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Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 287, 24 March 1877, Page 2

.Some of the so-called leading men of the Colony arc displaying a lack of common decency painful to contemplate. First one of them and then another perpetrate the most gross outrages upon decency, and it is about time something were done to let them see plainly that their conduct is fax- from phasing to the general public. Were the genera! nr.su of the people to follow the cxaiiiple.3 of these leaders of opinion, .society would indeed sink very low. One of the latest instances of want of dec-nicy—to put it in a mild form—has 1 itfly occurred at Wellington. It seems that at a public dinner, presided over by twom mbersof the Legislative Council, one of whom (if not bi.-t't) holds a commission of the toast of his Holiness the Pope was given precedence to that of her Majesty the Queen. Now, there can be no objection to the Pope's or anyone else's health been drunk at a meeting of convivial spirits ; but that it should be given priority to that of the lady whom we all call our Sovereign shows a want of good taste and a great lack of loyalty. But the offence was greatly aggravated by the fact that the proceeding was given countenance to by two members of a Legislature in a portion of her Majesty's dominions. Either the toast of "The Queen" should have been omitted altogether, or it should have been given in the usual place. Loyalty to her Majesty demands that she should be first considered at any meeting of her subjects : and yet thi.s rule was not followed, notwithstanding that two men who have sworn loyalty to their Queen and country were the leading spirits at the meeting under notice. What becomes of their oaths of allegiance! Have they not broken them ? Both these men are entitled to the prefix of "Honourable" by the scah> they hold in the the Colonial House of Lords. What lordly behaviour, what honorable conduct they have displayed in thus counting as naught the solemn oaths they hare taken '

And yet both of them frown jrere they told they were leaders of public opinion. Precious pretty leaders of public opinion they are ! If they are not dead to all sense of decency, they should at once resign the offices they hold, and allow them to be filled by men who know the sacred nature of an oath, and how to keep ifc. We blame them not that they would show allegiance to the Pope, whom they acknowledge as the head of their Church ; indeed, we would not willingly interfere with any man's religious belief, but we do charge the two gentlemen concerned with having broken their oaths, and thereby forfeited their rights to seats in the Legislature.