A FREE LANCE OPINION

Gisborne Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1439, 27 April 1905, Page 3

A FREE LANCE OPINION

(To the Editor Gisborne Times.), Sir, —Because I have deemed it cowardly and contemptible to shelter myself under a nom de plume when attacking a man or a party, I have left myself open to accusations of a deeire for cheap advertisement from people too sordid and mercenary to realise that possibly a man may be acting from a sense of public spirit. I am always happy to receive honest and fair criticism, and should he glad if “ Free Lance ” will point out where 1 have ever indulged in “ mud throwing,” or what he terms “ barrack,” or where my criticisms of the present Government have ever wanted in directness and veracity, when I have been what your correspondent describes as “flippant.” When “Free Lance ” proceeds to write about “good taste,”.l will simply reply, “First oast the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother’s eye,” and will close by sincerely thanking him for calling publio attention to my occupation, and t-ust that I Bhall benefit considerably from it.—l am, etc., W. LISSANT CLAYTON.