CORRESPONENCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 301, 20 December 1877, Page 2

CORRESPONENCE.

To the Editor of the 'Evkning Mail.' Sib,— We are sorry to have done violence to the sensibilities and sense of propriety of "A Parent." We respectfully call his attention to the sound canon laid down by the Bishop in his vain attempt to inculcate a correct method of tbiuking upon our Free Thought fellow-citizens.. The rule, if attended to, would be fruitful of untold blessing, i.e., that a mana opiuion is only of value when he is seized of all the facts of a case, and has competent knowledge of what he pronounces upon. Had "A Parent" observed this he would not have uttered the dictum he has. As to what he assigns as a reason, that the question is sub judice, wo with deference submit that it does not apply, There can be no objection to dealing with a question in that position, unless an attempt is made to bias or influence the mind of the judge. That au explanation of why certain boys, who had been studying all the year for the purpose, were not presented for examination cannot we think be conceived by the most lively imagination in the least capable of influencing the examiners. If he objects to our action on the ground of taste, then we would remind him of the doctrine enunciated by the Prince of lecturers, now ' ravishing Nelson by his charming eloquence, his cha?* e an< l humorous fancy, instructing by his sounu philosophic views of men and things, and his scholarly criticisms, and elevating and ennobling by the high moral tone breathing through his addresses, and the reverent recognition of the All leather and the eternal verities, to which the undyiag

instincts and religiou9jsentiment of humanity ever thrills and vibrates, when rightly touched. Mr C. Clark's doctrine is— that a matter of taste is not within the range of criticism. Informed as we are of all the cirdumstances, we still think our explanation was called for aud most judicious, and was appreciated by those to whom it was specially addressed. — We are, &c, MAGISTER ET DISCIPULI.

The " Loafer in the street" writes :— lu Lady Barker's book, " A Year's Housekeeping in South Africa," she remarks on the children with " such chubby cheeks, such sturdy fat legs, and all, black or white, with that amazing air of independence peculiar to baby colonists." If Lady Barker were here once more she might note an amazing air of independence about some o£ our young colonists. She could see any time boys of eleven and twelve who smoke pipes, who can swear as well as you or I, and whose independence we could dispense with — well with resignation. A Napier telegram to the Post says:— There have been strong comments in the local press, refuting Sir G. Grey' 3 statement at his reception, with reference to his purchasing land here some twenty-three years and two months ago. The Telegraph proves, from Blue Books, that no land was purchased here that year, and the blocks referred to were all pnrchased by Sir Donald M'Lean two years previously. It also shows that when Sir George Grey visited Napier, in 1853, the natives -would not receive him courteously. The Herald, this morning, says the matter is not one of historical interest only, but involves the reputation for veracity of a highly placed and distinguished gentleman. With reference to the reception, the Telegraph states the demonstration on Friday was only a party affair and as such did not represent all classes of the corntuunity. A London telegram, dated November 20th, says that the detectives, Meikiejohu, Druscovitch, and Palmer, and the solicitor, Froggart, have been found guilty of complicity in the great turf frauds, and sentenced each to two years' imprisonment. Referring to this case the London correspondent of the Christchurch Pi ess says: —Our Courts of Justice are now quite as much public spectacles and places of amusement as any of those other establishments ostensibly devoted to such objects.. The case is a very serious one to society at large, inasmuch as its course, step by step, exposes more and more the rottenness of our detective system. Here are men, holding high positions of trust in that particular branch of the police force to which the public hare looked for guardianship, and in which the public have, always placed especial confidence, . charged on very sufficient grounds too, with aiding and abetting, for the sake of extensive bribes, a gang of swindlers in fleecing society. For years these swindlers, who carried on a betting agency business, evaded the grasp of the law through the alleged aid and assistance of these detectives. The extent and success of their operations may be imagined from the facts that they spent in advertising one swindle throughout Europe £30,000, and that they were able to distribute, right and left, bribes varying from £100 to £500. Regarding the Premier's action [in reference to the Land Bill the Press gays:—" The worst thing in the whole business is the duplicity o£ Sir G. Grey's conduct towards the House. The Government had never led members to suppose that they were goiug to raise difficulties about the Bill. They had carried it through its various stages, then had taken part in conferences upon it, but had never let fall an expression from which the House could gather that they disapproved of its provisions or had the slightest intention to interfere with its becoming law. When something of the kind was hinted at, they affected to be highly indignant. Mr Reid suggested that the postponement of the Bill was asked for in the hope of shelving it. " I can assure the hon. gentleman," exclaimed Mr Sheehan, " that there is no intention to allow this Bill to drift off the order paper; and if it is found inconsistent with our proposals, and we have to drop it, we shall say so openly." Yet with these professions of sincerity on their lips, Ministers could go behind the House to the Governor to get him to nullify the measure which they had ostensibly been doing their best to pass. Such conduct is utterly opposed, we will not say only to constitutional principle, but to common honor and honesty. On every ground his Excellency's refusal to disallow the Bill was perfectly right. He would have assisted in an act of gross treachery towards Parliament had he done otherwise. And politically, he would have setja dangerous precedent. It is not for such purposes or under such conditions that the power of disallowance should be exercised. Sir G. Grey's notion that the Governor's veto is to be kept, as it were, as a force in reserve in order to get rid by means of it of any measure which the Assembly may not have passed entirely to his liking, is not to be tolerated for a moment." The Australasian of the lat mat. haa the fol'owing on New Zealand politics .---Parties in the New Zealand Parliament would seem to be in a fluid state if it is true, as announced the other day, that enough desertions have taken place from the Opposition to make the Ministry safe for the session. It was in the first place the desertion of a number of the supporters of the Atkinson Government, immediately after negativing a vote of want of confidence by a majority of nine, that caused the motion proposed by Mr Larnach to be passed by a very small majority, and so elevated the present Government to office. The opinions of individual members in the Parliament would appear to be as fluid as the constitution of parties when we see a member like Mr Travers, who, as chairman of the recent committee on the privilege question, moved the adoption of its report, afterwards giving notice of motion condemning the Government for its pact iv that affair, and making a speech which was thought by those who heard it to be an admirable refutation of the one the hon. member had formerly delivered on the subject. The result of the present tactics of the Government would so far seem to be successful. After having forced on a division in the absence of several of the members of the Opposition, and thus obtained, not a majority, but an equality of votes by a fluke, Sir G. Grey has proceeded on the course of ignoring the subsequent motion of want of confidence by putting it at the bottom of the list of private business. At the same time Sir George Grey has by vague talk beeu, in the words of Mr Reid, feeding " delusive hopes of profuse expenditure coupled with lessened burdens." This system of carrying on constitutioual government, together with the unscrupulous course of getting up a quarrel with the Governor, to divert the attention of the House, is hardly of a kind likely to conciliate an Opposition and attract votes to a Government. But yet, if the statement we referred to is correct, it must be held to have done so. If that prove to be the case, a very bad precedent haa been established for the encouragement of any future Ministry which may desire to hang on to office by any means whatever in the face of a hostile majority and without any intelligible policy. On returning home recently, a gentleman was surprised to receive the congratulations ' of his family on his happy escape from ( drowning. He thought somebody had been playing a joke on them, and laughed heartily ' until he found that his best suit of clothes had been given to tie man who brought the news, and who saia he was sent £or some dry clothes. J I