ONE-SIDED REPORTS.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3482, 21 February 1880, Page 2

ONE-SIDED REPORTS.

(To the Editor of the EvßKiva Stab.) Sib,—With many of those who heard Sir George Grey's last speech to bis constituents at the Thames, I was vary much disgusted at the imperfect (not to say garbled) account of it, published by your morning contemporary, but judging, from the other newspapers of the colony, extracts from which appear in the Dunedin Saturday Advertiser of the 14th *. current, we are not the only persons . dissatisfied. Of course the pablie an not supposed to know who supplied the hashed up account complained of, but we > hear that the Thames reporter for the Press Association is W. Wilkinson, Esq.. and the Editor of the Lyttelton Times writes thusly:— "Sir George Grey's speech at the Thames does not as reported throw much additional light on the political situation of the last session, as far aa the people outside of Grahamstown are concerned. Two thousand people heard the speech, and applauded it, but nobody can applaud the stannary report which was telegraphed over the colony, because that report was incomplete, and rery badly put together. In this matter, Sir George Grey has not been served aa he had a right, considering his position among the statesmen of the' Bmpire, his serf ices to the colony, and the part'he, "•> has recently played in its polities, to be served. The telegraph has developed a new art for the annoyance of mankind. - It is not necessary in these days to eon- '.

fine ones benevolentwisb.es to the writing ' of; a book by one's '«nemj;^^-pli^ %tinM • mine enemy might make a speech, which I might summarise, and setter br^dcajt s among his hostile critics!" This ought to be the new reading of the old prorer* bial wish. Its realisation certainly pptnt out a delightful field for the maleTofent. Substitution of nonsense for sense, of the slipshod and Vulgar for the polish of ; f style, of poverty; of diction for com< mand of language, of boorish taunt for delicate satire, of reckless assertion for -> carefully reasoned comment. "Truly a man would as soon think'of appealing to the world by summary as aioTerwpild v think of captivating his mistress by Mnd» ' ing the photograph of his face as it appears in a spoon. But if his riral could manage to take an impression from that spoon, he ■ wbuld.^Tielifuthd;'matte^sfrom^ stand point. ' ; ;\ Tl^e that iH; the leading characteristic of rivals would lead him to have the counterfeit presentment multiplied and scattered far and wid*. With what thoughtful consideration 5

would he deplore the plainness of the j^J face! How delicately firm he wonld bei ~''t on the excellence of the likeness! How" ■r ■ ' loftily critical he would be of the Unfortunate twist of the features! Now ' this is exactly what has happened in the ease of Sir George Grey's speech. The distorted, incomplete, counterfeit presentment has been commented upon with the above excellent taste by Ministerial organs. But we must not forget that they deserve great credit for their moderation. They hare refrained from sadly moralising on the incompleteness of the speech. Neither have laid the blame of. their misprints and bad punctuation on the hapless orator that they detest to strongly. They have certainly in these respects risen above the < pettiness ■of partisan warfare. We were not aware that the Ministerial press of this colony was half so well conducted." - - ■

I am, &c, G*o*jk Din»t. Thames. 21st February, 1880. . .