Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, MAY 3, 1892. The Purity of Public Men.

Manawatu Herald, 3 May 1892, Page 2

Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, MAY 3, 1892. The Purity of Public Men.

* . It is satisfactory to note the interest that is being shown as to the character as well as the ability of public men, in the Old Country. It is impossible to expect pure legislation from impure sources, and it was. asserted that owing to the immorality of many of the English legislators, the greatest difficulty was experienced in passing the Act in which the " age of consent " was raised Men are not likely to be energetic in veducing an evil whioh th«y, hewsveri hawly vtew M one*

We have, probably, a very interesting contest between two giants in the literary world before Us soon. It will be remembered that Mr Charles Dilke, the author of " Greater Britain," " New America," and other works, was a member of the Bouse of Commons from 1868 to 188G, when he was defeated. About the year 1884 he was charged with having committed adultery with Mrs Crawford ; the trial resulted ii his conviction, but as he always asserted that the want of a witness, who had mysteriously disappeared, prevented his being able to utterly disprove the charge. Sir Charles Dilke . obtained a fresh trial,, \lylh before it took place, Mrs PaYtison, the widow of the Rev. Mark Pattison, an authoress, married him, fully believing in his entire innocence. So emphatic were they both in their declarations, that they asserted " that if the second trial went against them, he (Sir C. Dilke) would retire at once and for ever from public life." Unfortunately the second trial was against them, and the country lost the services of one of the foremost men in the Liberal party. In Mr Gladstone's administration Sir Charles Dilke held the post of Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He secured the extension of the hours of polling in the metropolis. He was at onother time, President of the Local Government Board, and also Chairman of the Royal Commission on the Housing of the Working Classes. Though he has admitted that he prefers a Republican form of Government to a Constitutional Monarchy, yet he has shown his willingness to make the best of the constitued authority, and it is a misfortune that he should reii present one more man who has fallenby a woman's wiles. Nothing further would have been said or done had Sir Charles Dilke resisted the temptation to endeavour to enter public life, but he wooed the suffrages of the electors of the Forest of Dean, and this stirred up the " public purity " party at Home, headed by Mr Stead, editor of the Review of Reviews. In the Welsh Review Mr Stead makes a most direct and uncompromising attack upon Sir Charles Dilke, and challenges Sir Charles to prosecute him for libel for the assertion he makes that " Sir Charles Dilke was gnilty of adultery with Mrs Crawford." Mr Stead takes this step owing to its having been published by Sir Charles Dilke 's friends that the previous trials never satisfactorily proved that Sir Charles Dilke had been guilty of the offence. Mr Stead says he is so sure of it, that he reiterates the charge, and the action for libel can be made to prove or disprove the fact. He urges that " every motive which can influence a human heart must urge him, if innocent, to avenge himself of hisj adversary,. tq vindicate his reputation,* to expose a foul conspiracy, and to regain at a bound his old position. Why does he not take action ?" At present only one side has been heard, that is, as far as the challenge to an action. We remarked that it is probable this question will be a raost exciting one, as ifc seems unreasonable to expect Sir Charles Dilke to sit quietly under this attack. If ho does, he is unlikely to be ever seen again in the House of Commons. He has not the usual reason urged by men who do not want to fight, that he cannot afford it. as he is enormously wealthy, and Mr Stead is, comparatively, a poor man. If Sir Charles Dilke persists ,in his course, Mr Stead threatens to>publish more, and to set forth' in more particularity of detail the relations between them at that time.

The usual monthly sitting of the Resident Magistrate's Court will not be held till Thursday week. We are informed by the sub -inspector of Factories, that he has. twenty«Qne factories nielli? his cfhai'ge; ' bad'thls"? Mr Bramley has a few pure-bred Brah ma fowls for sale. '"' ' Mr Smith, of Motoa, cautions persons against trespassing on his property with dog or gun. "We wonder why ? An application came before the Dunedin Court on Thursday. Jerome, a labourer, applying for a prohibition order against himself. The order was refused. Mr Hoani Taipua, M.H.R., is not of the right " colour," hence the N. Z. Times learns that a new paper is about to be issued in the Horowheuua district. It will be issued twice a week, and will be run on Liberal lines. The name of the new paper is to be the Horowhenua Times, and will contain in each issue a column of Maori news in the Native language. The value of the New Zealand gold ex. port for the March quarter amounted to £246,074, as compared with £146,385 for the corresponding quarter of 1891, an in. crease of very nearly £100,000. The Government propose to issue a Handbook of Colonial Statistics, which is to be prepared by Mr Von Dadelszen, Regis-Irar-Genoral, and is to embrace articles written in popular form upon the resources of the colony. The book will be issued at a cheap rate, and will be modelled on the work issued by Mr Hayter, the Victorian Government Statist. " Mr Macarthur, M.H.R., will addressiis ■■ constituents in. the Assembly Roijhis'; Feilding, on May 9th..: >•/*. ; . - ■ v I- Mr-H. Mi 'Stanley'wilJ- contest- an Eng lish constituency at the .general election in the interests of the Liberal-Unionist party. A correspondent writing from Aitutaki, Hervy group, states that on the morning of 17th February a severe whirlwind struck a vessel, doing a lot of damage. It lasted only about five minutes, and took a straight line through the island, leaving a clear traok such as a surveyor would make, aboat 50 or OQJt, \YJ4a, House* wew blowu flown, raoty uplift twen upw^n^

The estimates of the receipts and expenditure of the Borough for the ensuing year are published in another column. The necessary rate notices, for both general and library, are notified to-day. Mr Ennis elsewhere asserts that he is the only tailor. In another column Mr Li-nsdon notifies that he has started in busioesa in Foxton as saddler, and is now mat Ing saddles to order. H e has had a leng thy experience in the trade and was educaied in it in the Old Country anil has theref >re a thorough knowledge of all its brancht s. He is prepared to measure horses an 1 main collars guaranteed to fit in all cases. V7e have no doubt but that Mr Lansdon will soon secure a large share of the business doing. : The-Bqitughroußcil notify the %ppoint/Tneuft Of (ftJnst&tUe Oilleflpie as Injsp/ctoiv *6i NtMßancesV We snoulU advise a thorough cleaning up of the back yards of premises otherwise proceedings will quickly follow notice. We are sorry to learn that Mr C. Honore, \vho ( has been attacked with diphtheria, is in a weak state, and that his case is considered very serious. Councillor Williams left the Council very hurriedly yesterday before the minutes were passed. He had protested to a statement appearing in the minutes that two tenders were illegal. In this we uphold his contention and so did the Council by their directing such statements to be erased. We believe Cr Williams left under the impression that the Mayor had refused to listen to his protest, but had he remained he would have found that suoh was not the case. Cr Williams is frequently correct in points he raises, but he hardly admits the necessity of the subject being carefully considered before acceptance. A man of the nineteenth century ! Cr Startup had a regular field day all to himself at the Council yesterday. He had been much troubled about reporters and reporting, he believed he had been overreported ! and he therefore had a " down " on the proprietor ond attacked him on a weak point. Cr Startup in many of his utterances must have forgotten that he was at a public meeting, Biinply because the public were represented by the reporter. He has been in the habit of. making some peculiar statements, and because they were * i reported, -after Jbeing toned djpwn, he thinks the reporter was wrong in publishing them ! We do not think our readers will agree with him. as we have given the substance of the statements made by him without the slightest bias. However, for our benefit he became parliamentary yesterday, called for papers to be laid upon the table, and invested his actions with all the dighity of parliamentary usage. After this we will hope that he may feel better, as business will run on just the same, after "the papers" are laid upon the table. The Council do nothing in a personal manner in advertising, they give no more insertions than the law directs, and insert no advertisements other than the Council as a body authorises. We ask then, in what manner will "laying the papers" upon the table assist Cr Startup ? except perhaps in permitting him to prove to his constituents that he is well grounded in parliamentary customs. The yacht Sunbeam, formerly owned by Lord Brassey, has been wrecked in Admiralty Gulf. The crew reached Broome, Western Australia, in the yacht's whaleboat. Walter Lane, the man who escaped from the custody of the police after having been captured while getting out of the Panama Hotel, was apprehended in Palmerston and taken to Wellington on Friday. Robert Buller, charged with the murder f .of -Rattan rat Helena >Bayrhas been coro- .* 'nutted :f or trialiat thi nixt'gespion of. the; \ Supreme Court in Auckland. . J At a meeting of women held on Thursday afternoon at Dunedin, a resolution was carried to establish a Woman's Franchise League to obtain Parliamentary enfranchisement of women in New Zealand, with its headquarters in Dunedin, power being taken to open branches in all centres of | population. The Council to consist of women of 18 years and upwards. -The subscription was fixed at £1. Men may be hon. members on payment of 10s per annum. The League having been formed, Lady Stout was appointed president, and a number of vioe-presidents and a committee of 12 were appointed. Visitors to Wellington are often at a loss to know whioh is the best house to supply all their drapery requirements. Inhabit- ■ ants of the Empire. City would unhesitatingly reply T e Aro House. We have the largest Family Drapery Warehouse in the oity , and -not only so but the most conveniently arranged. Our premises are distinguished by their fine arohiteotural appearance and our tower with its flagstaff and ensign is easily distinguishable from land or sea, from the steamboat or railway, and when the Te Aro railway is complete:!, which it will be shortly, our country friends will be able to alight almost at the doors of Te Aro House, Wellington. In the meantime we ask them one and . all to give us a call and inspect our newly imported atpek for the Autumn and winter Seospi;>xMeb\*o,W?la. es all that is best and most fashionable in Dress Fabrics, Millinery, Mantles, Ulsters.,; Jackets, .Ac. all at the moat moderate and economical pnoe.B, at ,Te Aro House, Wellington. Inability to call' need be no barrier to purchasing from us. Write to us for patterns of any and all materials that may be desired and we will send them promptly and postage free to any address. Ail letters should be addressed to James Smith, Te Aro House, Wellington. :. Messrs Ross and Sandford of the Bon Marche, Palmerston North, beg to intimate tolheir numerous customers in the district, that the additions to their premises are now completed, their first Direct Shipments of Autumn and Winter goods for all Departments, which are on a more extensive scale than on any former season are also to hand and ready to select from, and they respectfully solicit the early inspection of customers, they direct special attention to their stocks in the following Departments viz : — Dressgoods, Mantles, Plush ' and Scalette Jackets, Ulsters, Millinery and Fancy goods ; also Flannels and Blankets, General Drapery and Household Furnishing, which are now stocked more largely than formerly and in keeping with their extended premises, Ross & Sakdfobd, the Bon March, Palmerston North.