SEMPLE SENT TO GAOL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2953, 16 December 1916, Page 10

SEMPLE SENT TO GAOL

WASTED TALENTS • ACCUSED'S ADDRESS ;>:By -Telegraph—Press Association. Christchuroh,. December 15. Robert Semple, on .each of three charges of seditious utterances at Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, ( was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment., - ■ . iT'he accused, addressing the Bench, protested against tho refusal of bail, and also-against the caso being heard' in Ghnstchurch. He was an anti-con-seripfiohist,' but not an enemy of his oStintry.. He bad-eleven, relatives at the'front,'and his only brother was killed in tho'Boer war. , The remarks attributed to him wero absolutely correct/but a wrong interpretation had been placed upon them. ; If lie had urged the people of the country to rebellion hu M;ouid be a traitor, and'would deserve to be shot. His party felt that they were within the law in making the statements they had madu, but it was for His Worship to decide whether he had overstepped the mark, not he. He had read a remark by a man named Lill, to the effect that he hoped a German .bomb /Would drop in our midst' just because there had oeen a rise in butter. He himself wanted to hurt no man. He respected the Government as citizens, but disagreed with their policy. He did not wish to murder tbcm, but to inurder their politics and arguments.--''

The' Magistrate, Mi-. H. W. Bishop, said that in the face of iSempio's opening speech, and in .the face ot the newspaper reports of his speech, lie (His i\Vorship, was bound to explain what exactly was his position unuer the law in justification oi the decision ho was tbout to make.' No one for a moment could doubt that Somple had brought -.Himself under the Sedition Clause 'of .the Crime's Act. He had' listened to accused's first address with much interest. Some of Semple's ideas were admirable, and if those were iris true sentiments he had not shown himself in his true light l'rom the public p'atform. He had evidently a most unhappy way of conveying his ideas. "Think for a moment, that the tone these .reports convey, are your true intentions. You. are a man of evident ability, and it is a pity that you prostitute that ability—prostitute is the only word. If 'you were to use your ability in the proper way, you could do a tremendous amount of good." . His Worship proceeded to read extracts from the speeches not mentioned in the charges, and proceeded: "1 can't say that in those you have done a very great deal to encourage recruiting. If you go on speaking in this way you must inevitably land yourself" into trouble.! I have como to the conclusion that the words you have uttered have been highly seditious, and a direct incitement to violence, whatever you may have had in your mind, and an encouragement to the! forcible opposition of the laws of Now Zealand; That is my conclusion, and I ani very sorry, for it B my duty to ''stop- you' as much as I can. 1 can't-allow: any; man to interfere with' those' who" -are upholding tho Empire, to which I am proud to belong. ; .'A. time will 1 come, no doubt, when this war will be over, and you and 'others' will bo able to say wliafc jou like about the conditions obtaining m this-country during, war time, but now it is dangerous, and-1 must put a stop-to ■ it.: -There are three charges, and "you - : aro sentenced 'to twolve, months' .imprisonment oil each, the .sentences..to.run concurrently." - • ''Mr. Raymond,. K.C., intimated that ;the remaining charges would be 1-eld over. " -.