The Daily News. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1912. POLITICAL SLANDERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 205, 27 February 1912, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1912. POLITICAL SLANDERS.

When you hit a man on the head with a club and say you are sorry, it may be very sporting of you to own up, but ifc doesn't reduce the swelling. Mr. Massey, who has apologised in the most profuse and complete way for identifying himself with the charges made against members (which charges alleged "graft" in its most virulent form), is entitled to all the praise that can be accorded. him for apologising after he has used the club. We commend Mr. Massey for trying to rectify an error he has made, but there is no excuse under heaven for making the error. Even his apologists will find it difficult to countenance his production of the pencilled 'excerpts from an unsigned letter, intended to politically damn persons who are as much entitled to a good name as Mr. Massey himself. Mr. Massey's contrition is complete. • He acknowledges that the men who were being harried are quite as honest as he believes himself to be. It is encouraging that Mr. Massey has been strong enough to apologise. Making "l'amende honorable" certainly goes towards expiating an offence, but it may be found that Mr. Massey's connection with this unsavoury incident will lead to punishment that will be serious enough for him. Apart irom this particular incident and Mr. Massey's connection with it, reckless damaging of the characters of public men in New Zealand has not within the memory of man been so outrageously common as during and since the latest election. We have added our protests to others from time to time at the amount of dirt that has been thrown—and would protest the some if leading Oppositionists were the victims—but the united protests of the press and those of the public who hate this iniquitous form of political assassi- [ nation has done little to stem the torrent of pestilent, wicked slander. To permit the continuance of this fashionable amusement, this deadly, lying, venomous stream of abuse is to make it impossible for the character of any man, whether he be a public person or otherwise, to be safe. The stream of unfair and damaging innuendo is a force that has but recently arisen. It has been carefully swollen by a section of journalists in New Zealand, who are clever enough to keep within the bounds of the-libel law. but who suggest In both leading and news columns the wicked things that aTe so readily believed by the unthinking. It is dirty, detestable work." This incident will not be without use if it has the effect of minimising the efforts of the scandalmongers to poison the minds 6f the people against the members of the Ministry. It seems to us quite impossible that Cabinet can be a small collection of arrant rogues, holding

office for the sole purpose of Weeding the people, and stealing money from the people's Treasury. The Ministers are fallible men, and, goodness only knows, they can be criticised with perfect justice. The politicians who baulks at fair, impartial criticism is unworthy of office, but the criticism which simply overrides all the canons of fair play, which is dirty, damaging to a man's personal character, and which makes unprovable allegations of the most venomous kind, is a pestilent disease. It should be wiped out. By his action in this matter Mr. Massey has thrown away the best chance he has had for the past twenty-one years. He may, of course, win the impending division, although his chances do not seem to be as roseate as they were. Thereafter his reign will possibly be short. If there is an appeal to the country, Mr. Massey's chances must suffer as a result of wnat has lately taken place' in Parliament, notwithstanding the apology he has so unreservedly and spontaneously offered.