Wanganui Chronicle AND PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1882.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIV, Issue 9662, 23 October 1882, Page 2

Wanganui Chronicle AND PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. "NULLA DIES SINE LINE A." MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1882.

The Timaru Herald recently pub" • lished a grossly unfair and untruthful article' concerning the Ministry, and on Saturday the Wanganui Herald reprinted it, with the remark that "it is impossible to exceed in faithfulnes3 of delineation the following sketch." The appropriation of this mass of falsehood by our local contemporary was exactly what might have been expected. His own stock of mendacity is varied and extensive, but he is nevertheless ready at all times to draw upon outside supplies as opportunity offers. The Timaru Herald announces that Mr Oonolly was not appointed to a seat in the Ministry " on account of his high personal qualities, but mainly, if not entirely, on account of his presence in the Cabinet being considered a nuarantee of the interests of the promoters of the Blenheim and Waipara railway." This assertion is made without a single particle of proof being adduced in support of its truth. Not the least attempt is made in that direction, but the public are invited to believe the story on the ipse dirit of the Timaru Herald. If they do believe it their credulity and ignorance muet have enormously increased during the course of the, last few -weeks. The allusion of Mr Oonolly's appointment is, however, only a small subject in the sketch whose " faithfulness of delineation " has excited the admiration of our local contemporary. The Timaru Herald alleges that the Ministry are completely under the control of the Honourable Mr Robinson, and that they wilfully . brought about their own object state of subjsction by courting hiß assistance at the beginning of last session when (so this faithful delineation asserts) they were in imminent danger of being turned out of office. " They eagerly accebtod Mr Robinson's potent assistance to secure for them the slender and precarious majority by which they contrived to keep their seats after sacrificing all their principles. It seems certain thnt it was he who arranged the inti-icate affair of Mr Pilliet, and also got the dubious vote of two or' throe others of the same accommodating character." * * *J

* # * i£ r 'William Robinson was the moving spirit in these humiliating negotiations ; and to him the Ministry bound themselves hand and foot. The articles of their compact with him were few and brief. He was to do his share towards keeping them in office, and they went to give him the Northern railway. Ho did his share, and they were kept in office ; and on their part they took a vote of £180,000 for the Northern railway."' We may remind our readers that more than one route has proposed for the continuation northwards of the main trunk line in the •Middle Island. One of . those routes passes through Mr Robinson's Cheviot property. Public opinion is divided on the question, and the Government have appointed a Commission consisting of the Honourable Dr Pollen and Messrs Thomson and Fulton to make full inquiry and report. The opinion arrived at by these gentlemen will naturally have great weight but the ultimate decision will rest with Parliament. The fact that one of the proposed routes is through Mr Robinson's property is the peg on which the tissue of falsehood published in the Timaru Herald is hung. Let us ■examine the charges a little more closely. The Ministry are alleged to have been in dread of losing their seats .and to have cast about for some means of safety. They make a compact with Mr Eobinson — sell themselves to him in fact. They are to take the railway through his property, and he is to use his influence to. secure them a majority. It is further said that the compact was ; carried out. This if true, would be what our local contemporary terms it, " bribery and corruption ,of the grossest character." We should like to be informed what sort of influence it is intended to be inferred that Mr Robinson brought to bear on Mr Pilliet, and the other doubtful members whom he is said to have secured to the Government. If it is meant that he made promises of the expenditure of public money in their respective districts, it will at once strike any man of ordinary intelligence that that species of political bribery or jobbery could have better been performed at first hand by a Government who, if they were corrupt enough' to bribe Mr Robinson with a railway, would surely not have hesitated to exercise the same species of persuasion over members of the House of Representatives . Again, those representatives, assuming them to. have been open to such influences as promises of large public expenditure in their several districts, would greatly have preferred to bargain with the Government who could help them materially, than with Mr Robinson who was absolutely powerless to help them himself, and could only promise that he would negotiate on their behalf with the Government. All this is so obvious that it is unnecessary to say another word on the subject. What was it, then, that Mr Robinson was expected to do, and what is it that the Timaru Herald more than insinuates that he actually did ? What is the full meaning of the sentence, "It seems oertain that it was he who arranged the intricate affair of Mr Pilliet, and also got the dubious vote of two or three others of the same accommodating character,) " Does it not mean, what our local contemporary calls it, namely, bribery and corruption of the grossest character ? Men who make such abominable charges as these shou d surely support them by evidence, or at least place their own good faith beyond suspicion by disclosing the sources of their information. But here there is a total absence of dence, nor are there any facts alleged which would justify a suspicion either that the Ministry had entered into a compact with Mr Robinson or that the latter had used influence, fair or unfair, with members of the House of Representatives. And yet the public are now invited by our local contemporary to accept this most disgraceful article in the Tincaru Herald as a sketch which it would be impossible to exceed in faithfulness of delineation. If this be so it is passing strange that these charges were not made before — were not even whispered up to the time of the prorogation. Our local contemporary generally assumes to know everything which is going on in the political arena, and now vouches for the strict accuracy of th story publiseed in the Timaru Herald, but neither of these precious pair alluded to the subject in any way before last week. As a fact the one invented a base calumny, and the other pretended to know all about it, and to be fully able to vouch for the accuracy of the narrative, because it was something which, if true, would tell heavily against the Government.