Wanganui Chonicle AND PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. "NULLA DISE SINE LINEA." THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1882.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIV, Issue 9662, 2 November 1882, Page 2

Wanganui Chonicle AND PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. "NULLA DISE SINE LINEA." THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1882.

The story of the black crows would be parallelled in the case of Mrßobinson's alleged action in connection with the Hurunui-Picton Railway, were it not that there is something wanting at the start. In the proverbial story there was a foundation, though a flimsy one, to all that followed after; the Robinson story had no foundation whatever except in the brain of the man who, to serve a political purpose, set the lie agoing. When wtiting on this subject last week wo pointed out fc at not a particle of evidence had been adduced to show that the Ministry had entered into a compact with Mr Robinson for the construction of the Middle Island Main Trunk Railway through his Cheviot property on condition that he did his best to secure to the Government the votes of certain doubtful members in the House of Representatives. The charge made by the Tioiaru Herald

was that such a compact had been entered into, and,i,that Mr Robinson had fulfilled his part by endeavouring to obtain, end by actually obtaining, the support in question. We •were not told definitely -what were the means which Mr Robinson usod to effect his purpose. No doubt that part of the story was left designedly in a- state of fog. It would, for more reasons than one, hare been highly inconvenient to have entered into particulars and mentioned the names of the members who had been subjected to Mr Robinson's influence, and the exact nature and extent of the inducements held out. Had that information been supplied, the writer in the Timaru Herald might have found reason to repent the publication of his slanders. The course he adopted is a usual one in such cases. He invented the story, but did not fill in the details. He said enough, however, to attract the attention of our local contemporary to a bit of garbage which was more tempting than anything that for a considerable length of time had fallen in If way. In the hands of the Wanganui Herald the story grew, and the alleged villainy was amplified, and gloated over, and placed in a somewhat clearer light. Gross bribery and corruption were freely and fearlessly charged, but still care was taken t* avoid legal consequences. As long as all was safe in that direction it did not matter how wide was the departure from the truth. The lie might damage the Ministry, and that was a consideration not to be disregarded. Since then our contemporary has not worked up this subject in such a way as its importance would have demanded if the statements had been true, as he alleges they were. He certainly reiterated the charges on the following day, still without adducing a particle of proof, and since then, unless we 1 are mistaken, he has been silent regarding Mr Robinson and the Government — .silent, that is, till last night when he joyfully reprinted a dirty little paragraph from the Oamaru Mail, which wound up in the following words : — "The Ministry require the aid of Ready Money Robinson even in these days, and that gentleman's purse strings were liberally loosened within the walls of the Parliamentary buildings to supplement Ministerial promises, and .thus satisfy the cupidity or consciences of tardy or doubtful Ministerialists." Still the names of the tardy or doubtful Ministerialists are not supplied, but the lie has at length lost every other quality of vagueness which it originally possessed. "We may assume that by " Ministerial promises " are meant promises to members that public money should be expended in their respective districts. Seeing that every district in the colony howls aloud for such expenditure, and that the promises may merely mean an undertaking that just claims shall not be neglected, we cannot take exception to the use of those words in the paragraph we have quoted. But the Oamaru'Mail now states in broad terms that, during the recent i.ession of Parliament, Mr -Robinson gave large sums of money to " tardy or doubtful " members of the House of Representatives to induce them io support the Government. There is no questio;' of public works expenditure here, nor will the term political jobbery, a.-j it is usually employed, serve to express the meaning of the writer. Mr Robinson is charged with tho foulest and most direct bribery. "S^ith money out of his own pocket he is said to have greased the palms of members of the House of Representatives. We have said that this lie has lost what it originally had of vagueness, but perhaps we were too hasty. Do the Oamaru Mail and the WaDganui Herald intend to imply that this bribery was also a part of the alleged compact between the Government and Mr Robinson? We suppose so. The blow is aimed at the Government and not at Mr Robinson, and the affair must, be looked at as a whole, commencing with the article in the Timaru Herald charging Ministers with having entered into a disreputable contract with Mr Robinson, and changing him with having successfully striven to give effect to the bargain. The Government, as such, can only trust to the good sense of the people for vindication in this matter, .and public opinion will pronounoe an unqualified acquittal. But an offence of a very grave character has unquestionably been committed. We presume that Mr Robinson will take steps which may make the proprietor of the Oamaru Mail feel very uncomfortable. The joint stock company which owns the Wanganui Herald may perhaps escape on this occasion, though their editor has no doubt run them dangerously near to a libel action in which- the defendants would have occupied a most unenviable position as the glad retailers of peculiarly base Jand malicious falsehood. If Mr Robinson is charged with giving money to members of the House of Representatives, they are charged with the crime of pocketing it. It is not too much to expect that those who promulgate these stories should condescend to support them by some attempt at proof. As there is no such, attempt though it has been repeatedly asked for, we have no hesitation in denouning these persons as the meanest of liars. It is the invariable practice of our local contemporary to tax us with " abuse " when we have exposed some of hio larger and more obtrusive falsehoods ; but he misapplies the word. WLen a mistake has been made it is . 'jviously wrong to charge falsehood, but where, as in the present instance, the vilest charges are brought against respectable members of society without the slightest shadow of proof, and obviously to serve a purpose, it is ridiculous to be meally-mouthed. Those who invent the story, and those who endorse it, are equally guilty, and must be condemned by all honest men.