THE BRIBERY CHARGES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15861, 26 February 1912, Page 6

THE BRIBERY CHARGES.

Thb committee that has been appointed to inquire into the bribery charges which formed tho subject of tho acrimonious debate in tbo House of Repres intatives on Friday night has lost no timo in getting to work. Mr Hanan has been appointed chairman of the committee, and there can be no doubt that under his guidance tbo me-mbors will probe the various allegations to the bottom. Until their report is before the House we are debarred from referring to thoso particular allegations further, but it is satisfactory to find a journal like tho " Otago Daily Times" stating that no exception can be taken to tho personnel of the committee nominated by Sir Joseph Ward and that its conclusion "will probably be generally accepted." In the past our Conservative friends have been rather prone to throw discredit on the findings of committees that have not been altogether to their liking and "it is pleasant to have our contemporary and the leader of tho Opposition commending tho constitution of this particular committee in advance. We wish that its order of reference could be sufficiently enlarged to embrace a number of other charges of "bribery" and "corruption" that have been implied against the Prime Minister and his colleagues. Bribery was the common talk of the Opposition candidates during the election campaign and it has been continued by the Opposition newspapers 6ince the polls. None of the charges has been definite enough to permit of more than a general denial and a section of tho publio arguing that there cannot bo smoke without fire still profess to believe that there must be some ground for tho suggestions and innuendoes that are being iterated and reiterated in tho organs of the Reform Party. If these organs wore not blind to all sense of fair play where party politics aro concerned they would make at least ono definite charge of bribery out of tho hundreds they say they have at their command and so give Ministers an opportunity to test their allegations before a thoroughly independent tribunal. But of course the fair play that means justice to a political opponent is not among the attributes of tho new journalism.