The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 1879.

Temuka Leader, Volume 2, Issue 133, 29 March 1879, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 1879.

The fiery editor of the ' Herald' is in one of his fits again. We thought the thrashing lie got in January last would have lasted him a little longer. True, he has not been so rabid of late as he used to be ; he has even spoke kindly of Mr Bolleston. This we took as a good symptom, as only a short time back Mr Bolleston, who had doubtless given him a snubbing, found him so furious ao-aitist him that language could not be fcund bad enough to express it. But some time during last session he must have thrown a hone to him, for lie is no iv a " good fellow." A few days ngo the Timaru City Council trod upon his toes, and lie showed his ugly tusks immediately. Somehow or other the word Council seems to have a magical effect upon him It would have been well had they let him alone, or kept him chained at home, for he is now foaming ;u 1 lie mouth to get at the Chairman of the Geraldine County Council again. His raa'e is iinboniuled against that individual, but he can only growl. Some people are afraid of his bite. They nc--d. - ot lie, as .lie., is . quite powerless for evil. His character is now so well known all over the co'ony that everyone seems to indulge in a kick at him ; and everyone knows that he is not to be trusted, and therefore they keep clear of his company as much as possible. Seriously, it is a sad calamity to see a thriving prosperous town like Timaru obliged to tolerate the ravings of the ' Herald' from day to day. Many 3 sensible people do regret that there is not a respectable morning paper in Timaru. It is no matter if they are ashamed of the misstatements published day after day by the paper, they must support it, because they cannot help themselves. There is no other morning paper in which to advertise, and .'is a good many have to do business in Timaru, they are forced to submit to give countenance"to it for a time. There is to be another morning paper. When that is started the 'Timaru Herald' may shut up shop. Over and over again the members of the Timaru Town Council have told the conductors of the ' Herald' that it is nothing but a parcel of lies that it publishes day after day. It is no use ; Ihe hot-headed editor will keep telling them, and swear they are truths—even although those in its issues not many months ago are now given a flat contradiction" to. We have been forced into the humiliating position of having to notice this worthless journal because of the poisoning language it lias adopted in again attacking members of the Geraldine County Council. It has not been able, with all its boasted influence, to accomplish its object in drawing alLrhe water to its own mill, notwithstanding all the soaping and disgusting flattery the editor has been making use of to one member after another—to men of the smallest amount of sensibility his cowardly servility to any parly from whom lie expects a lift next time he comes forward as a candidate for the General Assemblv, must cause them to turn away from him in disgust. _Even the Roman Catholics, whose champion he •rives himself out to be, must hate him in their hearts for his duplicity, and will doubtless have the manliness to spurn him from them when the time comes that he requires their aid. It is painful to have to write thus of any of our pub'i" men, but. we believe with the great mas* that, ihe ctitm- of the 'Herald' Mr Wakefield, member for Geraldine. is one of the most .untrustworthy, insincere worthless in en that New Zealand sun shines upon. No man is safe from his abuse ; the most unscrupulous means are used to gain his object, or to blacken the character of those who express their opinion adverse to him, devoid of all honor or uprigh'::oss ; his nearest relations (for friends he has f :'.v) come in for a share of his abuse. No Government will 'rust him, no party '-;v - for being called by his name. His example is corrupting enough to stimulate any advances

towards forming a Tiinnruuiy Ring', _if there are any depraved enough to join I with him. We do not wonder, therefore, at the Timaru people hatimr him, and hope the electors in tliis district will carry out their intentions to look out a gentleman that can be trusted as their next representative for the' General Assembly. Et is to be Imped, for the sake of the electors, that a dissolution will take place, for after the way lie crawled into the Assembly and got into the company of respectable gentlemen as the member for Geraldine it would be j vain to expect him to resign. He has not the manlin-ss to do that, even although he knows that he has not the sympathy ' of a tenth part of the electors in the whole district, but he vill perhaps not find a Daddy Woolcombe the next time to give him a casting vote to pitch him over the fence. To hear such men as the member for Geraldine talk about a religious education in schools is enough to shock the most callous professor of religion. Such prostitution of all that is good, such dissimulation is perfectly horrifying. To hear such a man speak of religion is enough to make any man's hair stand on end. What can we expect the young generation to be when those who take "a part in our educational establishments are imbued with such principles. Some will, perhaps, condemn us for writing so strongly, we care not, we believe in calling a spade a spade. Disguising the truth or glossing over the deceptions of those who set themselves up as leaders or educatois of the people is what tliis journal will not do ; it shall ever be our line of conduct to expose what is not right, come from whatever quarter it may, rich or poor, high or low. Tue unjust attempts of the editor of the 'Timaru Herald' to stir up strife in this district have been so frequent and so unwarr mtable that we shall fearlessly continue to expose such scoundrelism, whether it comes from Mr "Wakefield (to whom it comes quite natural) or from a lawyer, n, judge or a jury, a County Councillor, or a member of the General Assembly. Whenever we find evidence of maliciousness, such as is frequently to be found in the Herald,' we shall not cea3e to denounce it let the con- j sequences be what they may. Its' editor, who we have heard blamed for| writing the letter to Mr Postlethwaitc about that " monstrous job" (a stock word of this gentleman) that the promoters of the Milford Harbor were going to make use of the County funds, is fit for anything. The last batch of falsehoods appears on Thursday morning. These proceedings are tl e ' Herald's ' stock-in-trade. On Tuesday morning the ' Herald ' said if the Chairman could be got rid of all will go smooth. We recollect that that gentleman (Mr Wilson) said when he accepted the office of Chairman, if he found things did not go on satisfactorily he would resign. Finding one member in the north a fickle gentleman, and another member in the south most insincere and intriguing, he felt things were not going on smoothly, and even in the ""face of a telegram from the Government, which he read to the meeting, giving the Government's opinion that an election should not t:ike place in March, he honorably kept his word (as this gentleman ever has done in public matters), lie at once resigned and gave the newly-elected Chairman all the assistance in his power to conduct the meeting. Did the Council then go on smoothly, as the 'Herald ' said it would ? Nay, instead of doing so two members resigned. This is falsehood from the 'Herald ' No. 1. On Thursday morning this same editor shows more the necessity than ever for being put in a straight, jacket. Does the 'Herald' think anyone'believes what it states is true? Will anyone waste time reading its opinion on points of law, as against the Government and the AttorneyGeneral's opinion 1 We believe not. What this editor says against the other members we put down as not worth the paper it is printed upon. Before many weeks are over they will all be "my good fellow," or "my honorable and clear friend," except the late Chairman of the Council. He finds that that gentleman is too firm to be imposed upon by his flattery. Principle—a qualification that this editor is a total stranger to —will prevent him from joining in. the Member for Geraldine's nefarious practices, or be a party to any deception whatever. He, with ourselves—as well as a vast majority of the electors of '■■he Geraldine County—believe it would be for the good of the Coujnty to bring the Act into force, and for the furtherance of which he resigned his seat as Chairman, which, we regret, had not the effect that that gentleman hoped it would. Because the Council does not choose to hold its meetings in Timaru —a small town out of the County—the 'Herald' is in great wrath against it.