho was justified iu asking for its publication. Wo might say, however, that iu support of liis statement as to his nationality and character ho produced his birth "certificate showing that be was born in New Zealand over 40 years ago; also a number of complimentary testimonials as to Ins character and attainments, and correspondence which bore out his assertion that he bad made offers of certain inventions to the military authorities. Of the actual happenings' in Newtown Park we know nothing more than has been told us by the partios concerned.]