MR BRADSHAW AND THE 'STAR.'

Evening Star, Issue 3567, 29 July 1874, Page 2

MR BRADSHAW AND THE 'STAR.'

(From a Correspondent, ) Wellington, July 28. A singular case of privilege cropped up during the week. Mr T. Kelly, a Taranaki member, complained of some untrue statements having been made about him in a paper called the * Taranaki Advertiser, * published in New Plymouth. Instead of entering into a lawsuit, the hon, gentleman preferred appealing to the House, but was given to understand that the proper course for him to adopt was to go to the proper tribunals to obtain redress' for being maligned. I should not have mentioned this circumstance in particular, but the ‘ Star * came in for its share of reprobation. I quote from ‘ Hansard ’ j

Mr Bradshaw trusted the House would not proceed any further in the matter, and the most dignified course would be to remain perfectly silent. They should take no notice of such attacks by writers of the Press. Last year he was attacked by a writer who at the present tune he believed was in the gallery. Wien he returned to Dunedin he ascertained who that writer was, and he addressed a letter to him, giving his opinion of him, and requesting that it might be published in some paper. That letter was not published, aud he had the consolation of knowing not only that the correspondent wrote a blackguard letter, but was a sufficient coward not to publish the letter he (Mr Bradshaw) wrote. If they appointed a select committee, and called tha writer of the article complained of by the honorable member'for New Pljunouth, they would very likely make a martyr of him, and he trusted the House would let the matter drop, lu such matters houorable members have a remedy in the Law Courts,

Ihe letter which Mr Bradshaw wrote to the correspondent of the bTAR contains the following paragraph I took you to be an ordinary mortal with one face, but have found out since you have two faces; that instead of being what you consider otber people to be, ‘ moral, 1 you are quite opposite, anu full of deceit. On my return to Dunedin 1 had placed in my hands the enclosed ‘ penny-a-line,' in which your opinions of me are so complimentary that I could not resist the trouble of writing to you with the object of returning your valuable document, for fear iu the hands of an incapable it might bear no fruit.” “You have the right and liberty under the protection of the Press to give your opinion of any public man’s ability in any way, and in as coarse and rude a manner as a low Press will admit into its columns; but you cannot deny me the right to use my own judgment as to whether I will serve you or not. Now that yon know my opinion of you morally, mentally, and physically* perhaps it would be fair if you published my letter of yesterday, so that the public may have opportunity of knowing each of our portraits as they appear and issue from different articles. However, Ido not expect anything so manly to emanate from you.” It would be unkind to attribute Mr Bradshaw’s misstatements of facts to design—rather, perhaps, to the lapse of time and an impaired memory. It will also be apws to many of our readers to learn that the IStar comes under the category of a low Press.