DISREPUTABLE JOURNALISM.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 73, 10 September 1879, Page 2

DISREPUTABLE JOURNALISM.

One of the points upon which all honest and respectable journalist 1 * pride themselves is the purity and truth o£ their reports. The articles m the leading columns may be written with a sophistry and impartiality to. compasjs a desired end, and the space allotted to Correspondence filled with coniainnica--1 tioris for particular or party purposes, so that it is almost impossible for the reader to arrive at the truth of. an, occnrre nee were it not that reports—presumed to be actual chronicles oi facts — -jive given as an infallible aid. This, then, being tho case, it is a standing order, from the conductors of all respectable journals to their subordinates to pay particular attention to the accuracy and impartiality of reports, to record, facts as they occur, and above all to avoid a swppressio veri. According to the mariner m which these instructions are carried ovit, may be tested the worth or worthlessness, — nay povrer for evil —of any journal. These remarks are induced by a porusal of a concoction of what is of presumed to be a report of what occurred at the meeting between Mr. M'Donald and Mr. Bungan, m the Town Hall, published m our eon temporary at FeilUing. We g'vethe extract, and the crowd of people who were there will be able to judge oE the despicable meanness of a paper which would so distort; and suppress fqcts m the interest of its patron : — A Haud Knock. —On Wednesday evening last a large number of people assembled m the Town Hall, at Falmsrston for the pnrpono of hearing the defence of Mr. Alex M'Bonald against the char^ea of " duplicity, hypocrisy, and treachery " which .were laid/ against him m Jan article

which appeared m the " Manawatu Times." Mr. M'Donald challenged the Editor of the Manawatu Times to meet him on the above date for fche purpose of determining which of them were deserving of censure m this case. Mr. Ferguson occupied the chair. Mr. M'Donald made a somewhat lengthy speech pointing out the falsity of the charges laid against him, and denying that he had announced hirfiholE a supporter of the Grey Ministry, -Mr. Dungan replied briefly, pointing out that Mr. M'Donald had distinctly told him that he was a supporter of the Q-rey Ministry, and m support of his statement called Mr. M'Neil to substantiate what he had said. Mr. M'Meil stated that Mr. M'Donald remarks were truthful m evecy respect, and he (Mr. M'Donald) had said that he would support the Liberal principles of the Go - vernment without Sir Goorge Grey, and Mr. M'Donald had not stated that he would give his unqualified support to the Government. This concluded the argument. The Chairman then stated that he thought it rather unfair that he shonld be called upon to givo a decision. However, after listening attentively to what had been said, he was of opinion that Mr. Dnngan was right from his own point of view, and Mr. M'Donald, on the other hand, was right from his poin.t oE view ; but, taking the whole circumstances of the case into a consideration, the opinion expressed by the Chairman was decidedly m favor of Mr* M'Donuld. .After a rote of thanks to the Chairman, the meeting adjourned. It will be seen from the above, that there is not a single word about tbe chairman having to call seven times upon Mr. M'Donald to leave electioneering speeches to the various candidates, and confine himself to the purpose for which the meeting was called ; there is no mention made of the fact that although Mr. M'Donald commenced speaking at eight o'clock, notwithstanding all the chairman's efforts, it was not until twenty minutes past nine that he could be brought to bear upon the question at issue ; not only is Mr. Snelson's name omitted from the report, but the there is not the slightest mention of the following letter read from that gentleman by Mr. Dungan m support of his. pecusation : — Palmerston, Sept 2, 1879. Dbar Sis,-r In reply to yojajs, I have to state that the impression left on my mind from a conversatipn with Sir. M'Donald was that he would gladly take my place as the Liberal candidate, and that he could give the Government for more support than I could. He told me that he had been m communication with Mr. Sheehan, ostensibly with the view of standing for Manawatu, and that with the Government support he could command the block vote of the Maoris, which no other man could. I am, dear Sir, Yours truly, Geokge M. Sjtelsok. That was a most damning evidence against Mr. M'Donald, and what will be thought of a journal which when garbliDg, distorting, and misrepresenting all the other evidence, wilfully maliciously, and cowardly suppressed a document which was sufficient to prove the case. We will not attempt to contradict the perversion of what Mr. M'Neil said ; we leave that to the gentleman himself ; but we will now deal with the opinion of the Chairman out of which so much capital has been made. On the a.fteruoon of the night of the meeting Mr. Ferguson (the Chairman) and Mr. Dungan were speaking together, and the conversation turned upon who was to take the chair. Mr. Johnston was sug? gested, and Mr. Ferguson agreed to make an effort to get that gentleman. Before parting Mr. Dungan asked Mr. Ferguson if he would consent to preside himself m the event of Mr. Johnston not being available. Mr. Ferguson made some objections, stating that it would be an invidious position for any one to give an opinion, but Mr. Dungan pointed out that the sole duty of the chairman wouldbe that to Iceep order and to confine both speakers to what occurred previous to the article m the Times, andthatjoa nojeondition wo.ild he be al* lowed to go beyond that. He further , stated that Mr. Johnston and others were/ of ppjnion that it was nothing more thai* an- electioneering dodge, and that the conditions, of the challenge sho.u.ld • be" strictly- adhered to. The quesfcio v n vraa next asked how a decision QQuld be." arrived at, and Mr. Dungan saiq' that he did not think it would be fair towards M'Donald to call for a show, o£ ha.nds, as he believed he (Mr. Dungan)' w.ould have the meeting with him. He thought the only way was to adhere to the, challenge intact — Mr. M'jsonald state his story, Mr. Dungan give his, and then let the audience depart and m their own, minds weigh the evidence, and form their own opinions, without giving expression to it. It will be thus seen that Mr, B.ungan acted throughout m a most fair a,nd honorable spirit, for knowing that Mr. M'Donald would be a stranger to most at the meeting, he did not wish to place him at a disadvantage. Mr. Johnston could not be obtained to preside, and according to previous arrangement Mr. Ferguson took the chair. During tho controversy Mr. M'Donald appealed to the meeting for a fair hearing, stating that he was on his trial upon a grave charge, and they were the jury before whom his case was laid. At the termination of the debate, a show of hands was called for, to which we consider Mr. M'Donald very judiciously objected, but stating that he would leave it m the chairman's hands. Thereupon Mr. Ferguson came forward, and without for a moment consulting Mr. Dungan, gave the decision accredited to him. We ask m the name of consistency who ever heard of a person appealing to a jury, the jury a'l solutely refused to be allowed to return a verdict, and a volunteer, judge coming forward to perform their ofH>e. Ne.xt day Mr. Duncan m the presence of Mr. M'JSTeil asked Mr. Ferguson if he had not fully understood that the chairman was not to express an opinion on the matter, to which he, replied " certainly.'* l%e was next &s\c& if it had not been decided that the meeting should form a silent judgment, — the v eply was " certainly." And he was then asked why it was that he had to tally.ignored the distinct arrangement and volunteered an opinion which^ it had beec decided he should not give, which he previously appeared to have sucli objections. His reply was that Mr. M'Donald had asked for it,_and he believed it was m the condition of tiie challenge. Mr. Dungan then produced out of his pocket the following published challenged, and asked him to

show him the authority fo.r sueli cpnduct .•— r NOTICE. THE Editor of the M^tawatit Times haying m a leading article changed me with moat dishonorable cppduct, I regpecfully invite the Public to. attend at the TOWN HALL, Palmerston North, on WEDNESDAY, 3rd September, at Eight p.m., there to hear my side of the story the Editor nas circulated about me j and and I hereby CHALLENGE the 'said Editor to come forwrrd at jihe satne time and substantiate his change — if he can. A. M. MfUQNALD. Palmer3ton North. 29fch August, 1879. He then said that it must have been m some previous letter, when Mr. Dungan pointed out that the published challenge was the document which should form the guide. Mr. Dungan then said that as he knew a reporter had been sent from Feilding to give a version of the meeting, m common honestly and fairness Mr. Ferguson shouid write a letter explaining that so far from having any authority forgiving a decision, he should explain the conditions upon which he had been appointed chairman, and why he had of his own accord departed from the programme. Mr. Ferguson has not had the manliness to make this explanation and we have done it for him. We do not for a moment object to Mr. Ferguson having his opinion, but we do most distinctly object to Mr. Ferguson getting himself appointed as chairman of a meeting to carry out certain distinct duties, conditions which he had promised to rigidly observe — and then without consulting both parties taking a liberty to which he had no right, and which was denied to every other person at the meeting. It may he said that his utterances were only those coining from himself — but it will be seen that our unveracious contemporary a,t Feilding has made it appear that it had been arranged to leave the matter to the chairman, thus giving his verdict an ecu cathedra weight. Had Mr. M'Donald intended— or rather had Mr. Dungan kno^n that it ■was Mr. M'Donald's intention — to ignore Kis published challenge and accept the conditions of a letter — thereby leaving the decision to the mouth of one man, Mr. Ferguson is not the person Me. would have agreed to, although he certainly did imagine he could have bee,n trusted to carry out an arrangement which was so manifestly concedinjj. tp. the person accused. We will not say one word as to the merits ot the debate, those who were present heard the two statements, and we have thus written to show to what degradation a mean journalist can descend, and also expose a glaring breach of confidence, and a cowardly shrinking from owning the truth.