The Wairarapa Daily TUESDAY, JULY 23, 1889. The Latest Political Scandal.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3263, 23 July 1889, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily TUESDAY, JULY 23, 1889. The Latest Political Scandal.

The monotony of legislation during the present session is being unhappily relieved by one or two episodes in which the names of emiuout personages are dragged in the mire. The latest is Christie's petition against Judge Ward. The petitioner is a commission agent who acted on behalf of the Colonial Investment Company in making advances to private individuals. Subsequently he succumbed to bad times, filed his schedule, and was prosecuted in tho bankruptcy court by the company ninned. for diverting certain securities, Judge Ward convicted Jiim on the evidence adduced, and sentenced him to four months imprisonment, but owing to a technical error in the sentence he escaped incarceration. Christie alleges that .Judge Ward was pecuniarily indebted to the company and was influenced by his financial 1 position with reference to it in the course he took as a district judge, Subsequently Mr Hislop, the Minister of Justice pro. tern., appears on the scene, demanding explanations from Judge Ward. This led up to an angry correspondence between Ministors and the judicial culprit, in which it transpire;! that the latter owed £BSO to the company, for wjiich he had given as security 'a property which cost him £I,BOO, but which the valuator under .tije Property Tax Act .estlinafed |n lie worth £B3O. Now comes Mr Hjslpp'g ppsjtion in tho matter, It is asserted t|iat his were solicitors to Christie during his career au" wuil ß W individual was before the bankruptcy C! >ul ' t ' m^ ' that Mr Hislop, while temporarily discharging the duties of Minister of Justice, officially remonstrated with Judge Ward on behalf of a client of his own. This is a very pretty controversy as it stands, and one can almost fancy that Mr' Fisher may once more bo happy when he finds his late colleague and present foe placed at such a disadvantage. Of course Judge Ward in. sentencing Christie was not consciously influenced by the consideration that he owed money to the company which prosecuted that individual, and of course Mr Hislop when ho wrote officially to Judge Ward respecting Christie's position, was not consciously influenced by the consideration that the said Christie had been a client of his own firm, but it would have been wiser if Judge Ward had declined to adjudicate in the Christie' prosecution, and more discreet if. Mr Hislop had refrained from writing to Judge Ward respecting the Christie case. We fail to see how either 'one or the other can escape censure. It is to be regretted that a Minister of the Crown and a district judge should place themselves in such a position

that allegations of such a charaotei' can be levied against them, Men placedjn such high positions should bo above suspicion. We 1 do not doubt but that both Messrs Hislop ami Ward are honorable men, but nono the less are fchoy both compromised by serious indiscretions. Sir Harry Atkinson appears to have been unfortunate in his choice of colleagues, He has vowed a vow never to again take into his cabinet a consular officer, and probably he will now feel disposed to record a similar veto against lawyers, Mr fllslop's political friends are on one. side of the House and Judge Ward's supporters are on the other, so that the differenco between them will assume political importance as a sort of party struggle.- The result will probably bo to weaken the position of the Government, which of course stands by Mr Hislop, and to discredit Judge Ward,