PARLIAMENT ASSERTING ITS DIGNITY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 590, 23 March 1878, Page 2

PARLIAMENT ASSERTING ITS DIGNITY.

The great State prosecution is over, and we breathe more freely than we have clone for several months past, because, instead ot Tallin" into the hands of Mr. Caldwell, we are on e more at our desk engaging m the occupation that pi aes us so well. We wonder whether Mr. Whitaker will go the:-..

or to --the other place "'—of course, we mean to the Welliugi'-n Caot—heCJU-e In said in tin.' House that either Mr. Jones -m----he should he there (pointing in the direction of the Wellington Gaol', ■' nieai dug thereby ' that if tile former wa.- not lit forth" sombre, chiliv cell, he was. If the late Attorney - i leueral has any particular preference in the ma'tor of gaols, w- pre-unnj that then would be no objee-ion to giving him hichoi.v : loii we e. utend tha", he bavin' chosen to leave 'he matter in the namls o! a

jm-v o: ids countrymen, and it having acquitted Mr. Jones, lie should forthwith hand uims' ; f over f.. ihe authorities. This is the reasonable interpretation to put up n the ■-iniicudo," which the old gentleman, in hi.wrath, in an unguarded menu nt, gave ex-

'cession to in the House. However, disapproving of retaliation, we will not insist ui-on hhTgoing to gaol, unless he wishes to act strictly up to his principles. The ailair i- all over now, and we are mi heartily sick of it that we shali be glad when this article is written, and the whole jin-vo buried for ever. But we have a few words to say, and although we arc md going to dance upon tiic -rave 'in which our enemies are entombed, there are sum- features in connection with the late prosecution that we are gla I of an oopoitmiity of referring to, and we beg to be oardoiicd if, in dole- so, our eltevve cenee should cam u us to refer somewhat jubilantly to some of the ridiculous situations in which ear iiro-ec'itors found themselves. Kvurvi„,dv tuous how (he trouble commeiieed. The- M.UI. referred to the ac;iou of the late Attoniev-C-'.-:i.-ia'. in endeavoring to foist upon the country a Native l.md Kill, in which u.'bo.iv but liiiscif and. a few others. who. like the seiioi.l -irk agreed with everything he and his colleagues did bi cause ihevdid. saw anything but. a revival, in a.! ••ts'worst forms, of i.rickerv in iv-ard to native lands which would end in thea-grae-.lis-iueiil of a (<--v.- and the dwindling to iioihin- i«: the public estate. It was asserted that we imputed improper motives to Mr. Whitaker, the late Aitorney-Gcnera!—as dio-_'n .".-.yhody would have the temerity to do that—i'n his' action with reference to the lull. Tim aiticle was pointed out to .Mr. Whitaker in "Wellington by a few j'rkial-< who. verv improperly, of course, appreciated the efleei. that it would have upon the old -eutieman. The next scene opens in the House. Mr. V. hunker refers to ihe aiticle, is shocked that his name should be linked in any wav with improper conduct, ami, with llie help of members of the House—some actuate.'l bv a desire to see the fun : some (such as .Air. I'ravers and Mr. Fox) awfully jnili-naiit : some anxious to elicit the truth of the matter by inijuiry, as it had previously been quenched : ami others because they were blind followers of the miserable party to- which Mr. AVhitaker belonged—passed a resolution that Mr. Jones should bo called 1, foiv the bar of the .House to answer to a charge <>f having infringed one of the privi-le-eifof Parliament. A few days afterwards we had the pleasure of an interview with Mr. Commissioner AVeldoii, whom we met inthestreet in Oamarii.and who. knowing our sensitive disposition, walked with us to on: oitice. asked' for permission to enter, which was granted, and handed to us in so kind a manner that we would almost like to have it repeated, the Speaker's summons. _At Government expense (having been provided - with the sum of I "i l(!s. passage money) wc seed to Wellington. There we reported ! ourselves to Major Campbell, and Were subsequentiv politely requested to place ourselves under the custody of the l-crgeant-at-Arms (Major Paul). This we did, ant awaited with some little anxiety in his snut little room within the precincts of the House of Pailiament the announcement that tht . House was prepared to deal with us. Foi the first time in our lives we became expert '. mentally acquainted with the feelings of £ i man who is I . ing led out to su Iter the extreme ■ penaltv of the law. ISehind a new brigh; brass "rod procured for the o-casion, wc - -lanced round at the intellect and honest} . that abounded within the four walls of the i Assembly Chamber. Upon some counfen I anccs we observed that our youthful appear i ance had made a favorable impression, whils 1 the virtuous indignation at the inipertineuci

of so youn<_' a journalist in daring to comment UTion'thuir doings of some of the high and mighty occupants of the Parliamentary bcnclies know no bounds, and they lashed themselves into a state of terrible fury. Not a few in the House indicated feelings of pity for the young man wlose career was about to be brought to so untimely a termination, and seemed to be possessed of a doubt as to whether or not when he had undergone the trying ordeal of standing in their august presence for an hour or so there would be much of him left to operate upon. The ladies in the gallery craned their dear little necks to catch a'view of the culprit standing immediately beneath them, and so loudly did the rulers clamour for his bloody that some of the occupants of the ladies' gallery who had known him in by-gone days as a decent sort of fellow were heard to es>

press a hope that they were "not going to hurt him." A little further on, when the "Speaker" had asked, him accused of a " breach of privilege" what he had to say in

defence of his conduct, the "prisoner at the l>ar" gave somewhat satisfactory evidence that lie -was capable of taking care of himself, and would accept of no clemency extended to him out of sympathy. The defence quoted the language of honourable members to prove that they, in the debate on the Native Land Bill, had said things quite as strong of each other as anything that had ever been written upon the question. Mr. Travers interrupted the "prisoner," asserting that he had no right to introduce such into his defence, but the ruling of the '•'.Speaker" resulted in causing that gentleman and several of the same ilk to bottle up their wrath, which then threatened sudden dissolution to themselves or the "prisoner at the bar." The defence pleaded justification, and showed that the -'prisoner" had not written without reliable data ; and, as sentence after s-entence was uttered, the look of disappointment grew stronger and yet stronger on the countenances of the creatures of the Government, who wished to know where the apology was, and whether the " prisoner" thought he was to be let oft without one. Mr. Fox called the accused a white elephant, and wanted to know what was to be done with him now that they had can slit him ; others were for hanging him straight off, although they didn't like to say so; whilst Mr. Stout calmed their perturbed feelings by interrupting the debate, and sarcastically enquiring—" Mr. Speaker, but what are we to do with Mr. George Jones ?" It was prime fun. Never has a Parliament tied itself in such a knot and dragged its dignity in the mud to such an alarming extent. The Government called Atkinson had succeeded, by several years' distribution of favours to the indigent, in obtaining .1 majority to carry anything ; and so docile had some of their creatures become, that it was scarcely necessary to hold up a linger to ensure their implicit to the commands of their benefactors. The Government and its followers, therefore, with the help of a few other nondescripts, who are celebrated for nothing in paiticular except it lie their meanness towards a fellow who lias, through doing battle on their side got himself into trouble, arrayed themselves a'-ainst that '-terrible man from Oamaiu.-' (To be rontiiiiinl.)