“The Press” In 1865

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30687, 1 March 1965, Page 12

“The Press” In 1865

MARCH 1 A RATCATCHER Where does the Lyttelton Times pick up its Correspondents? On Saturday we had “W” on the Constitution. Yesterday a “Ferret” was put forward to prove the inconsistency of the Press. This gentleman quotes a passage from an article in the Press, written a year or two back, in which we pointed out that the political power of a Gov-

ernment was unduly Increased when it had in its paid employment a large number of persons whose dependence on the Government for a livelihood could not but interfere with their independence. Now, the poor man “Ferret” infers that such a view is inconsistent with our assertion of the propriety of the members of a Government asking for the votes of those who are not in its paid employment. Cannot poor little “Ferret” see

that our former argument was based on the idea, not that Government does not canvass its paid servants, but that it does? Can’t he see that we did not complain of the Government influencing those in its employment, but of having so many in its employment to influence? If the Lyttelton Times will employ such sorry little ratcatchers to hunt vermin, it had better confine them to holes of which they know the run. They will find poor sport in our barns.