AN EX-JOURNALIST'S RECOLLECTIONS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14052, 25 May 1911, Page 16

AN EX-JOURNALIST'S RECOLLECTIONS.

CHAT WITH MR M. DONNELLY, Ife is not an uncommon thing for,'' members of .tho "fourth estate ,, tj, graduate from journalism to law. 0a»,: of the most notable examples is SJjV M. Donnelly, whose name is almost'- *'. household one as far as Court work-'j^- 5 concerned. As a journalist, Mr Dosj- ' nelly attained no Hltlo eminence, aatl his abandonment of journalism for I«* , left tho former profession poorer, though it gave tlw Christchurch. ou© of its most noteworthy members., Mr Donnelly joined "The PressV 'h ' ISB2 as sub-editor, which position 1& hold for a littlo over four years, 'tfe 7 had iirovionsly been , connected 'tritk journalism in I>unedin for a yojvrs. Ho had held tho position • chief reporter of the "0t«2o Gb»|. diau" (a paper which later became'3n funcit. Mr I>onnelly liad also on tho reporting staff of iho ''Otaj^ ' Daily Times," and afterwards acted"* chief reporter and sub-editor of t£b ■ '•Morning Herald." When Mr Donnelly came to C3ms!» , church as sub-editor of "The Press" in January, 18S2, Mr J. S. Guthrio ttis, , editor of tho paper. "Iv all .my journalistic experience," said Mr pou« nelly, (, I never met a man w'ai better acquainted witili the politics of v the country than was Mr Guthrie. Hβ' was an extremely well-informed poli« - tician, ns well as a most courteous and able man. If he had ia fault it was*. - excessive modesty in reffard to his own, abilities.

"One point which was constantly and $ vigorously critised by "The Press" dur- [ ing my term as sub-editor was tho bor- j rowing policy of tbe Government then jj in power," Mr Donnelly continued, j "It was reiterated over and over I again that the borrowins of each nit. lion pounds meant an additional tsar*, tion of £40.000 a year. Tlio result _i that reiteration was that the borrojr* ing policy was practically stopped!_»' my oninion, that end fas aclnove|Tiir - the constant tidvocacy of 'The Press,* n Mr Edward Gibbon Wakefield te«_> , tered politics when Mr Donneilv •**«__ sub-editor. Mr Wakefield stood .or.th&' Leeston district in succession to-Sir . John Hall who temporarily retired' from the representation of the district Being an expert shorthind writer, Mr . s Donnelly was sent to Leeston to _«"?; | the speech, aud the report occupied.,, 9 whole page of "Tho Press." Mr Don* v j nelly remarked that Mr Wakefield wis " an exceptionally eloquent man, and ivftfi • l probably reckoned eoual to St GeoTjje I Grey as an accomplished speaker. Tho - publication of his address in" ''Tho * ' Press" led mnnv people to believe that, -. ho would soeedily malco his way to the - head of affairs, but ho eventually re-_. tired from the representation of the dig- ' trict. After an absence of about fix months -. from journalism Mr Donnelly returned -. to. the employ of the Press Company as - editor of the paper called the "Evening Telegraph." It was run on Mr Donnelly's characteristically vigorous, lines, and the editorials were frequently, quoted in the other papers in tljo" colony. One of the most conspicuous ' events during his occupancy, of "the •-,- editorial chair was the oxposuroof \ Arthur Clampett, wbo represented hitn-_ ' self as Georgo L. Sullivan, brother.-Is the famous "John L.," and . havo taken part in various pugilistlqenv. counters and swimming contests. 'W - gave out that he had been converted};;' arid when he esmo to Chi * was received with nnen anns bvviifiiSfi.relir/iotis bodies. Ho preached ral churches, and was actually , as -a "modern St. Paul." From'%*-. j formation received, ns the police wo_la* j swr, Mr Donnel'y ouestioned his hoßa : \ fides, and eventually established'hit' ' identity as Arthur'Clampett, the,'.sOß - of a- corn merchant, of Wate ford, r pseudo Mr Sullivan's career as a.tafi.* --, sionary came to a snddenend. and JhV , confessed when leaving New Zealand, that the only two persons ho had" any respect for wero tho editor of -the "Teleftraph," »nd the Pmrbyterwi - Minister at Sydenham (the Rev, Mr 1 . Munro), both of whom had taken ~»ti -. active part in puttinsr, him out of'Tii* _"_ business. Mr Donnel'y continued '.an-, editor of the "Telegraph" until 1890, and then forsook journalism for law,. . ,