A MALICIOUS DEVICE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8352, 12 February 1913, Page 6

A MALICIOUS DEVICE

There appear to be no limits to the extent to which tho squatters’ organ is prepared to go in the endeavour to venomously distort and misrepresent the sentiments and attitude of its opponents. Wo have referred to this popular grievance more than once, but without avail, and now we have to complain of a further misrepresentation of ourselves. In yesterday’s issue of the squatters’ organ, with crafty and poisonous malevolence, an article is cunningly penned in such a way as to create the impression that we have made a gross assault or cast a vindictive reflection upon tho late Mr George Fisher. This is one of the characteristically malicious methods of tho squatters’ organ. We may have made a passing allusion to tho political history of Mr George Fisher. That is, as our contemporary ought to know, quite permissible. The political history of a public man is tho property of the people, and whether he is alive or dead. Is open to comment and criticism. Tho private life of a public man is sacred to his family, and especially after his death, is immune from comment or criticism by any respectable journal. Because Sir George Grey, or Mr Ballance, or the Bight Hon. B. J. Beddon, or Gladstone or Beaconsfield are dead, can it bo argued that their political histories or records cannot be criticised with perfect good taste? We have pointed out this distinction plainly because the squatters' organ appears to be wholly ignorant of it. In its shameless abuse and misrepresentation of individuals, it has not troubled to discriminate between their private lives and their political histories. Even the domestic hearth has never been safe from the desecrating abuse of this wretched squatters’ organ. We could cite many illustrations of our argument, but here is one. Only a few mouths ago, when Sir Joseph Ward was still Prime Minister and months before he had relinquished otiice, the squatters’ organ, with coarse indecency, was demanding to know why Sir Joseph and Lady Ward and their family were still occupying a Ministerial residence, and suggesting that they should be turned out. Is it necessary to further remind the squatters’ organ that also while Sir Joseph Ward was still Premier he had occasion to publicly complain that on a certain Sunday morning two reporters from the journal in question loitered round his gate for some hours watching who went into and who came out of his home. “Anything more degrading,” said Sir Joseph very truly, “it would be scarcely possible to imagine, and that sort of conduct,” he added, “is on a par with a good many other things done at present.” Why, we would ask, was the ’virtuous anger of the “Dominion’ not directed against itself at that moment ? Sufficient, however, for our present purpose. We object to be misrepresented as having assailed the late Mr George Fisher, because we held in profound respect his personal qualities and his exceptional abilities, and wo know that, as an old journalist, ho had a wholesome contempt for all such journals as the squatters’ organ. For our own part, God forbid that wo should prostitute our pen or defame our cause by descending to the methods of vindictive and virulent personal abuse that have discredited the squatters’ organ and caused its name to be held in detestation and abhorrence in the minds of every person possessing delicacy of feeling nr a sense of honour.