New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, OCTOBER 9.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4851, 9 October 1876, Page 2

New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, OCTOBER 9.

The gentlemen composing the committee appointed last Friday to take steps to arrange for raising a testimonial to be presented to Sir Julius Vogel met at Mr. Hunter’s office on : Saturday evening. There was a good attendance, and we were especially pleased to notice so many of the class known as working men present. It is clear they have not lost faith in the late Premier, and are determined to evince this in a practical manner. When Sir Julius Vogel returned from England a few months ago, it was felt that while absent and unable to defend himself he had been slandered and maligned in * a most unjustifiable way;,and the working men, to their everlasting credit, determined to resent this affront, and to prove by the hearty reception they gave Sir Julius Vogel that they stillhad confidence in him, and believed he had done all that lay in his power to promote the prosperity and best interests of the colony. And now when Sir Julius Vogel, broken down in health'and. constitution, caused by his devotion . and attention to his duties, has

j been obliged to retire from public life, and seek quiet and rest, and is about to leave New Zealand, the working meni and the other members of this are determined that he shall carry with him some substantial acknowledgment of the’esteem. they entertain for him, and an assurance that his future career will ho Avatched with the utmost degree of interest, and the fondest hopes entertained that ho .will bo successful, so that he may perhaps returnto New Zealand and end his days, amongst his old friends in the land where he gained his reputation as a statesman and public man. We. havo made :a. slight : digression, for Avhich we hope to, be pardoned, and now return to notice’ what ; took place at the meeting. The Mayor of Wellington explained what had been done at the first meeting, and it Avas; resolved, as will be seen by * our report, to elect a sub-committee .to attend to collecting subscriptions i towards the testimonial. It was nextresolved that the co-operation of such bodies as the Odd Fellows, the Foresters, and Fire Brigades should be solicited, and it was determined to request parties* representing them to attend the next meeting of the general committee, in order to determine the kind of entertainment to which Sir Julius Vogel should be,invited, in order to afford an opportunity of presenting the testimonial. As far as we can gather, the feeling seemed to be in favor of some kind of mid-day or afternoon gathering, and wo trust this view will be carried out. | i An important commencement was made by opening the subscription list, which was headed by, three of those pre- ! sent putting down their names for fifty guineas each. Several followed ivith twenty and ten guineas, upwards of £3OO being made up, so that what we may term a fair start has been . made, and we entertain no doubt, from 1 the feeling which has been expressed throughout the city during the last few days, that a really substantial and handsome testimonial will bo presented to Sir Julius Vogel prior to his departure. : We are always sorry to have to refer to articles which appear in other newspapers, but we would fail in our duty to the . public and to those who have moved in ’ getting up ivhat is now known as the Vogel demonstration, if we did not notice the article which appeared in the Evening Post on Saturday afternoon. The writer seems to have been actuated by what may, we think, beiairly termed a fiendlike animosity, .and it appears as if he could hot find language strong enough to vent his feelings of envy, ■ hatred, and malice towards Sir Julius Vogel. He stated-that the late Premier had received from £20,000 to £30,000, 1 but he did not; inform his readers at the same time that within the same period the revenue of the colony had more than doubled itself; he did not mention the thousands of people who, through Sir Julius Vogel’s instrumentality, have been brought to New Zealand, the great mass of whom would,’ if , afforded an opportunity, gladly acknow- ' ledge that the change had been advantageous ; hundreds, nay, thousands, now possess their own freeholds, have been able to marry good wives, and are surrounded by happy children—these people will never . forget the name of Sir Julius Vogel or the benefits he has conferred upon them. Other classes of the community have equal cause for thankfulness: houses, land, station property, stock, have all risen in value to an enormous extent within the last seven years; and this will become more and more apparent when the railroads are completed and the country opened up for settlement and occupation. We challenge Sir Julius Vogel’s bitterest enemy to prove that he has hoarded up the public money he received in payment for the important services he rendered to the colony ; as he earned it so it was expended, and every one must ; admit that as a private citizen he was hospitable and charitable. ■. , The Post ventures to say that the main part of his grand schemes have fallen through, and that his manner of negotiating the last loan inflicted serious injury upon the credit of the colony. Such assertions carry refutation with them. Have the railroads and ordinary roads which open up and intersect nearly every portion of the North and. South Islands disappeared ? Is the population of this country less than it was seven years ago 2 Has the revenue diminished, have our exports and imports been lessened 2 It -is only necessary to peruse the last Financial Statement or the Statement made by the Minister for Public Works : to be convinced that the writer iii the Post has forgotten facts and figures and pays no regard to truth. We now proceed to dispute his statements respecting the negotiation of the £4,000,000 loan. Sir Julius Vogel knew well the importance of obtaining the money, and that was his main reason for proceeding to England ; on his arrival there every obstacle and impediment avas thrown in his -way. He was told he must make £2,000,000 do, Avhen he knew it was of the utmost importance to raise twice that amount; and he persevered and was successful. We should like to ask any impartial person what would have been the consequences to New Zealand if Sir Julius Vogel had failed 2 Would not the colony have had to pass through a severe crisis, which would have ruined a great many, and stopped its progress for several years 2 It would have been shaken from one end,to the other. All this was averted; and now when Sir Julius Vogel, broken down in health and constitution, has been compelled to retire from public life, lie is assailed and abused in this coarse and vituperative manner. •

We are told forsooth that “no present of a purse of soverigris will, ‘outweigh that spontaneous outburst of indignant condemnation of his action by a free, indignant, and outspoken Press.” It would not be good taste on our part to underrate or attempt to weaken the influence of the Press, but it frequently happens that writers ignore public opinion, and thus do the very thing we deprecate,. When' tho Press sinks into the individual -Tts utterances convey no weight; and it ceases to have any influence if the columns of a journal are prostituted to gratify .personal feelings and become the cloak for venting malice, untruths, and hatred; its usefulness ends, and its fate is sealed.