SECOND EDITION Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] MONDAY, AUGUST 13,1894 UNCOMFORTABLE MINISTERS

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4798, 13 August 1894, Page 2

SECOND EDITION Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] MONDAY, AUGUST 13,1894 UNCOMFORTABLE MINISTERS

It would be a comfort to worthy men of all political shades if the Colony could boast, say of a Premier who was not an economise!' of tlio truth. The Premier, no doubt, desires to be truthful, but the old political Adam in him is too strong, and he seems to bo continually giving himself away by making statements which are incapablo of confirmation. On Friday, for instance, he is reported to have declared in tlio House -he dare not repeat such a thing outside—thattlie New Zealand Times has a larger circulation than the I'ost, The Tim is a progressive journal, but it has never made a claim of this character, and it is only the audacity. of a discomforting Premier that would advance such a statement. Another reference to the press on tho same day was also characterised by an economy of the truth. The Premier declared that former Governments had fattened strong papers, and that his Government was giving weak ones a-chancc. The reference to former Governments is mendacious, and the allusion to his own is untrue. The present Government are gorging their own printing office, but thoy are starving even the weak papers of the Colony, -which they are professing mostjmproperly to fondle.

Again, still harping on tho'press, Mr Seddon promised a libel bill this session on certain well understood lines, audlioff has he redeemed his pledge ? Hns he not entrusted to the charge of the least intelligent and most ill-natured of his colleagues, a| libel on a libel bill, copied possibly from the records of some country .which )ms been subjected to a reign of terror. However, wo behove in the law of the survival of tho fittest, and the press will survive tho Premier's littlo,day,'and possibly soon Jjayo to dro» a tear .of pity on his political demise, 'j?' lo K¥ Bill of the Ministry is uudjlnfed bigotry, of which even Liberal members will be ashamed. That section of it which cpmpels jyj.itei'S of articles to sign thoir names is. ijoo ridjculpus for serious discussion, except on fhe ground that New Zealand no longer possesses free institutions other than the: press, and that the press Jhe'refore must go, But Vhat jnjay we askj with, a compulsory signing of articles, would become of this repu.

tation, the' high reputation^ ~bi We New Zedand Times, ; if it worec6n> polled to attach the name of Richard Seddon to one of tlio arfcieles.br let;" : ■ terawhich it published ? The Pro-; mieiy in trying to spite his foes, hits' at Ins friends; and every'hones'ii journal in the Colony whether a' light colour journal' or a wrong colour journal will resont his insult to the press. Every journal in the Colony, has a grievance, a substantial grievance, against the present Government, and now that insult follows injury, wo get within measurable distance of the downfall not of the Liberal party, bnt of certain leaders of it who havo become traitors to its principles, • But if the Premier is uncomfortable in his assertions, what are people to think of the-Minister of Lands. The latter declared that when he came into office ho found that all the Government advertising went to the Conservative papers. It would be oasy to provo from the evidence of Ministerial supporters that this statement is absolutely false. The Minister of Lands may bolievo it, but he is a man whose judgment is so weak and whose prejudice is so strong that he cannot discriminate in plain mattors of fact, The Minister of Lands is a man who to savo five pounds in advertising, loses a hundred pounds on a job, and this is the way the money goes under our present rulers. We are glad to notice that the member for Masterton dissociated himself from the misrepresentations of the Premier and the Minister of Lands and consured their partial conduct in dealing with newspapers. Mr Hogg is a journalist and on this occasion did not allow party feeling to influence him into following his leaders in the dishonourable course which they are taking.