THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1880.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3709, 13 November 1880, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1880.

At the meeeting to be held on Monday evening at the Academy of Music re the Patetere land swindle, some opposition is likely to be encountered. We understand that a party is being organised whose object it will be to prevent any resolution being carried in any way reflecting upon the action of the Government. It is said that if a resolution is carried praying Sir Arthur Gordon to refuse his sanction to the withdrawal of the proclamation, it would reflect upon Mr John Sheehan, the member for this district, and his friends object to the public passing any ■ such reflection. Mr Sheehan is we may almost say universally respected on the Thames, and if he, as a solicitor, is engaged by a number of persons to carry out certain negotiations, it does not follow that he has lost the confidence of his constituents, no matter how many of them may disapprove of the said negotiations or the object sought to be obtained. We are the very last to speak or even think ill of Mr Sheehan, and his friends, in their attempt to prevent any resolution being carried which may be distorted to mean a reflection upon him, are acting very injudiciously, and are in fact going the very way to work to cause other persons to say many things that they would otherwise have left unsaid. We shall view with regret any such uncalled for introduction of a spirit of opposition, especially when the object is only to warfl ©fifan imaginary attack. We have in our articles upon Patetere carefully refrained from passing any strictures upon Mr Sheehan; on the contrary, we referred in laudatory terms of his outspoken and manly telegram to Sir G. Grey, giving both his opinion upon the effect of the withdrawal of the proclamation-, and his advice against such a course being|adopted by the Government of which he was a member. Under such circumstances it can only be the over sensitiveness of a fow of his friends, whose affection for him is about to overrule their judgement, if they offer any stupid objection to the expression of public opinion on a transaction, that is manifestly one calling for the intervention of the head of the administration of the affairs of this colony.