MR. ANDERSON AND THE “INDEPENDENT.”

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5087, 13 July 1877, Page 2

MR. ANDERSON AND THE “INDEPENDENT.”

In his somewhat egotistical answers in Court on Wednesday, Mr, Henry Anderson assigned as one of the causes for his having resigned the editorship' of the Independent that Mr. Fox had acquired an influence over the paper. We are authorised by Mr. Thomas McKenzie, th& proprietor of the paper, to state that this idea as regards Mr. Fox is simply untrue, and that Mr. McKenzie knows 210 more of, Mr, Anderson’s reasons for resigning than is disclosed in the following letters read during the hearing of the case Anderson v, Gillon, Kent, and Waters

f ‘9 o’clock,-Monday. “My Dear Sib, —I write this with great pain and difficulty. I have been in bed since Friday night, and I have not been able to eat anything at all. My left eyelid has fallen down, and I can only see imperfectly with the right eye. I have not been drinking;, I have Only been going mad since since Friday night; I managed to dress and get a horse and go to Dr. Grace oh Sunday. He has prescribed a regimen, but I cannot swallow the food. Apart altogether from my hard drinking during-the last two years,-there is something else the matter with me; I cannot muster up any energy; I have no interest in.anything;.! only wish to die. I think the explanation to this is to be found iu the fact that I have drunk v&y hard for a long time without absolutely breaking down, and that now, when the bad time has come, 01s a-Very bad one indeed. Grace says I shall get better by abstinence, but I know that it will be a good while before my old energy will return. I would not like to be dismissed from my situation; it would be a sort of slur and blot on an old servant, who has fought very well so long as he had strength. I would rather, if you see that I don't get better and able to work, resign the. position.' It might tend to preserve the sort of' -prestige which I have always endeavored to maintain. I don’t want, to starve, and if I lose my position it means something very like starving. I will stick to it as long as I can work at all, and I would, with my decayed eyesight, even be glad to do less work, such as simply leader writing, at less wages. I have an innate conviction that I would get better if I had a change of scene and less work for a while. But I have no money, and my children need food. In fact ray whole care depends on getting time to be ill and get well again. I shall never get well in my eyesight without getting away from Wellington for a little time.: The streets and the people, and the work and the old familiar scenes seem to drive me distracted in’my present distempered frame of mind. I enclose Dr. Grace’s prescription. It is quite clear that be thinks my case a pretty bad one ; and it is a great deal worse than he thinks, because I can’t swallow the food which he prescribes. It is a terrible crime and sin that a man should have committed slow suicide as I have done. But it is no use talking—J have done it. —With best wishes and many thanks for past friendly and kindly acts, I am, very faithfully yours,—Hkkry Axdersok.” " 10 o’clock. “ P.S.—Since writing this letter T have been thinking over the relationship that has so long existed between us. It will not be a good or right thing, if that through my health failing we should part on bad terms. I think that you might tr} r to find me work of some sort if, through my eyes not getting better, I should be absolutely incapacitated from doing editorial work. At present, through my own folly and wickedness, lam in utter despair. It is an awful thing to be partially blind, and to lie for sixty or seventy hours as I have lain, and not be able to read beyond perhaps a minute or two. Leader writing depends on hard reading, and unless I can read Hansard or Parliamentary papers, I am a done man. I have tried to work and keep steady, but the fact of my sight being so bad has driven me almost frantic, —H. A.”

“Independent Office, Monday afternoon, “ August 0, ISC9.

"My Dear Mr. Anderson, —I have just received your letter of this morning’s date, and am extremely sorry to hear that you are so unwell. I deeply regret that your folly should have led to such a result, but if you make up your mind even now to change your course of life, the way is open to you to obtain renewed health and vigor. You have had many warnings, and have as many times made up your mind to learn wisdom from them ; but as soon as health has returned you have fallan back to your old habits again. lam sure that I have often advised you and told you what the result would be ; and I must say that I could not have done more for my own brother than I have done for you. As it would be quite impossible that the paper could go on long in the manner in which it has recently been conducted, it will be necessary to get a gentleman to edit it at once. I therefore accept your resignation. I do not wish to part with you on bad terras, but desire that every good may attend you. Indeed, the manner I have stuck to you through evil and good report, and against the opinions of my best friends, is sufficient evidence of that. But Ido not wish to upbraid yon, or say one word to hurt your feelings. With a change of scene and life,, I have no doubt you will soon recruit your health, and that you may quickly do so, for the sake of your wife and‘little ones, is the earnest desire of your friend and wellwisher.—Thomas McKenzie.” ■