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Dunstan Times, Issue 709, 19 November 1875, Page 2

Accorbixg to (he Evening Star, Mr John Bathgate, E.M., Dunedin, has instituted legal procoedirgs against the Daily Times for attacks upon him self- it is not very often that one hears of Magistrates taking legal proceedings against the propiietors of newspapers for off‘HC‘‘S against themselves, hut. in Mr Bathgate’s case we mu«t confess there has been great cause, the personal attacks upon that gentleman made hv the Daily Times being not, only frequent hut unjustifiable. Mr Bathgate is considered as being slightly eccentric, but his manner is rather more that of an original way of looking at things than eccentricity, end which appears so much to offend the sensitive wri'ers in th-' Daily Times. Looking over our files of that journal the gist of the grievance appears to have arisen from Mr Rath gate having been compelled to publieall v notice his decisions and opinions being misrepresented in that news, paper ; while, upon one occasion, he found it neccessnrv, in open Court, to direct a very youthful reporter to the duties and nh’ig items of his position, and rending over I he particulars of the case the rebuke was certainly richly deserved. Added to (his. Mr Bathgate’s anpointrnent to the I nnedin Bench, for some reason nr another appears to have given offence t<> the Daily Times, wh-eh paper lias a’vn-s, when opportunity offered, rhino its host to ho’d h : m up to ridicule; and the “ tunny writers” in the

Witness have persistently made themselves jiersonally offensive to tlwt gentleman and wo are not at all surprised that things ha.’o culminated ns they have. In the late case of Robertson v, De Mont.ulk wo' think that Mr Bathgate exorcised a very wise discretion in excising from the plaintiff’s gro cry bill tho items therein sat down for thirty-four bottles of whisk v, wliitn he possessed at the same time the right to leave the oth°r amounts for sundry bottles of port wine and a bottle of Old Toni. There can be no doubt about it but that the system of bottle licensing in Dunedin tends verv largely to increase tippling on the sly, whereas, had the parties found it necessary to purchase their liquor at an hotel they would in all probability not have drunk so much ; and we very much question whether the issue of bottle licenses, more especially in large towns, instead of laiug a public convenience must not be looked upon as a soc’al evil. No one who is acquainted with Mr Bathgate, either privately or through the Public Press, can form any other-conclusion than that he is always actuated by the purest of mo rives, and bis endeavors to discourage drunkenness are most commendable. As a magistrate Mr Bathgate’s deck ions invariably, give satisfaction, in !act many of them appear to be admirable, and it is a'mo.st a matter for wonder how they could have been arrived at, wlien the duties of the U. M., (Jourt, Dunedin, involve so much ju dicial labor on the part of the stipendiary magistrate. W hat tho particular gravemen of the offence of the Dai'y Times is we are unaware; nor knowing which would we, under the circumstances, desire to comment ; stil l , there can be no two opinions but that the conduct of the Daily Times towards Mr Bathgate has, since his appointment, been most deadly hostile.