TELEGRAMS AND NEWSPAPERS.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4418, 2 March 1883, Page 2

TELEGRAMS AND NEWSPAPERS.

(To the Editor of the Evening Sfcarij - Sir, —Your morning contemporary, in-'' a leading article yesterday, bewailed the want of authentic records of historyyand* bemoaned the inaccuracy of the confeats of newspapers. I must quite agree ii?th the writer, but would suggest t,J»tt the remedy for that evil lies in the hands of the newspapers themselves; for instance, immediately following his article your contemporary publishes a sub leader complaining of the liberty taken by the' people who send Press telegraphic messages. It says: "Last week we received from Keuter a list of what purported to be the successful candidates at the Victorian elections. In it it was stated that for the electoral district of Grant '-A; C. M'Donald and J. Bees were elected by large majorities.' Now this was the ; district formerly represented by the Hon. <* P. Lalor, and for which, eccording to the-* list published by the Age, he stood again; so he must have ueen defeated."' Now, it must haTe'O&Jin nothing of the sort. Did it nevJr^iStrike the talented writer of that paragttlph that there might r - be three seats for the district in question, J He continues—" Farther pn in the Age J*<i list we find the name of James Service as "-'- ---standing for Castlemaine against Mr A Patterson; the tetter, the ca&e told us, -'k was elected by a large majority." Bat, because Mr Patterson was elected by a large majority this sapient writer eoneludes that Mr Service mutt be amongst the defeated-ones, end he continues: "To-day we publish a message to the effect that on the motion of Mr Service, in the Legislative Assembly, the Hod. P. * Lalor was appointed Speaker. Will I Keuter's agency explain bow the thing is N x done." The thing wls done very simply, Mr, 1 James Service moved~in the ordiuary way , that Mr P. Ldor receive the appointment „ and it was conferred on him, a ten yesr . old school boy could read aud explain that without any assistance from Router's - agency at all. Iv conclusion the humor t of the man breaks out: " The trick is 4 worth knowing, and to defeated candidates for Lagislative honors should be worth something, because after' being beaten to stilt keep a seat in the House is a big thing in politics." Doubtless it would be, but by what right does he presume that these two men were defeated. There is not a tittle of evidence to support any such assumption. The list might have omitted a name easily-— i although some people never committ errors of omission. The author of the brilliant article thinki "the agency ought „, to be ashamed of itself." Perhaps it" should on account of the folly it displays in endeavoring to supply inte'.ligeaoe to - one so dense as the coy scribbTe^TQ^tt, indicted the article iv question.—l 'am, &c, Pro Bono.