The Evening Star THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1870.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2302, 22 September 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1870.

Seneca says, “ You sliould deem it a “ crime to hurt even a bad brother.” We quite agree with him ; but then, on the other hand, it is equally a duty to try to mend him, and that can only be done by pointing out his faults. 'This, the same wise old author tells us, is to be done by enlightening and admonishing him, in order that if possible he may be reformed. But if this be a duty towards a bad brother, it is equally required if he be merely a foolish one ; for if mischief be done, it matters very little whether it is through a firebrand thrown at random by a madman, oiy through mere wantonness of folly. It might be more agreeable to correct the evil privately than publicly but when the injury is public, the remedy must be so too. We very much doubt whether our readers or the Colony will see anything “ ludicrous ” in what our contemporary the Daily Times states as a fact, that the errors in the Representation Act will necessitate the recalling «j)f Parliament. They will not look I

upon the matter, if true, in the same funny light that he does. Nor will it be very pleasant for* the members to be recalled from their homes to remedy a defect which fortunately has been thus early discovered. It is a pity this juvenile rejoicing over parliamentary blunders should have such a decided bias in it, as to tinge the telegrams as well as the leading articles of our daily contemporary. It is only a few days ago that in conversation with a gentle man who had received a letter from Home, he remarked on the evil that the tone habitually adopted _ by the Daily Times in its articles is doing. It is not so ranch professional political agitators who are to be feared. Ihe style of coarse and vulgar abuse in which they usually clothe their diatribes, is known to be too exaggerated to give a true picture of what they pretend to describe. The demagogue has an end in view, which he strives to achieve by vilifying all that is decent and respectable. He characterises the conduct of public men as mercenary, sordid, and self-seeking. He has a full vocabulary of words drawn from Billingsgate, which he uses without scruple to blacken and defame those who are engaged in the public service. He knows with Tacitus that “In seasons of tumult and discord bad “ men have most power : genius and “ goodness are fostered only by repose.” There are those who write Horn® from Dunedin in defamatory style, and have done so for years. Their communications are, however, little heeded. Theii characters are now too well known for their statements to carry weight with them. They are known to be the dregs of society, that can only expect to rise to the top during a period of agitation and alarm, and therefore the object and intent of their slanders are understood. But from tne position assumed and conceded by courtesy to our contemporary as the leading joinnal of Otago, our countrymen at Home are disposed to accept its statements as true pictures of the Colony : and Home letters express astonishment at reading so many things that are so much to the discredit of the Government, the leadinrr men, and the condition of affairs. There has scarcely been an article published since the Fox Government assumed office that has even fairly represented the state of Telegrams have been inserted which weie proved to be false. For these, as a matter of course, the correspondent, and not the paper, was responsible. But Native affairs, Government expenditure, and governmental measures have been misrepresented and commented upon as if they were foolish and reprehensible. All the mischief that the most influential loafer has been able to do, is trifling compared with the evil consequences of such a course as has been systematically followed by our contemporary. This may by some be imagined to indicate independence in the tone of the paper. To our minds it is a condition of abject slavery to a personal antipathy. It is impossible not to see the bias in both articles this morning. The first, though one of the best of its kind that has appeared in the paper, virtually condemns every effort at progress, because unfortunately two European powers are at war. The second holds our Colonial Parliament up to ridicule for an error in mapping out representative districts, that only the local topographical knowledge of land surveyors would have enabled members of Parliament to correct. If the telegram be true, blame rests with some official or officials, but certainly not with the members of the two Houses, who must be guided in such matters by the evidence of experts.