To the Editor of the Hawke's Bay Times.
Sir, —l have twice read the article on “ Editors ” republished by you in your last week’s Times, and heartily thank you for it. I am sure the public are indebted to you, and I hope they will shew it. I think the Herald's Editor might have gained a useful lesson from it, had he the wit to profit from the truthful sayings of an opponent. I think the statement —“ An Editor who really fulfils his duty to the public is entitled to a considerable amount of respect,” is well worthy his attention. I am told that formerly his paper was in many respects beneficial to the public, but that was before I arrived, and from what 1 have seen of loose old numbers of the Herald there must have been a very great difference then and now. I have thought in my way it might prove interesting, if not serviceable, to trace the change, whence and how it came about. Was it money, or interest, or party, or necessity, or spite. I would not take on myself to say. In truth, I could not truly do so, and therefore I ought not. Notwithstanding, when I read the remarks on Mr, Bousfield in the Herald of Saturday, I thought they showed a deal of low spite. I even heard, in a shop where I happened to be, one person say, who knows more of all the parties than I do, that he was quite sure those remarks were not written by Mr. Wood himself, but’ by another person in Napier whom he well knew. And a gentleman pretty well acquainted with the law remarked to me that such statements were actionable. For my part I hope not, yet with an Editor, as you said, “ All individual prejudices must be set aside; all temptations to make his journal the channel of personal attacks, either on his own part or on that of his friends must be strenuously resisted. He is the servant of the public, and no other influence must be allowed to direct or bias his pen.” This being so, as all must allow,why should Mr. Wood descend to low, aye, gross personality ? Why call Mr. Bousfield “ Octavius ?” Why speak “ of street-corner gesticulation and concomitant braggadocia in which he indulged for some days before ?” Bead away out of your Province, would not this be considered as an Editorial way of expressing
Mr. Bousfield was noisy and drunk in the streets. As far as I can learn Mr. Bousfield was only in town for a few hours, and was far away in the country surveying during the whole of the polling. And as to “ braggadocio.” does Mr. Wood know the proper meaning of the word ? A first class Dictionary by my side gives it as, “ a puffing swelling boasting fellow.” [observe it is braggadocio not braggadocio.] Surely Mr. Wood does not seriously intend to speak of Mr. Bousfield thus. If so I only wished he had one of my late North American or Californian acquaintances to deal with instead of an English gentleman. Afterwards Mr. Wood goes on to state, “ this much, however, we will say, that to our knowledge no exertion was spared by the opposition to return their favourite—alas! without effect.” Mr. Editor I heard tiiis denied by some who did not vote for Mr. Bousfield, but I wished much to know, and a gentleman of my acquaintance called on Mr. Colenso, who is said to be one of the principal men of the opposition, purposely to ask, and as what Mr. Colenso told him he also said he might use in any way, I will just give it. Mr. Colenso said, he wholly disbelieved it, and as far as he was concerned wholly denied its truth. He said he had quietly voted for Mr. Bousfield, as he had promised to do before he went to Auckland, and knew of no person to alter his mind. That he had not asked a single elector to vote for Mr. Bousfield ; and that he had never heard of Mr. Tiffen or Mr. Edwards seeking to influence a single voter. Really this statement of Mr. Wood’s is too bad—spite, low personalities, defamatory language, and untruthfulness. So much for the Editor of the Herald as it now is. Begging pardon, Sir, for writing so much,
I remain, Yours, &c., Observer. N.B.—Sir, I would also have written a little upon bis saying Mr. Bousfield“ stigmatized the constituency as a mob of ignorant ruffians”—did I not fear you could not spare me room.' But anyone can see Mr. Wood’s aim.
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HBT18640318.2.15.2
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
Hawke's Bay Times, Volume III, Issue 166, 18 March 1864, Page 5 (Supplement)
Word count
Tapeke kupu
772To the Editor of the Hawke's Bay Times. Hawke's Bay Times, Volume III, Issue 166, 18 March 1864, Page 5 (Supplement)
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
No known copyright (New Zealand)
To the best of the National Library of New Zealand’s knowledge, under New Zealand law, there is no copyright in this item in New Zealand.
You can copy this item, share it, and post it on a blog or website. It can be modified, remixed and built upon. It can be used commercially. If reproducing this item, it is helpful to include the source.
For further information please refer to the Copyright guide.