THE NATIVE MEETING.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1882, 4 August 1874, Page 3

THE NATIVE MEETING.

To the Editor of tlio Thames Advertiser,

Sie, —I see " your" own correspondent who still writes from Whakatawai is considerably riled at my letter, in which I hiuted that the persistent way lie has in wording his communication to suit the ends and views of Mr Jas. Mackay, lead one to suppose that he is in some way connected with that gentleman. In fact so riled is he that in trying to write an answer to defend himself he has actually forgotten to say that such is not the case, and that he is not a toady of Mr Mackay, but, he, true to his nature, has not omitted to put in a few sentences at once most abusive and impudent. If he had omitted that part, and instead, have inserted a direct contradiction it would have been better for him, and the public would have been more satisfied. " Your own" has rather a neat way of slinging his coarse phrases about, aud because he is ashamed of being told what it rppears now that he really is, why he calls his accuser a coward. This is all very well, "your own" being on one side of the firth and " Phoenix" on the other side. Considering the position, he is perfectly safe in doing it, and no harm can come to him; in fact he can go on saying those nasty things as long as he likes at present, without any damage to himself, unless he should happen to choke himself in trying to get one of these extra blackguard expressions out of his mouth. Hut enough of this. " Your own" wants to know what business it is of mine whether his communication be long or short. I may say none at all, and if hedid not write any communication at all it would not concern me. Then he says how does it concern him " who lam ?" I know • well enough who he is, and so my concern there is at an end. He says he never corresponded for you from Ohinemuri. Well, if he says that, and swears to it, all I can say is, that ho is much maligned. He would also like to know if he is answerable to a fool like "Phconix" for his friendship to Mr Mackay. To that I can certainly say yes he is, and to the public at large. If he is a private friend of Mr Mackay's and does not interest himself or interfere with Mr Mackay in his duties, then it is nobody's business but his own; but when we find him following Mr Mackay about from place to place, and doing his utmost to force himself and his liabilities upon that gentleman, and not satisfied with that, he takes upon himself, under the title of " your correspondent" to write to the paper, and inform the public generally what is not news, and sometimes actually a deliberate prevarication of the truth, always, however, strenuously aiming to advance the interests of those with whom he is anxious to be connected for his own particular aggrandisement, then I say his writings become public property, and it is the right of " Phamix," or any one else who chooses, to make remarks upon it iu the newspaper of which he stjles himself " Own Correspondent." This, he may rest assured, will most certainly be done, and although I am perfectly aware that a correspondence through the columns of a newspaper only puts a fool (to use his own expression) of a correspondent on an equal footing with a more sensible man, still I am prepared to put up with a temporary degradation of this sort, iu order to enable the public to thoroughly see through the little arrangement that " Your own correspondent" is anxious to have advanced. —I am, &c., Phqjnix.