The Daily News. MONDAY. FEBRUARY 16, 1914. THE CRIME OF SEDITION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 195, 16 February 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY. FEBRUARY 16, 1914. THE CRIME OF SEDITION.

In dealing with tlie charges of sedition arising out of the recent labor disturbances in Wellington, the. Chief .Inst:. ■> gave utterance to sentiments tlml ar.> wortliy of being l lc ],[ m remcmbrajico. l'or one thing, lie strongly emphasised the fact that the crime of sedition reus!; 1)0 sternly repressed. He showed how, under the free laws and institutions of British countries, there is no real justification for a resort to violent measure.-. The New Zealand Criminal Code, after defining, the olfeiice of sedition, goes on jto give the following qualifications:

No one shall he deemed to have a seditious intention because he intends, in good faith—(l) to show that his Majesty has been misled or mistaken in his measures; (2) to point out errors or defects in the Government or Constitution ... or to incite his Majesty's subjects to attempt to procure by lawful means the alteration of any mutter affecting the Constitution, law's or (%- vernment; (S) to point out, in orier to their removal, matters producing ov having a tendency to produce feeling of hatred and ill-will between different classes of his Majesty's subjects.

There is surely latitude enough here to satisfy any reasonable man—even an unreasonable agitator; for it gives the fullest liberty to discuss everything and everybody, from the by-laws of a local body and their framera up to the Constitution of the Empire and the King himself. The English Bench has in effect adopted a similar liberal viow of the law against sedition; for Mr. Justice Littledale has laid it down that public discission may be candid, full and free; further, "something must be allowed for feeling in men's minds and for some warmth and expression; but an intention to incite the people to take tlie power into their own hands and to provoke them to tumult and disorder is a seditious intention." ft is clear that ; there were incitements to '■tumult and [ disorder" in Wellington, and those who offered these incitements are justly punished by imprisonment. For the tima being, and to the »xtent of their wrongdoing, they were enemies of society, and society must be protected from ailarchial demagogues. Sir Robert Stout not only rendered good service by his, remarks on sedition; he also earned the, public gratitude by vindicating th» Government of the day. Tho Chief Justice ran some risk of popular censure in doing this, for he came perilously near to entering the political arena; but his justification of the Co vernment measures of repression is all the more valuable on that account, especially when it is remembered that Sir Robert has always been a democrat. His calm and judicial expression of opinion that the authorities exercised re mark-able patience and forbearance in the midst of riotous and seditious proceedings ought to silence the criticisms of excited Laborites or ill-advised Libe.als. In view of the wild and inflammatory talk, and the actual violence that resulted from it, we have held ali along that the Government would have been culpable had it not adopted stern methods of putting down disorder; it is gratifying to have that opinion corroborated from the serene atmosphere of the Supreme Court Bench. It is to bs hoped that we shall have no recurrence of the crime of sedition and no necessity to set the law in motion against it; but in view of the possibility, it might be advisable to amend tlie law so as to allow of deportation being the punishment for seditious utterances. The immediate success of deporting the South African agitators aid the vindication of the Government by Parliament are good reasons (or legalising deportation.

sunt recollections and favorable impressions of the district. We do not suggest getting up any formal function in their honor. That is unnecessary in the case of men whose duties bring them so frequently- into close contact with affairs of that nature, but in an informal way much can be done by citizens to interest and entertain the visitors. That this will be done, and done cheerfully, we have no doubt. We hope the weather will be fine and that the visit will prove enjoyable and successful, and result in the extension of Knowledge among our Press friends of the attractions, resources and potentialities of | New Plymouth and Taranaki generally.