AN OBJECTION TO MR. TOLE'S LIBEL BILL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6423, 19 June 1882, Page 5

AN OBJECTION TO MR. TOLE'S LIBEL BILL.

[BY TELIiGRAPn. —OW.I CORRESPONDENT. 1 Ciiiustoiiorch, Saturday. Reoardiso Mr. Tole's Libel Bill the Times objects to the proposal to make tho AttorneyGeneral sole Judgo of tho propriety of criminal actions. " The Attorney-General in this colony is one of the Government of the day, and so by his very nature a political partisan. Now, a newspaper of any standing whatever must bo regarded by a Cabinet Minister, either in the light of a friend, or of an enemy. In considering anything regarding it he cannot be expected to divest his mind of a certain bias, either in its favour or against it. This would be so, even in cases where the alleged libel was of an entirely non-political character. But imagine Mr. Whitakcr, as Attorney-General, being called upon to decide whether a chargo of libel brought by Sir George Grey against tho New Zealand Times (shall wo say) was, or was not, frivolous and vexatious ! Could any position be more unpleasant, or more unsatisfactory for all concerned ? Tho Attorney-General, as the retained advocate of the Crown, ought not to be set up as the highest impartial authority in the colony. That authority is to be found, if it is to be found anywhere, in tho Judges of the Supremo Court. We should do these gentlemen an injustice by imputing leniency on their part towards a newspaper accused of libel, but we would rather fall into their hands than into those of apolitical AttorneyGeneral, "