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Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 610, 21 May 1891, Page 2

The genial Mr Vincent Pyke, who at the general election had with Mr Scobie McKenzie the most gentlemanly fight there was in the colony (Mr Pyke being defeated), has now taken up his pen to give a vigorous raking to that class of people who are fond of throwing literary mud from behind the cloak of anonymity. “ Anonymunculi ” is what Mr Pkye calls these writers who are ashamed to come forth in the light of day. “ There should be some restriction,” says Mr Pyke, “on anonymous writers, who dare to asperse their neighbors, but dare not sign their names. The Dunedin papers have of late reeked with their turgid effusions. Now, sir, the only way to deal with these anonymunculi is to provide in the new Libel Act that upon the affidavit or declaration of any person that is, or has reason to be, aggrieved by any anonymous letter, the editor of the paper in which it has appeared shall be compelled to give the name of the writer, and that upon so doing he shall be exempted from personal liability. These baccili of the social system are becoming—have become, in fact—a terrible social nuisance; so much so, that one longs for the return of the days when not every fool could write 1 If writers signed their names we should know what value to attach to their opinions; and if many modern letter-writers who now hide behind the bush of anonymity were in dread of discovery, they would be less scurrilous than they are at present.”