THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, MAY 10, 1894. THE LEVANTER BEST.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2657, 10 May 1894, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, MAY 10, 1894. THE LEVANTER BEST.

We are not surprised that G. E. Best’s creditors cannot understand the conduct of the Government in declining to take action in bringing him to justice. When Jonathan Roberts stole a horse worth only £ls all the resources at the disposal of the police were employed in the fruitless endeavor to arrest him, but here is a man who has stolen £I6OO, and not a finger is raised to secure him ! “ And this,” said one of the creditors, “is the way a ‘Liberal’ Government acts!” The thing appears very absurd on the face of it, but let us not forget that Liberalism or Conservatism has nothing to do with it. It is simply caused by the difference between civil and criminal law. If Best had stolen £1 from anyone he have been arrested as a thief, and all the resources of Government would have been employed in prosecuting him, but if he obtaiued £IO,OOO, or ten times that sum, from anyone in the way Best got the grain of South Canterbury farmers no policeman could have touched him. Best bought the grain, and even if he remained in Timaru aud did not pay be could not have been arrested. The farmers who sold the grain to him could have sued him for the money, and distrained on his effects if he’had any, but he could not be arrested except on a judgment summons, after the creditor ived by evidence that he was able f r,,' ‘ the difference between to pay Ibis ... - Tho thief the civil and criminal u„. who steals a small sum becomes a crn...

at once, takes a roundabout process to make a criminal of the likes of Best in the eyes of the law. This is why the Government decline to act. Best is not technically a criminal in the eyes of the law, but a debtor who is running away from his creditors, and, therefore, it is the business of the creditors to get him back. Very possibly this is the proper view to take of the matter. Why should the whole colony be put to the expense of hunting Best for the benefit of half-a-dozen Timaru creditors ? But notwithstanding that all this can be said in favor of the present Government, still it appears to ns that they ought to have strained a point and assisted in bringing to justice a scoundrel like Best. If J3cst succeeds in escaping punishment it is more than probable that it will result in others following Ids example, but if ho is brought back and punished it could not fail to make them dread the consentiences of adopting similar methods. For this reason it would pay tiio colony to spend money on hunting up such men as Best, for they are in every respect thieves as much as the men who pick pockets, and no distinction ought to ho made between them. Of course, it is undesirable that business-men should bo liable to arrest when any of their creditors like to lay ;m information against them, but when it appears clearly as in the case of Best, that wholesale fraud has been committed the culprit ought to be

treated as a common thief, for certainly he is no better. The law pursues the common thief who steals £l. It does not scruple to put the colony to the expense of hunting him up, but it does not go to the same trouble as regards men of the Best type. The common thief is locked up for the protection of society, but we have no hesitation in saying that men of the Best type prey more on society than the pickpocket. For these reasons we should like to see the crime of which Best has been guilty treated with greater severity, and made a very serious offence. Swindling of this nature is becoming very common. Best managed his business with great adroitness and cunning, and it is a pity that others should be encouraged to imitate him, by allowing him to escape scot free. We are, therefore, of opinion that the Government ought to have co-operated with the creditors more heartily in securing him than they have done, and if they had done so we feel sure the whole colony would have endorsed their action.

INDIA. The news of the probability of another Indian Mutiny is certainly alarming, and the fact that the Government has taken cognisance of the signs and tokens which indicate such a possibility is certainly ominous. Our cables tell us that the trees in the northern provinces are discovered to be mysteriously marked, and that this coincides with the distribution of unleavened cakes prior to the former mutiny. This certainly looks serious. The mystic marks on the trees may be a means used by the natives to communicate with each other. In 1857, previous to the former mutiny, the. Government of the day were puzzled by the fact that messengers were seen going from village to village delivering to the chief man in each a cake made of flour and water. Without question or hesitation the chief man despatched another messenger with the cake to the next village, and so it passed the rounds. The Government made inquiries as to the meaning of this strange conduct, but their best efforts proved futile, until afterwards it was ascertained that it was the signal for rebellion. In view of present appearances perhaps a few facts concerning that wonderful country may not prove uninteresting just now. India has a population of about 300,000,000, of whom a little more than a standing army of about 72,000 are Europeans. The Government is the most aristocratic on the face of the earth. It consists of the Viceroy or the GovernorGeneral, assisted by a Council of not less than ten members, all ,of whom are appointed by the Secretary of State for India, who is a member of the British Government. These constitute the Government, but the Governor-General has power to appoint any number from six to twelve others, and these, with those appointed by the British Government, constitute a Legislative Council, which possesses the power to make laws. There are no such things as elections, and these fifteen or twenty Englishmen govern both the Native and European races. In some of the provinces there are Governors who are under the control of the GovernorGeneral, and in others Native Princes rule their own people, subject, of course, to British influence. For many years the Native population have been demanding a voice in the Government of their country. Many of them have received a European education, and have tasted the civilisation of the western world, and these of course have manifested great discontent with their country being misruled as it has been. They have established newspapers, some of which are printed in English, and these have proved severe critics of the Government. A few years ago they were very violent, and rebellion appeared then feasible, but for some time wo have not hear.d of them, and this may possibly prove the calm before the storm. To us it is astonishing how about 300,000,000 of people can consent to be governed by 15 or 20 foreigners, and if discontent is ever present it is only what may be expected. No doubt the fact that the people are so subservient to their rulers is due to their religion, which places them under social restrictions of the most degrading nature. The people are divided into classes, and no one can get from one class into another without losing caste and becoming an outcast. This, of course, prevents combinations being formed amongst them, and hence the secret of their subserviency. However, they made up very strong combinations at the time of the mutiny, and what happened once may happen again. But the Government of India is better prepared to meet such contingencies now than they were then,foruot only have they Maxim guns, Gatling guns, and so on, but also means of mobilising their forces more rapidly. The British army in India consists of 72,000 European and 152,000 native soldiers, and there exists a regular transport service which can convey the troops to a given point with great promptitude. But the question is can the native troops be relied on ? and how will the native princes behave 'I The native princes’ combined military resources number 349,835 men and 4,237 guns. Some of these would doubtless side with the Government, but even then a rebellion would prove a most disastrous affair.

SOCIALISM

The Christchurch Press is gone crazy on the subject of Socialism. Every issue contains alarming references to the evil effects of Socialism, and every article is wound up with condemnatory allusions to the present Government. They are invariably condemned as Socialists of the worst type. In yesterday’s issue its Loudon correspondent takes up the cudgels with extracts from English papers on Socialism in New Zealand. A corres—of the Nottingham Guardian is p0..„.^... said that “if it were

quoted as havi Uo wiped over a possible, as a wet sponge C4,<l ta slate, to wipe out the whole of the Socialism, New Zealand would be a pleasant place to live in.” Now, supposing we decided to wipe out our Socialistic institutions where would wo begin ? Our educational system is amongst the most Socialistic of our institutions, but no one outside a luuatic asylum would favor its abolition. Then who would dare to propose that we should sell our railways, or cease to provide Charitable Aid for the poor and helpless, and allow them to die of starvation on the road sides. Wo have Factory Acts, but what are they but reproductions of English measures. Whore is the Socialism that is to bo blotted out '! It does not exist, and it is because we are not Socialistic enough wo arc so depressed. It is really astonishing how men who pass as sane can talk such balderdash as wo so frequently meet with in connection with New Zealand, and for this we think the Christchurch Press and the select clique, of which it is the mouth, is a groat deal to blame. They are eternally screaming about Socialism; their exaggerated ravings mislead people unacquainted with New Zealand, and hence a groat deal of the mischief. Now all this cry is concerning the land. A check has boon placed on land speculation aud the accumulation of large estates, aud

hencs the cry. Aa regards Socialism we are behind the present English Liberal Government. We have had no proposal before our Parliament so Socialistic as the English Parish Councils Bill, and some other measures which the Gladstone Government introduced. However, these ravings have very little effect. Everybody knows that Socialistic legislation has become an absolute necessity, and every people in the civilised world are turning their attention in that direction at the present time.