THE CITY COUNCIL AND MR BRIGHT’S SUNDAY LECTURE.

Evening Star, Issue 4059, 29 February 1876, Page 3

THE CITY COUNCIL AND MR BRIGHT’S SUNDAY LECTURE.

To the Editor. i Sib, —The action of the Mayor in prohibiting ; the right of the circus manager to allow the ■tent to be opened on Sunday for a lecture or ■any public assembly should have been upheld by the special meeting of the City Council. TheWogical bias has nothing whatever to do with the question. It is a question of right; and as such the proper channel was hy. appiioaton to the Mayor, who would either have taken the responsibility of granting permission or have called a special meeting of the Council in order to deal with the application. Authority should be respected ; and as there is a tendency among many in Dunedin to ignore any authority but their own, strict obedience should be enforced by the constituted authorities. . -

With all deference to the City Council I would say that the members’are sadly wanting in asserting the dignity due, and recognised by Englishmen as due, to the offices of Mayor and Councillors; otherwise, they would have insisted upon a simple formal application couched in courteous language, insteaa of the . assumption and presumption so evident in the tone of the leqmsition. The dignity of the office must be maintained at any sacrifice of individual likes or dislikes.—l am, &c., ' An Ex-Matob. Dunedin, February 26.