THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S SPEECH.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13906, 3 December 1910, Page 9

THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S SPEECH.

SCATHING NEWSPAPER 'CRITICISM. Tho typewritten speech which Dr.Findlay "read in tho Upper House yesterday is meeting with a good doal of adverse comment, and but for ihe fact that the session is almost at an end, it would probably be brought up in the House of Representatives as a breach of privilege. The "Post" (Indepmdent), which, usually gives a great deal of space ix> the speeches of tho Attorney-General, takes him very severely to task in a remarkable article which it published to-night. It says:—"He has not attained to hit> present political eminence through the gateway of popular favour, or as the result of a laborious and tedious public service; no weariness of I physical drill, or firing exercises, or goose stop, has clouded tho cheerful course of his apprenticeship. To adopt that phrase of Emerson's, of which the Attorney-General makes a not very happy use on his arraignment of tho Opposition, he hitched his waggon to a political star of th© first magnitude* and that lucky choice helped him to the proud position which ho now holds. Professionally, he fully deserved his elevation, but politically ho had don© little to win it. That fact should make ■ Dr. Findlay a little less sweeping auda little more charitable in his judgment of the vulgar herd of politicians who have not taken the same Royal road. to success. 'In that cold starlight , to- - which others cannot climb, he should! avoid the appearance of looking down with superior scorn upon their humbler labours. Another reason of a- less . personal character should induce, the Attorney-General to moderate the •' severity of the moral. censures which, ~ from the quasi-academic seclusion of the Legislative Council, ho is able to pass upon the wickedness of the Opposition. Even for a large majority of those who continue to vote Liberal '-, there is something irresistibly oomio '• about the idea of high falutin discourse on public morality from any member ■" of the Ward Administration. The essence of chivalry is manhood, courage, devotion to an ideal, and the determi- \ ' nation to risk all else in the pursuit of it. If chivalry has disappeared from politics there is therefore a propriety' -. in having its certain requiem sung by ~■ ; a member of the present Ministry. * * But the spectacle is also not without --- ■. humour, and the Attorney-General must not mind if. his laborious and laudable effort moves the plain man to "* ''- smiles rather than tears. ,, ' The "Dominion," commenting on the '"1 Attorney-General's speech, says :—"Th» rich juiciness of his special sort of rhe- "' toric, the heaviness of the.paint upon, "'. his brush, merely serve to advertise the - unreality of his pious indignation, and , % to set reasonable people thinking upon " the character of the case that requires ', the aid of language so singular and so \ ■',•''• ludicrous. In fact, the Attorney- ~' : General's 'general invective' does his party no good, but rouses suspicions it does not ring true. It is not as if the public did not know that ,theopponente of the Government are con- - ■' cerned only with facts and with principles of legislation and administration. "' -. There is really so much to bo done in the way of exposing the recklessness, ■■ the wastefulness, and the utter lack of principles, of the Government, that there is no time, much lens any desire, to resort to tho vague libels and coarse abuse to which impending disaster iiave •. forced the Government's l'riends to resort." DUNEDIN, December 2. The "Otago Daily Times," commenting on the Hine charges, says that Dr. Findlay complained that the allegations were a blot on our public lite, but he had not a word to say about the blots on our public life that rendered the allegations necessary. His «peech did 1 not redound to his credit any more than tho feeble verdict of tho Legislativo Council has redounded to ite ! credit. For surely it is a lamentable thing that a Chamber, of which the members occupy their scats by dhect appointment from tho representative of I the Crown, should consider that the standard of ethics adopted by the popular Assembly is a loftier one than it need adopt for itself.