TO OUR READERS.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2164, 1 February 1881, Page 3

TO OUR READERS.

Foe the first time in the history of the GnoBE, we reprint from the ‘ Press ’ of this morning the following admirable article on the abominable treatment by political roughs, of two of our Ministers at Invercargill on Friday last. It is of course quite unnecessary on our part to assure our readers that we have no sympathy with Greyism or any similar ’ism, but this case is one of such sheer blackguardism that no person with any political creed whatever could possibly pass over it in silence. The “ Grey ” party have exceeded themselves at Invercargill, and taken quite a new departure in the way of political tactics. On many previous occasions they gave unmistakeable indications of the sort of liberty the people would enjoy under their benign auspices, by interfering with freedom of speech, taking forcible possession of public meetings, and howling down everybody whoso opinions differed from theirs. On those occasions, however, they wore generally under considerable excitement, and were brought together by circumstances which rendered a certain amount of disorder more or less excusable. After all, too, there was generally an element of goodnatured mischief at the bottom of their ruffianism that went far to relieve it of its worst characteristics. It would be absurd to judge the conduct of a crowded election meeting by the strict rules of propriety. The demonstration which took place at Invercargill on Friday last was quite a different thing. The mob who assembled at the railway station to insult the unsuspecting Ministers on their arrival were not brought together by any exciting cause, but came together deliberately, probably by pre-arrangement, to give vent to their political feelings in the manner most natural to them. Wo are told that they made noises “like a menagerie broken loose ” —a description which, well intentionod as it may be, is, we think, rather severe upon the menagerie. The groaning, hooting, howling and hissing o e a pack of Greyites in full cry must surely be a groat deal worse than the natvral voice of any of the nobler beasts. Not content with making a hubbub at the railway station, which is stated to have been audible more than half a mile off, these exponents of “ Liberal ” principles mobbed the Ministers all the way to their hotel, whore they groaned for some time and threw had eggs. The Ministers, however, reached the hotel in safety, though “ hard pressed ” once or twice, and no personal violence was actually done. Two gentlemen, old colonists of the highest character, occupying an honorable and responsible office by the will of their fellow citizens as expressed by the Legislature of their country escaped from the streets oflnvercargi 11 without having their limbs broken, their features disfigured, or even their clothes torn off their backs. Well, to that extent, the affair is satisfactory to the public end creditable to the “ Liberal ” party;— but only to that extent. It is on the whole, unquestionably the most blackguardly business that has yet occurred in New Zealand politics. There is literally nothing to redeem its dull monotony of lowness. The occasion of the Ministers’ visit to Invercargill called for no display of feeling of any Had. They wore notstnmping the country w th a view to exciting the popular mind in any direction. They can scarcely be said to have been travelling on political business at all. Major Atkinson, after a loig spell of overwork at Wellington, Is spending a few weeks of well earned leisure in the Middle Island, to the greaS satisfaction of the people of the Middl > Island. Wherever he has gone, he ha been courteously welcomed, and has mad himself liked by his frank friendliness to wards everyone he met, and by th« genuine interest he has shown in all thr.v, ha saw and learnt. Ho has entirely avoided politics, and has moved about without any fuss, thoroughly enjoying Lis holiday, and evidently pleased by the kindly attention that Las been shown him as a prominent public man who has hitherto been too much a stranger to this part of the colony. His tour was obviously calculated to do good and to remove prejudice; and many people who had no liking for Major Atkinson politically, nor any knowledge of him personally, were nevertheless glad to see him on that account. In Christchurch and its neighbourhood, we are happy to say, his stay was altogether a pleasant one. At Dunedin, the people treated him just like any other visitor. They let him alone, except when they had an opportunity to show him any civility, and if they had to do any public business with him, they did it like men of business, that is to say, with courtesy and good feeling. In due course ho wont on to Invercargill, and Mr. Oliver accompanied him, naturally enough, by way of doing the honours of the district towards his colleague and his guest. Neither of them, we suppose, ever dreamt of the possibility of their meeting with any molestation anywhere in New Zealand, and least of all in Otago, where the rites of both public and private hospitality are usually observed most heartily. But what followed P Arriving at their destination at night, after a long journey, the Colonial Treasurer and his friend encountered a mob of roughs, claiming, forsooth, to represent the public of Invercargill, who assailed them as soon as they appeared with foul insults and idiotic noises expressive of hatred and contempt, and then dogged them to their hotel, hustling them, groaning, and throwing had eggs. They must have been utterly at a loss at first to guess what this extraordinary proceeding could mean ; hut we have no doubt the barbarians who took part in it speedily cleared up all uncertainty on that point. They were the Greyites of Invercargill, expressing the views of their party after their own peculiar fashion.

What strikes ns most, indeed, about this disgraceful outburst of rowdyism and others like it in quality, though loss in degree, is the audacity of tho rowdies in daring to assume a representative character. An overwhelming majority of tho people of New Zealand—and of tho people of Invercargill, for that matter —aro not only quite incapable of taking part in such demonstrations themselves, but have tho utmost disgust for them and for those who indulge in them. They are not public demonstrations at all. They aro purely party demonstrations. But that representative men who ought to know better sometimes identify themselves with them, indeed, we should scarcely deem it fair to call them party demonstrations; for tho people actually concerned in them are mainly the dregs of a faction. Sir George Grey, in fact,

has educated his party down to this. Ho first taught the people to resort to mob law, and these are the fruits of his too successful lessons. Greyism has been beaten in the ballotbox, and still more signally in the Legislature; and at last it has taken to the streets. There it has gained a brilliant victory. The noise it made was audible for more than half a mile away, and the eggs it threw were as rotten as the cause they were thrown in. There are victories, however, which are more disastrous to the victors than any honorable defeat; and we think this is decidedly one of them. A few more such victories, and no respectable person will own any connection with Greyism. Public opinion, moreover, will assuredly take such a strong set against it, that even in the streets it will be miserably defeated, and end by being ignominiously locked up by the police. Society will not tolerate many repetitions of the Invercargill demonstration.