"THE CLERK THE COURT."

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 78, 10 July 1878, Page 3

"THE CLERK THE COURT."

. .*> im iDiroa. .;;' 81*,— It ii jib old and fame proyerh that "Union is .strength and knowledge U poorer." In^your issue of the 29th Jane, in a jab-leadtr, you made! comments about /Vre^ecessity there is in Palmerston for • reaiden^ magistrate and clerk, and you do so in such a manner as leads me to think you do not believe in the abore proTerb. I do nipt question the necessity of •uch' officials iu Palmerston, and particularly, with your paper, before me. I, however, fail to see why Foxton should lose the Clerk of the E.M. Court because she is more peaceably disposed thpu her neighbors, as set forth by yonr issue alluded- to. I also fail to see "why your paper (as the legitimate guardiaii of our interests as a oounty) should make use of such re- - marks as follow:— 41 The greatest inconvenience has been experienced by that officer (Clerk to Court) being resident.in Fottbn." I think- these, and many other such remarksjin said leader are not likely to benefit Foxton. and although you are pleased to think Palmerston a central position,: other people are at liberty.jto think differently j . and I unhesitatingly affirm that it isvery bad policy to pit the interests of one part of the County against the other to its detriment. I have no objection to Palmerston getting all it can (and the more the better), but , let other places alone. Wa«li stick; to the paper, and the paper should; stick to us. lam quite satisfied^ tfrt the more closely the people; of j this Connty follow the proverb at the top of this note, the better it will be for them. In the same proportion as unity is strength so is dm* ■ion weakness* therefore any person who wiU write or speak in such a way as to Jiroduce division, is using his power to he detriment of this County.— l am, Ac. .''.,'.'"';.'■;.' -V'-V . *„ ■ ; -, — hjo^ J\- ■ '.-.- '- . '• R Loudon. : Fox%,July«Ub,lß^. . [Now, as a specimen of the moat sublime egotism and presumption, v duplicity ' and deaign r .commend us to the alova. Only listen: to Sir Oracle t "I do not question," W J foili to see," * I think these and many other, inch remarks," " / unlesitatingly ajprm," "7 hare no objeolion," and soon ad nauteam. In return, WJS tlenantly as-

sert that m the whole article there is not a single remark which even this modern Machievelia's subtle ingenuity coulcFtwist or distort into being mimical to Foxton. The sentence quoted in his letter we did use, and now we doubly, trebly reiterate it in the face of Mr Loudon's grand Philippic. He^says "we made other remarks in the leader which are riot likely to benefit Foxton- - Granted. We do not feel bound to benefit that town alone, and deem it our duty to' sometimes look after the interests of Palmerston and other places in the County j but if Mr Loudon wishes to infer by his; peculiar language that we have written against the interests of Foxton, we say that it is a deliberate misstatement ; and further, we defy that gentleman to quote one of "the many other remarks" which will bear out his assertion, and give his utterance even the color of truth. Notwithstanding the grand opening of his impeachment, we how charge him with striving to sow^that disunion, and beget a spirit of antagonism, which he would have it appear he so deprecates, and maintain that he w seeking^ to obtain political* capital at the expense of truth, and to the detriment of the County. Mr London has a strong weakness for thrusting himself forward as the watch-dog of public matters, unbidden, unasked, unlooked and unwished for; and the outcome of his gratuitous services is generally their real value— ridicule and contempt. It is not very long since Foxton was made to appear supremely ridiculous through that very officious gentleman forming himself into a. deputation and interviewing Ministers upon a matter which it was known all over, the County had been conceded weeks before. We can- safely appeal to the people of Manawatu in general, and the settlers of Foxton in particular, to .say if we have or have not carefully watched their interests;, and battled for their rights. As we have done in the past, so we shall continue to do in the future; and if we feel it necessary to apeak out for Palmerston or Feilding against Foxton — or vice versa — we shall do so boldly, unhesitatingly, and independently, undeterred by whatever may be the result. We are bound to no town, in the County ; we have always advocated its advancement as a whole, and however deeply we may regret that our efforts or utterances are not endorsed by Mr F. Loudon, we. shall "pursue our course unswayed by such productions as the above. Mr Loudon has flourished- his " proverb " unnecessarily,, and although we admit "union is strength," we fail to see why He should have dove-tailed Lord Bacon's utterance that H knowledge is power " in. with it, unless itj be from his loye of sententiousness, or to prove its truth fa a negative manner by the-— r-well, innocence displayed in the letter. Mr Loudon was evidently in such a hurry to proclaim his championship that he not only started before he had a cause to defend, but he is scarcely happy in the choice of his language. As an instance of one but of many we will take the following somewhat " mixed " declaration: — " I unhesitatingly affirm that it is bad policy to pit the interests of one part of the- 'County against the other, to its detriment." .Just so, but it would be as well if we knew which was the one, and which was the other, for at present we can't tell t'other from whioh. But the charge preferred by Mr London is so unfounded, and the veil which covers the object of the letter so transparent, that we must apologise for devoting "so much •pace 1 to it.— Ed. M.T.]