ANOTHER PRESS GAGGING ACT.

Marlborough Express, Volume IV, Issue 155, 30 January 1869, Page 3

ANOTHER PRESS GAGGING ACT.

Some time ago we had to defend the freedom of our Correspondence column against the attacks of a person, of whom we may observe parenthetically, that the place that knew him then, knows him now no more; and that before he left, he acknowledged to us that we were right and he was wrong on the occasion referred to. We did not expect that we should so soon be called to account, or punished for the same alleged offence. However, on Wednesday last, the proprietor of the Express received the following letter : “ Superintendent’s Office, Blenheim, 26th Jan., 1869.

Sir, —The contract which you had Iwith the Provincial Council of Marlborough, for Printing and Advertising, having expired some time since, I am directed by his Honor the Superintendent to inform you that he has made other arrangements for the advertising and printing required by the several Government Departments, and

that your authority to print the Gazette, and other Government documents, is hereby cancelled.—l have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servant James Balfour Wemyss, Provincial Secretary. Mr. Samuel Johnson, Printer, &c., &c., Blenheim” —Seeing that the contract alluded to terminated in June last, and was continued by the Government on condition that the same scale of prices was adhered to, a moment’s notice, given seven months afterwards, seemed too short and irregular to be without cause, consequently Mr. Johnson waited upon His Honor Mi*. Eyes and r'quested an explanation of the letter. That gentleman at first declined to give any, but upon being pressed said that our publisher could not expect any other course to be pursued after the publication of the scurrilous and scandalous attack upon him, and referred to the letter which, bearing Dr. Horne’s signature, appeared in our correspondence column last week. Mr. Johnson of course disclaimed any connection with the letter in question, to which, our readers will remember not a word of comment was attached. Mr. Eyes replied that the letter imputed a revengeful motive to him in the course he had pursued towards Dr. Horne, at the same time forgetting that he was avowedly revenging himself upon us for publishing the letter, with which we had no more to do than himself. The News —which he informed us was in future, to have his patronage, and will therefore be his organ, for we cannot as yet include the Executive, as they have not been consulted—the News acted differently; instead of simply inserting a letter written by the complaining party, it published the following sweeping censure, a model which- we may try to imitate—- “ Something Strange.—There appears to be no precedent by which Provincial appointments are made ; or perhaps the heads of the province are sufficiently original to invent plans of their own by which they can discover merit. We were rather surprised at hearing that Dr.- Williams was appointed public vaccinator for the greater part of the province. We imagined that when a medical officer was required to perform such a service that tenders would be called for, so that anyone desirous of performing the duties misht have the chance of obtaining the office. This course has not been followed in making the appointment for the present year, and Dr. Williams has had the office bestowed upon him without being subject to a competition. This is something strange, as Dr. Horne, an old and tried servant of the public, is deprived of the reward for his long services, to his own detriment, and possibly to the disadvantage of the public. After holding the office under Superintendents < arter and Bailie, and for a time under Mr. Seymour and 'Mr. Eyes, it is manifestly unjust that, without any charge against him, he should not have the opportunity of continuing the services he has hitherto so efficiently per-

formed. Party feeling must run high, or private friendship has usurped the place of public good, when such a responsible appointment is made, without studying what effect it will have upon the parties most interested - Dr. Horne and the public. Nothing can justify cue appointment lately made; and if the Government wish to show that they are acting only for the good of the public, they must either divide the work and give, each medical man a share, or cancel the appointment and submit the whole to competition.”

As we have never’ acted unfairly towards Mr. Eyes in the slightest degree, but on the contrary, when we considered him wrongfully attacked, have defended him—a course we may fairly leave to his declared organ in future—we do naturally feel annoyed at this petty display of arbitrary power. We do not regret the course we have taken in the past, and knowing well that we have the people on our side, have no fear for the consequences, ISTor will this act close our mouths when we see fit to speak, and we may add that lest he should consider we had taken a mean advantage, we duly informed him that we intended to make these remarks.

As to the contract, it remains to be seen how far the Superintendent is able to act thus illegally. Surely he cannot imagine that he will be able to kill the Express, by depriving its publisher of the trifling amount of printing which will be required during the few weeks or months remaining ere the present system of Government comes to a close. No doubt “John” will take his “ shutters” down again now. We cannot “ blow hot and cold with the same breath”; but what is of greater consequence to the public, our Correspondence Column remains free—even to Mr. Eyes—and from this day we shall perpetuate the circumstance by amending the title of our journal, adding to its present name, that of the “ Blenheim Free Press /”