The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, JULY 5, 1892. Mr John Steven's Career in Parliament

Feilding Star, Volume XIV, Issue 2, 5 July 1892, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, JULY 5, 1892. Mr John Steven's Career in Parliament

♦- Mr John Stevens, in a letter in another column, complains of our having published an article dealing with his career in Parliament, wllich we reprinted from the Palmerston Times. Copies of the article in question were scattered throughout the Palmerston electorate in pamphlet form some 18 months ago, on which occasion Mr Stevens was a candidate, and no attempt was then made by Mr Stevens to impugn and disprove the accuracy of the article in question. Mr Stevens in his letter characterises the article as untruthful, but he fails to mention one single case of untruthfulness. His reference to portions of sentences being omitted is beside the question, and proves nothing. Moreover, Mr Steyens omits to mention even the subjects in connection with which he alleges bis utterances were mutilated and omissions made. The absence of his name from important division lists in the House deals with his actions and not with his utterances. Our Marton contemporary, the Mercury, in dealing with tlie article under notice says Mr Stevens was engaged in committee work, and therefore could not vote, and also that he " paired " on many occasions. Our reply is, if Mr Stevens " paired " on any question on which a division took place in the House his name would appear in the list. Any one conversant with parliamentary practice knows that nearly all committee work is done in the mornings, and should a member be engaged in committee or otlier work (no matter at what hour) and an important division about to take place in the House, the "whips" would take^iod care the member one way or tbe otlier. Mr "Stevens "charitably believed we knew the article was grossly false," and therefore published it. Mr Stevens is entirely wrong in such an assumption. Knowing the gentleman who compiled the article, we had and have every reason to believe its contents to be true, and that is the principal reason of its publication in our ; columns. Dean Swift once observed I that "criticism wasataxall public men must pay," and if Mr John Stevens, through his vacillating conduct as a politican, brings hostile criticism on his actions, he must submit thereto, and for the receipt of such he can blame no one but himself. If Mr Stevens can furnish us with a refutation of the facts contained iv the article we shall willingly publish it at the earliest opportunity.