MASTERTON DEBATING SOCIETY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 831, 28 July 1881, Page 2

MASTERTON DEBATING SOCIETY.

The regular meeting of the Masterton Debating Society was held on Wednesday evening. There were a considerable number present, who appeared to listen to the animated debate with much interest. ,The subject for discussion was-—" Is trial by jury conducive to the interests of justice!" Mr James Olayson took the affirmative, and Mr J. 0. Collins' the negative.

MrOlayson said it seemed so clear to his mind that it did not require any arguments from him, and he felt sure that all present, would say. that trial by jury was most conducive to the interests of justice. Englishmen fou'srhl for their liberties in the days of Kiig John, whom they compelled to »rant to them the Magna Charts, of which the people of England may well be proud, He believed one of ils main feature's was that the subject should be tried by his peers. Though the verdict of a jury might sometimes appear ridiculous, he held, that "it was not so' liable to corruption, and that'tho judgment of twelve men' was bettor than that of pne—they were rjot so likely to be influenced. jury was more likely to give _ criminals justice, and there was nothing bettor for inquests. They were also useful to Insurance Companies to investigate the'cause'of■'fife's, and for the well-being of the community at large—- : (Applause.)'' Mr J. 0, Collins said he felt he should have no difficulty in proving that the jury system was not conducive to the interests of justice, After rebutting Mr Clayson's arguments, lie submitted'that—first,, it. (was '•cumbrous"•'; secondly, l '■ expensive 1 ;' and thirdly, it breaks down in limes of disaffection or factions, Mr .Collins apoke at length on each of these points-; also' that trial by jury did. not work well in Ireland,.instancing the! Land Leaguers, Ac. He "had not given the subject sufficient thought, and thcre-i fore did. not know just now' what to substitute it with, but thought from what he had said all present would agree with him that trial by jury was not most conducive to the interests of justice. (Applause.) Mr G, M. Park spoke in the affirmative in a very minute and able historical speech. He thought nothing couU be substituted for the jury that would deal out justice so impartially.

Mr T. Hall said he had listened with much.interest. and attention to both sides of the question. He thought Mr Collins should, before doing away with the jury, have suggested something better for the administering of justice, &c. That intimu datjon, connivance, of embracery were not bo Jiable to affeota jury of twelve men a,s if left to a' judge' or rnagiatratß. Therefore he Bhould'votfr in th'ij affirmative. .''"''' "■'

Mr James Brpwn ridiculed trial by jury as now conducted, instancing trials in Ireland and the Tichbprne trial, with other very able remarks, He would vote, in the negative, . ~!

; ; Jjj\G; \V. iWoodroofe said that trialby 'juryjvaslagloriou^system,' Beforehand npboijy te]j wh6 would be on it, and cpnsequentjy Jiii^ry■ or -Vpar^y. influence could' not have .time to affect their judgment. There were secret societies who •have; influence;'and -will fuse; every effdr't'to get' one of their number out of the power of justice.. The#.:*oiild''«be more likely to bias the mind of a judge or magistrate than a number of men. You can never take our jury from us, and the

more he looked at it the more he felt it could not be bettered. He would vote in the affirmative. _ s ." " .Mr Grundy spoke in Jayor of trial by jury.,, '■'■ • ' ■■■'■•'■■•" Mr Olayson and Mr Collins replied. -.' Mr DeCastfo (chairman), then made- '?■ . a short speech favoring the jury"syste"m.-' •.'•' It was then puttothe ™^fti-l*ffa;__2i : mliWMGgMm,^— 7 — c ' ' Next Wenesday v the subject for debate; 'J ,j will be ''Should*eapitaFpunishine'jit'^o'.^. ~? .Mr T.Hall, negative.

bAmj^^..^GHWAy / ;"|pA^ l ~,.0 , v , ■ .' I ".' : ."±*-. ,„ A meeting of the above Board was held 4 at Tenui onlSafHdayJa'st.qii Present.—Messrs Langdon (Ohairrn^n), Miller, and NicboHs,,- ;J ■■{<<■* The minutes' of "the" previous meeting ,; '"j,-. ; :- , .!'e'i''-:j;; , i'," 'i:;i-;;;< :i!i«T.™J"f.■/^. , were read and confirmed. ~.;', •';. ■'• • •: The.tr'eaaurer reported balance available- '•■' prjfutiire' expenditure;at£767.; :A< : , :-,-.i -hk^ ' ; CORRESPONDENCE, ;•'• ('AFrpin Mr Wilsohe',l. with' copy^df;'resolu<>"ij.' ; Vi tion from the Masterton Highway Board,; '. " re co-operating in l forming' a portion'' of ' , ' ;l; '-- 1 the'Uriti road!;- f rprn; Jlr Murray," request-'^ wW ingperinission to keep three gates on the : ,;'' '". Ohonga road; from Mr 'Dillon, request", \." ing the Board'to erect (BUlverls n'ear Upper '■' n J\ Whareama bridge;'fromoMeisr'a •' Hogg, asking for a share of the;Board's. n ■■ printing and advertising; from Colonial-.,;:.-, Secretary's Office, with a copy'.of petition; "'., " from ratepayers in Upper Tafaeru",'for "ah """ u alteration 'in the boundaries of "tho dis- ..,..,, trict-j-from Under SecretaryVpffice, aSk>"r *",' ing for return showing the amount 'paid' °" iJ for valuing property, Tl and. . valuation toll'fo¥ the'year 1880.: '!.', ; :It was resolved.—That in rebly totbo ' ! ■"' MastertoniHighway Board the clerk write' -ji.v.. and ascertain, the. .estimated .cost, of the ■ ,';, formation:'.' ""' ' . ,-... . That Mr Murray be iriforrhed 'that the' 1 -' ' Board is prepared to.give him permiseion ' ■• : to keep gates on the,; Qhqnga. road,-prqvi»;„ -,„ ded he metals a chain of road at each gate. ; ..-:.!■.; ;k v., c'J.iti ':.'/.'■ ; M.:'liL\'>.) That Mr Dillontbe.infprrnedvthat the,,,,,., v Board will! pay' Half "the cost of erecting"' ; the-otdjert near the Upper,, Bridge. |■„;-',.,,„,^.,;- ~.-., ■-,-.■, r,,.- ■;•,"'...-.' That Messrs : - : Rmith' and'Hogg be'in'.' ' formed that the Board may givethem a share of the work; {) ,; v ,\. ",7 ~ V AMI That this Board is prepared |f tp.accede ~p i. ,. : to ! the wishes of" the petitioiiera.jrii the Upper Taueru, conditionally! 'thaVthe' new boundary--line- follows the, western bank of the Rorokono 6tream"frb'm the Bouther'n corner of section 866 block) to its'junction with the Kahumingi. riverji thereby including sections jßS.and 88 . in the proposed new Vfyrd. ■-;,;,, ( r ; ,, That the'sum of £2& be.; granted;; for ; road work on the Bpwlandsproperty, sub-.,;';V, ject te the engineer's apprsval ef a devia- : . \i ■■ tion in the line oi road, ~-, , .', „■■ The following accounts were passed for payment:—! ■■• -'■•>< ■ ■ '■;•■ '"•' r - <■ ■'■' ■■''■'' ■ ..,-,. vl " " ' £v S '- D •.'-., A Geange,'wages .'o\i,.-l '■.",;. ;7. -17-' '6 <- !i i W.Knight.do ... I U 0 H. Smith, do ...- ;.'.. ■-' •.-.; ■% .18 ! 6,; f;:; ' Next meeting was fixed for the 20th of ,,, "'" : ' August; ','■:'.' : !"!',,';! THE|SLANG EPIDEMIC.'' ~The period of slang amnne schoolgirls • in infectious. 1 They catch it, just has they ;.■-.. did the measles and whooping : coligh' at ■'■/' ■ an earlier age, and it runs its course and. 7f • leaves them about as'harmlessly.' Their \ M> good,'proper! mothers and grandmothers said all their lives, "Will you, take a walk!" The church-going girl of this age says to her chum, "Take a crawl on the pave?"— •• ; ~,,.,... ~ ....... : After all; it is not a matter for prayers or legislation; but rather, a cheapening of . sroiety idiocies of a more exoited type, which Punch! caricatures.^ "So glad tp see you Mr Brown!" "So glad ybu ! re t;lad Mrs Smith!" - "So glad you're glad I'm glad, Mr Brown," etcj etc. There is more slang than sense in our, universal salutatien, which takes the form •■" i ' ; of an inquiry-: ", "How do you do?" The literal answer to which would'be: "Do what ? The irrevelant response to which is usually, "nicely," or" lam very well, thank you," The very latest effort of the graduate of the near future is this; : " ; "Are you going fah 1" " No, not fah." ' ; ' "How fah J" " Only to the cah, " " Tah-tah.7 ' A COLORED PATRIOT, A citizen ofßandolph street fwritea an American paper) made a bargain with a colored man to take away a lot of ashes and other refuse the other-morning, but' ' got down tpwnto find his man at the Soldier's Monument .with ,his? Sunday r -,. clotheson. "Youareanico'nian,youarel"- ' .began the citizen. "Yes, Bah. You refer to that pile of ashes, no doubt." "Yes, and I refer to you too I You agreed to be / there early Tuesday morning." "So I did, Sah, but bbaf of us neglected to '•' rekolect dat to'day Wb WaWiihgto'n's bir'fday." "Washington's nonsense | Whit in Texas has birthday 4l ;to do'wit)i you I""''i'A'beap,, Sah./Ize'a patriot. 1 " !'Bosh ! don't, Wai)t to •■' work, and that's what ails yp|i."'" 'Spusp mo, Sah, but if all da stores an' Ba'nls ap, ! Post-offis ken sliet yp, a poo' man lijt'a me kin afford to lose his., tinie. Ize a patriot, Sah, besides bein' a fren' ,. , tori's:" "Stuff | Don't you, ey.er cqmp, pver : to me agajn for a j6b. You lied tp ; me square and.fair, and J believe you arp "■' a loafer." ' "Jfp, Sah-Ize a patriot."- ' "Patriot be hanged.! What is;ij; patriot!"' .- f ,".A patriot, Sah,'am a man 'bout my sine 1 ,' ' who.cap lay a* ban J bout your si;e on jiiii . back, and here goes to do it. 1 ' 'ltwaadqne'' in ten seconds,'and well-done, when ' ; the enraged and bedraggled citizen get ; up, the crowd hooted him out of-sight. 1 !'. . :- iff i g A Fact Worth these'times: > of retrenchment imd enforced'econemy, both '• public and privajp, it is copsqlatory-to know \ V that the "wind! is generally 'tempered to : -'■!■''■ the v ßhorn Jamb.'f and that ;th'ere are few,■'.'•-..'"! misfortunes without compensating : . ; adyah.\ X tage's. With money in less, j abundance: its! - : ;■< purchasing power is greatet-i-W; pound:now!, .■■ J will go as far as thirty shillings: Jn'-'tbe era of ■'■:■'> prosperity. As a proof ef this,! the feaderabf "■'■'- , ' this paragraph nsed only pay a Visit te the large sale of surpJu B stock at/owj Swift's, Te AwHouse, Miellington.|;.;Aivery! full and ; elaborate catalogue of the many, large rednc- : tionsmadein the 1 prices of general drapery .:, . and clothing is'enclosed': with Satuday'B i (July 2nd) ustuj, and merits: a careful . : : perusal on. the part of;i.' all-; station- ': : ' Jiolders, hptelkeepers, heads -of-.'families, • aud country residents generally. -Special opportunities, likj) .the one at present under ' copidgratjqi), pcp'ur hflt sejflpm l and jt J9 therefore of importance that the 'fullest aq\ ' vantage shbaldbettieniofitat tUmißi' ■' •■ period-; Te'Aro Bouse has;alwaysi<«tood ■ well with'the publie'as to the v Undoubted .? veracity of : its advertised priceß,;and' no 'f ; '■'■•■ doubt many country residents have a lively recollection of theisatisfa'ctory bargains they ; ? '' secured in the past j Equal, if not superior advantages are.-n<)w.-being offered. -Owing-" $ whieh the- (: ;.; goods; are rnarkedjni discounts can t be al- : lowed during "the sale. As an additional at- ~. ;1 traction, the sale] will include a'specijl "'"* ppsentatiprf to eaijh piirchiserof |£3 ; ; ! ;;,,!'; an'd a' ; graphic picture, mounted.pnthevfest'white 7 fl ' cardboard, size % inches, by ,18; inches. :. No therefore bi lost in'paying a very early visit tb.the surplus stock sale at James Smith's Te Are House, »Y«l.'. ington.-{ApvTj