THE SHADOW OF TAMMANY. A Cool Demand.

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 80, 11 January 1902, Page 8

THE SHADOW OF TAMMANY. A Cool Demand.

SO the Thames Miners Union have deputatiomsed Minister McGowan, and. through their president (Mr O Keeffe). have urged the removal of Mr Justice Cooper as chairman of the Arbitration Court. They had no confidence in him. Presumably because, in his judgment of b recent dispute he had not conceded all their claims But President o 'Keeffe did not content himself with advancing the tremendous indictment that the miners — meaning thereby probably the controlling spirits of the Thames Union— had no confidence in Mr Justice Cooper * * * He had the cool impudence to state his opinion that the influence of Auckland companies had something to do with the decisions of the judge No more dishonouring accusation could be levelled against a public man In plain English, the charge is that Judge Cooper is corrupt and cannot be trusted to hold the scales of justice evenly We are loth to believe that the action of the Union officials m this matter, and their grossly reckless and intemperate language, leflect the feeling and the sense of the Thames miners as a body * * * And at the same time we are pleased to note that the Minister of Justice rose equal to the emergency He flatly refused to take any action against Judge Cooper, or to give any encouragement to the views expressed by President O Keeffe He believed the judge was actuated by the highest motives, and he pointed out that the safety of the community depended upon the removal of the Courts from political influence or interference • • » This is> the vital principle Without it mob law becomes paramount and right is g.t once deposed by might Tammany in its fiercest and most truculent form would sit enthroned in the State and New Zealand would soon become a fit theatre to which the anarchists of the world might be deported in order to settle their theories after the mode of the Kilkenny cats If unionists carry their industrial disputes to the Arbitration Court for judgment, they must be prepared to accept with equanimity the decision of that tribunal ♦ * • To abuse the judge, impute corrupt motives, and agitate for his removal from the Bench because they cannot get all they want, will not help their cause at all The good sense of

the entire community will levolt at once against aught that savours of intimidation. It would be an insult to Mr. Justice Cooper to suppose the charges made against him call for refutation, or even investigation His record at the Bar is stainless. On the Bench he has impressed the public bj his patience, his ability, and his absolute fairness Instead of being out of touch with the workers, he has shown sympathy with them, and expressed his appreciation of the solid advantages accruing from industrial organisations like the trade unions. Strange that a section of the workers should seek to sully the ermine by throwing nrud at such a man