Perjury

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 40, 16 September 1884, Page 2

Perjury

Some attempts are being made in Parliament to have an Affirmation Bill passed, by which it will be made legal to " affirm" instead of taking the nsual oath. If this Bill becomes law, and has tho effect of teaching persons the sinfulness and wickedness of giving false testimony in local courts of iustice, it will do a good thing. Every uninterested person who attends sittings of the R.M. Court must be struck by the deliberate " hard swearing" which goes on. The magistrates, solicitors and all the parties to the cases appear to know quite well the false nature of much evidence which is given, and rather enjoy the fan, apparently considering perjury one of the most amusing and entertaining jokes possible. It is within the memory of many residents in Feilding that our courteous and urbane S.M., Mr Ward, actually congratulated two witnesses on the boldness of their testimony. He said they wero far and away superior in that direction to any other " evidence mongers" he had had the pleasure of hearing during many years' experience on the Bench. The recipients of this doubtful compliment accepted His Worship's remarks withont even tbe blush of modesty mantling o'er their cheeks. It strikes the intelligent observer that many persons when called to appear as witnesses go into the box, not to "give the truth, the whole truth," but to give only, that portion in favor of the person by whom they are called, or against his adversary. ' This may be loyalty of feeling, but it is nevertheless wrong, and contrary to justice and common honesty. Such persons do not really know tbat they are guilty of a great crime in telling only half the truth, and suppressing a knowledge, , the publicity of which would very likely prevent a wrong being done to a fellow citizen. It is admittedly the hardest crime on the

calendar to prove against an accused person, and the diffiulties surrounding the attempts make the police or others interested very chaiy in making any movement to punish such offenders. There lies in the hands of the public, however, one remedy, which is t> deal with all such persons nt arm's length; keep them at their proper distance. A man who would give false evidence to save himself a few shillings would have very lit tie hesitation in swearing away another's life. tr_.-^*.n.ra-.* •*- KLysKTtsK%sn