A LAW BREAKING LEGISLATOR. Alleged Flagrant Conduct of a Legislative Councillor.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 62, 9 August 1884, Page 3

A LAW BREAKING LEGISLATOR. Alleged Flagrant Conduct of a Legislative Councillor.

Wellington, August 1. The "Post" of last night calls on the Returning Officer for Foxton to prosecute the Hon. C. J. Pharazyn under the Corrupt Practices Act. It says :— " The Returning Officer is certainly called upon to vindicate the law by instituting proceedings against C. J. Pharazyn for his wilful and deliberate violation of the Act which he himself helped to pass. We say wilful and deliberato because the facts admit of no other interpretation. At the late election for Thorndon Mr Pharazyn might have pleaded ignorance as an excuse for voting, and in fact did so ; for after he had voted' and when the possible consequences of his having done so were pointed out to him, he actually went back to the booth and made the preposterous request that his votincr paper might be taken out of the ballot-box" On that occasion his breach of the law was quietly passed by. His being then allowed to escape seems, however, to have encouraged him to commit further irregularities, no doubt under the impression that he could do so with impunity. At last week's election he actually attempted to vote for To Aro, on which roll his name appears in the black list of disqualified persons. The attempt is in itself a punishable breach of the Act. His subsequent voting at Tinakori Road can scarcely have been under any misapprehension, and as a matter of fact, it is well known that Mr Pharazyn boasted publicly of his having so voted, and commented on the absurdity of the law under which he was allowed to vote at Tinakori Road, but was not allowed to vote at Te Aro. If, as we have no doubt will be the case, the Returning Officer does his duty, despite all the influences which will probably be brought to bear to shield the offender, Mr Pharazyn will certainly find that the law is neither so absurd nor so powerless as he seems to think. A substantial fine and three years' further electoral disqualification will, perhaps, open his eyes a little. It is time indeed that his defiance of the law was checked, for we believe that he has regularly voted j at all Mayoralty and Municipal Council elections during the last three years, as well as at the Assembly elections. In each case his doing so was an ofience. The Legislative Council will, we imagine, also take some cognisance of the illegal action of one of its members. In future, it would, we think, be well if the lion, gentleman's friends were to adopt the kindly advice given by a Nolson paper, and lock him up whenever an election is going on in the neighbourhood. The Returning Officer for Foxton electorate has instituted proceedings against the Hon. C. J. Pharazyn for having voted at the recent election for Foxton. At the election in 1881, Mr Pharazyn was convicted under the Corrupt Practices Prevention Act, and thus disqualified for three years.