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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9306, 15 September 1893, Page 4

A few words are necessary in reply tb tho letter of Captain Grinliug, of the Salvation Army. He argues that Mr*. Seddon has a right to liberate any p<frson convicted of contravening tie municipal by-law of Milton, and /he cites the phraseology used by Cljief Justice Coleridge in England, in' regard to certain cases that have occulted there. Bat that is begging the wl ole question. In England the cases ■* ere referred to the superior courts, and what _we say is, that here also the question of the legality or illegality of the by-law should be referred to I the Supreme Court If the Salvation Army are so confident of their fgai right, why do they shirk taking the case to Court] It must be bee. use they prefer the easy martyrdom >f a day in gaol and the sensational dti\yu.ement of being released by order of the Premier. There are scores of per ions in this community who have broi ght grievances before Ministers and Parliament, but have been refused any redress because they have not exhausted their legal remedy. If hey can appeal to any Court of aw, they are always told that they nusfc do so before asking any Ministerial or Legislative interference. That js a sound rule. Why should it not be a -ted on with the Salvation Army? The Premier ought to tell the applicants to him to obtain a ruling of the Supreme Court as to the validity of the by-law, and if that by-law were found tt> be legal, then he would take it into Consideration whether Government shbuld not ask Parliament to curtail the power of local bodies to make such a | by-law. Captain Grinling produces : with pride Justice Coleridge's dictum. | We will be satisfied if he obtains a I similar ruling from a judge in this : colony as applied to the Milton case. If he did, then there would be no further trouble either to the Army or any other body. He speaks about Mr. Seddon" correctly interpreting the spirit if not the letter of the law. But Mr. Seddon has no business to become an interpreter of the law. As to annoyances in the street, the captain says the rule is to retire to the barracks at eight o'clock. Then detachments of the Army must sometimes have been late. He claims that he arranged so as not tc disturb the services in the Y.M.C.A We are glad to hear this has been done, but his statement shows that it wss not done till Captain Grinling's arrival, a recent event.