The Globe. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1876.

Globe, Volume VII, Issue 714, 3 October 1876, Page 2

The Globe. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1876.

The privilege caso has ended in the member for Geraldine, Mr. Wakefield, acknowledging the authorship of the articles of, and making a complete and abject apology. The conduct of all concerned in this miserable affair—that of the members of the House, the member 'for Geraldine, and the Timaru Herald — is open to grave censure. It is evident that a majority of the House of Bepresentatives was quite prepared to do a mean transaction, but objected strongly to have it spoken of in unmiatakeable terms. At the very time our patriotic legislators profess themselves greatly concerned about the financial prospects of the Colony, they deliberately set apart for their own use a considerable yum of money, which must still further increase that over-expenditure. The question of whether members of the House should be paid a fixed annual salary for their services has nothing to do with the subject under discussion. "Without consulting the country, or even making their constituents in any way aware of theirintention, the House of Eepresentatives has introduced a new principle entirely. Hitherto the honorarium has been regarded as simply to cover expenses actually out of pocket. Now our members have adopted the plan of remunerating themselves for their work, and two hundred guineas is the value they fix upon it. At one time the honor of a seat in the House was looked upon as a sufficient reward for the cares and anxieties of a representative. Now a money value has been put upon it. With characteristic modesty they have fixed the price rather low, but encouraged by the success of the present raid upon the Treasury, an advance may be demanded and obtained next year. As is usually the case, the great majority of the Canterbury members had nothing whatever to do with this discreditable transaction, but we hope the constituencies of thosevvho had, will not fail to give a most decided expression of opinion regarding the conduct of those gentlemen when they meet them at the close of the session.

We regret the conduct which the member for Geraldine has thought fit to pursue in this matter. He haß encouraged the House to continue in future an inquisitorial course whenever any member is suspected of being the author of any disagreeable article, regarding the conduct of the House. He has, besides, by the abject apology which he has made, admitted that the art'-i *les were not written by him in the public interests, but from some >ih:.i' motive entirely. The attack npoii Mr Joyce was of course utterly :nd. fensible, and greatly damaged the effect of what was otherwise a perfectly justifiable exposure of a discreditable transaction. In permitting Mr. Wakefield to acknowledge the authorship of the articles, we think the Herald was wrongly advised. Instead of covering himself with glory, our contemporary has succeeded in placing himself in an extremely ridiculous position. On the one hand we have the editor of that journal, Mr. Wakefield, admitting that the articles were unfair and derogatory to the House, and withdrawing every statement that was offensive, and on the other, thp Herald repeating yesterday in another form, the so-called libel of a previous issue. Had our contemporary had the courage to respect journalistioetiquette regarding the authorship of the articles which appear in its columns, and after apologising to Mr. Joyce, boldly taken the consequences of the displeasure of the House, he would have secured the reap jet and admiration of the great majority of the people of Canterbury, as well m of the colony at large.