PRIVATE P. C. WEBB, M.P.

Free Lance, Volume XVII, Issue 924, 28 March 1918, Page 6

PRIVATE P. C. WEBB, M.P.

His Foolish Obstinacy. M' R. Paddy* Web M.P., has only himself to blame for the unpleasant position he will now find himself in by the verdict of the courtmartial, which has sentenced him to two years' hard labour. He has thought fit to defy the law of the land with deliberation and he must pay the penalty of his folly. We do not wish to find excuses for a young man who, however honest his personal intentions, has been foofish enough to think that he can be a law unto himself, but we believe, were the whole truth known that he has allowed himself to be influenced by certain mischievous labour agitators of the "Red Fed." type on the Coast. He was at one time, so we hear on good authority, desirous, of volunteering for service with the Tunnelling Corps; but was dissuaded therefrom by some of the Revolutionary Socialist wholehoggers, who represented to him that •he wonld seriously injure his position in the Labour Party by enlisting. Naturally an egotistical and rather vain young man, he allowed himself to become the tool of the anti-conserip-tionists, with the result we now know. * * ■* ■*'■•' Mr. Webb has his good qualities and it is a pity to see a young man of his intelligence making such a fool of himself. He should have followed the excellent example set by Mr. Tom Seddon and gone to the Front, where, we are sure, he would have borne himself just as gallantly as any other New Zealand soldier. As it is, he has lost the sympathy of all law-abiding citizens, and he will, Ve f in the long run, find out that his "Red Fed." "guides, councillors and (false) friends" will, when the war is over be more inclined to jeer at, rather than applaud his selfsacrifice.