Evening Post. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1905. AN HONOURABLE REPUDIATION.

Evening Post, Volume LXIX, Issue 48, 27 February 1905, Page 4

Evening Post. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1905. AN HONOURABLE REPUDIATION.

Tlio cxtraonlinnry action of Coloucl Potter in coming forward aft«r tho sottloment of tho Swldoii v. Taylor slander milt and publishing the evidenco which ho could have given if ho had bcon put into tho witness-box has promptly met with the icbulf which it deserved, and thes rebuff has como from tlio quarter bost qualillcd to administer it. Wo had intended dealing with the irmllcr to-day nnd calling upun tho Premier to disavow tho nction of hi» subuidinato in tho Defence Department, but wo uro glad indeed to find that without any piompting tho Premier Inus taken the piopcr couitie, and tieated hi« odicious Uinler-Sccretary to a aevero but richly merited obligation. "(Jaj)t.nn tji-ddou and iii^M'-ll aio much aniioyvd," says tho l'lumior in a telegram which wan Adit to Colonel Porter on tho day of l lie publication of his statement, "and" i egret oxu-i'dingly thai you should, without ciiunuiiiug us or allowing us to know join intentions and without warning of iin.v kind, havo acted ho unwiso'.y I tnibt you will infotm the prow toproM'lilalivoa that (Japtam beddun nnd my«oil revnt jour m.tion. Tho matter had been wit led a» between the paitios, and thoio it hhou.d havo been allowed to ri-Bt." It is not oft on that any oflicor has to subiint to so Huvcro a public tepioof, but t7io occlusion was clearly ono which called upiui tho Premier to speak pluiniy and to ftpcik i>ublicly. Though ho was not actu- ] a.iy a [i.u'lv to-tho action, he is tho plaintiffs father, and but for that fact neither tho action nor '.ho alleged slander upon which it was b.ned would over beon hoard of. In su balance, and in honour tho Premier was as much a party to tho settlement as either of iho litigants. Add to this the fact that Mr. Seddon j is also tlio olliciul bead of tlio Govern- I UK'iit, nnd iv particular of tho Department to which both Colonel Porter and Captain Sedchm are attached, nud it ut onco becomes evident that ho could novcr allow such an uttorancn ns Colonel Porter's to pass unnoticed without tlio suspicion aim moral responsibility of complicity. So obvious, indeed, was tho Premier's honourable obligation in tho matter that it is astonishing that his Under-Socrotary over put him under tho necessity of discharging it. Even if wo omit this paramount consideration, room is still left for regret that Colonel Porter should not havo shown better tasto and a higher sense of fair play. The parties had called tho oviclouee thoy thought fit, both of thorn wero fully aware of his share in tho transaction as Commanding Oftieor. of tlio rogimout, and ono of them had subpeenned him, but did not thiiiic it worth while to put him in tho box. There wns thercforo nothing of tlio nature of a surprise or a new discovery about anything that the Colonel could tell us at this stage, nnd to volunteer a statement now which neither tiurty cared to elicit when it would havo neon subject to cross-examination, is indisreet and ollicious in tho extreme., and would affect oither party endeavouring to profit by it with an attempt to broak away from a scttlcmtnt which ho had agreed to treat as honourable and conclusive But for tho Premier's timely repudiation, wo might by this time have had counter-statements in Mr. Taylor's interest by other witnesses who wero not called, and possibly with nioro reason, sinco loss obscuro persons than fho Colonel of tho rrginienfc might havo boon actually overlooked or undiscovered by the parties. Tlio result would havo beon a now tiial iv the press on ox parlo statements of an action which tho parlies had agreed to regard ns honournbly settled. We (hank tho Premier for sparing us this calamity, nnd also for roscuing both himself nnd tho plaintiff from (Tie falso position in which tho blazing indiscretion of tho Undcr-Scoro-tary had threatened to place thorn. It is also for tho Premier to .consider whether in tho satno honourablo spirit it would not bo well to put a stop to tho movement for a certain testimonial which, however well intended, cannot possibly bo dissociated from tho rocont action if it is allowed to tako shnpo now.