GERMANY IMPEACHES.

Motueka Star, Volume II, Issue 47, 24 January 1902, Page 4

GERMANY IMPEACHES.

The fines.; presentation of the British case against Germany that lias so far been made in New Zealand,! in connection with recent; slauders on our army and nation, was that' delivered by the Rev, Mr , Fairclongh at the Dunedin patriotic meeting the other day. Mr Fairclough in the. course of his address said : There are few holier things outside -religion than the Victoria Cross, It is “ for valor,” for self*-, sacrifice, for chivalrous help to an unfortunate comrade.; Hundreds have deserved it, and not got it. (Cheers.) It appears that these rewards have been represented as the rewards of brutal lust, distributed to villainous criminals by Queen Alexandra in the presence of her daughters. (Hooting.) This is not only a brutallibel upon the nation’s badge of honor, not only a reviling of our heroes, but a base and malicious calumny on our women through their pure arid beautiful ' head—the Queen. (Applause.) When the Germans simply aided and abetted the enemy, when they simply magnified and laughed at our losses-and belittled our victories, when they simply wished us to lose, we bore it. AV*hen they scoffed at our commanders, and burned Mr Chamberlain m effigy we were silent. But now that they say that our very glory is shame, om* life and character are brutal -and foul, when they specifically and eireiunstantiallv He to besmirch the persons ami things that we hold deareot, it is time for men to resent the slander and impeach the slanderers before the bar of civ !is?d mankind. We do not impeach them at the bar of history, in' the name of consistency we impeach themj for we have done nothing that, with less pro- \\ cat on, they d d lot do themselves ; in the name of gratitude we impeach them, f r when, a. hundred years ago, they lay at the proud foot of a conqueror, we were their only friends, and sent them g( Id in-tlieir'-need ; in the name of liberty, which they accuse 1 ns of crushing, for liberty began with ns, has spread from us, and is most-per-fect under our flag ; in the name of civilisation, which they - accuse us of outraging, tor hundreds of-millions are learning it under our sway—(cheers) ; in the name of human rights, which they amuse ns-of trampling in the dust, for we have chivalrously afforded an asylum to the oppressed and the spokesmen of the oppressed of every nation —(cheers) ; in the name of humanising a nd broadening commerce, we impeach them, for we hold a thousand ports irr t -ust fo • all, and nme are more eager to share tire privilege than our revilers. The greatest, anti most splendid facts in this world-'are no doubt the monuments of British character and w rth

—liberty, representation of the peop’e, trial by jury, trial. before, ore’s peers, emancipation of • slaves, a thousand charities, and what not • Before these facts, as witnesses, I impeach our calumniators of accusing us of' crimes foreign to our nation, of foulness opposed to our sentiments, and of p dicy wholly and totally alien to: our traditions and unknown to our history.

Collections of photography. records ; the beauty sp its of the Golonv. both n the north and in the south, are about to be made by the Tourist. Department, put into pamphlet form, and distributed in various parts of the world," as an illustration of what this country can offer to the globe-trotter,in the wav . f natural attractions. ; It is rumoured that Mr Seddon intends taking a epurse of baths at rßctorua 1 efore d’eparfing.for the coi onafvion. TO THE CITIZENS OF MOTUEKA. We have just opened a parcel of Spectacles. , A fret class pair for ss.' No', fancy'price charred. Your e es tested free of charge.—BßOWN <S--1 ER ?. i.r- ■ ;