FINDLAY FLAGELLATED.

NZ Truth, Issue 282, 19 November 1910, Page 1

FINDLAY FLAGELLATED.

TAKEN TO TASK BY TWOMEY OF TEMUKA.

'•Sfc. Robert, Stout, as Chief Justice Ojvthe judicial bench, can say and do pretty' well what he •. pleases. On fywtday last, while- charging the Gx&ttd Jury, his Honor saw fit to • Snatch ttie\back of the Minister of 'justice, \wtio' is also the AttorneyQeueral, 'and delivered : himself of SMBO noble sentiments concerning the tfetarfaatioii of criminals, and Dr. Ift&la^ no doubt, felt thankful for thja.-|udicial pat on the back. In<Uc4,; 4ohn George Findlay needs a iai 'pi such pats. He wants them . tt^dly. People m New Zealand are . wsikiftg .up, and the events of the pext twelve months will be watched •^ithfleveriah anxiety. There is uhe High ; OouMniss-ionership m Londpn, thai titled wood-shaver, Halliones, * s too sick *° 'P*oP erlv fill--ffccf* is ' the likely retirement (on pwjisjon; of course) of a couple of our Supreme Court judges. Then there is ttie Coronation jag, at which Mew Zealand must be' represented. Sir joe, orcpurae, imust go 'Ome, as there aie such, a '' lot of matters claiming his .ea.rifest attention,; What people are, however, ye'ry desirotis of knowing is tfhoUsVgbjng to be the next High Commissidner, and who is going to accompany ; Jfae ijoine on the UpronaDitib carbuse. It has already been Suited abroad that Dr. Findlay, the ; Xtt6rney*-Greneral, is to be the Prime •Mimstior's r "Politaaal companion, and, • though it is a rumor lajek-ing. confir■iiiation; some little political unrest has^'been caused. It has been declared that Joe himself will be the . next ■ High' Commissioner, and that the t n'ow- thoroughly, discontented and disOtgaijised . Liberal party will not be Jed-'tjiFough ..the. elections by Sir • Joseph' Ward, but that the mantle of leadership ■ will fall on the shoulders "fef.,^ possible "Sir" J. G. Findlay.

Stranger things than this have foap- . penod; and, wVvk-i: h i.sr.«rai party would have a man of Findlay s political record at, their head is some- ' thing . really unpleasant to reflect tipon. Whirfi Finillay was lifted from the '-obscurity of his private legal jpjactlce to f a 'seat m the Legislative Council,' and was handed' the port'fcjlib of Attorney-General,' great was $h* concern of many members of the jpajrty \who rightly • considered that fcbe,y had prior claims to Sir Joseph ' fVard-'s' favor. - When the wooden man of? the Seddon regime, Jimmy Mc(Jowan, was heaved overboard, and FiijiUay" became Minister of Justice, poljtipal / party : jealousy knew no 'fyGjJi&s,. and how Sir Joseph Ward jias kept bis following as compact as (it is Is one of those -mysteries which might never be solved. Whether, how- , ever, there is any good grounds for believing that Joe will "chuck the game/ 1 and leave the Liberal party to shift for- rtself, is '.just one of those little matters which can, m after years,, -be. set down as political history. That, .however, Findlay is aft£i something can well be assumed. He"- leads the present Legislative Council by the nose ; he talks at the amiable elderly derelicts on that poJiticaJ, strand as if they, were a lot of little Rohouiififhins, and, what is more, -the .p&Jitical rigger is taken serJously.^Etyery. utterance made by him is repsK«# verbatim m. the Wew Jse<Ja"d Times," which is not to be wondered -at,' seeing that Findlay, as ' --shareholder, has a finger m its policy --.wliMr is Findlaty's policy, so much so, t*iat rjuring ; the hearing- of the" Hin-e charges, Sir Joseph Ward Snregs^ a doubt as «to whether the "VirtuV' 'Was a Government support-er-or-trot. 'Findlay is playing the political game for all 'it is worth. He, is lost m thtf Council, and has an -eye Si a sea-t in the popular ;Chamber, Sough toe difficulty with Findlay has

been always to secure a constituency, the electors of wMoh can be prevail' ed upon to return him to Parliament.

Jerry Twomey, of the Temuka "Leader," apparently is seeing through Findlay. In a recent issue that paper declared :— ;

"Anything concerning Dr. Findlay can never De monotonous. He is so vivacious, so versatile, so resourceful m his sophistries, that if one is not satisfied with what he says, he feels interested' m the combination and characteristics he exhibits. Dr. Findlay is 'not understood,' and never will be. Let him be understood and his case is hopeless." That is just where Jerry Twomey makes a , huge blunder. , Findlay is understood. Two constituencies would not suffer him. He is understood by the electors, and that .is precisely why, anywhere out of the Legislative Council, he is hopeless. On "humanitarian" lines, or, m other words, "Seddonism," it is thai the delightful "Doc" is electioneering just now, and hoping, m an endeavor to square the political circle, to alight on. some confiding country constituency that Will take him on his own egotistical estimation. "Truth" has, at various times, said so much concerning the filibustering Findlay that it comes as-, quite a relief to find another paper opening out on the aqjuare-jawed political foandolero. Says the "Leader" :— ■

• "The- other day, a stipendiary magistrate- m the North Island, 'Who had retired from the bench on account, of old age, complained of the political interference of Ministers with magistrates. Dr. Findlay, who is nick^nam-ed the Government apologist, ran like a red shank until he got the ear of a reporter, and to him he confided his utter astonishment at such a charge being made by a retired magistrate against his administration. . Such a tahi'njg as ftiterfieriemce with a magistrate had never been done by him, and he was sure his predecessor, had never done anything of the kind . We are certain and sure bis predecessor never did, but there are a few little trifles which Dr. Findlay will have to answer for next session, if not before, and possibly it 'will be time enough to rush into print and defend' himself then. We may, however, say m the meantime that Dr. Findlay is the blight of the present Government." Next we are given a glimpse of history :—

"He Is the superior person, to whom Sir J. G. Ward looks as his guide, philosopher, and friend,; but we remember a time when Sir J. G. Ward had no cause to regard him as such. In th-e dark days of the past, when dismal clouds enveloped the name of Ward m a haze of misfortune that caused sorrow to his friends, D,r. Findlay was no friend of his then. Personal experience enables us to say so. Travelling m a train m those days - our attention was attracted by a fierce denunciation of Sir J. G. Ward. We took on ourselves the task 6f defending Sir J. G. Ward. We did not know Dr. Findlay then, but succeeded m finding out afterwards who he was. Sir J. G. Ward ! had one powerful friend m ttiese j days, and that was the late Sir ' John McX enzie. Sir Joseph knows : ; this very well, and he knows that | „ Dr. Findlay}, who at the time lived : m Palrherston South, was a most violent political opponent of the late Sir John McKenzie. Dr. Findlay went to Wellington and changed his politics, and Sir J. G-. Ward appoint"'! Mm o I.p<jl*lative Councillor and Attorney -General the

same day. It was the worst day's work he ever did." Tfae "'Leader" continues »- /"When Dr., Fiadlay was appointed. Attqrney-<3eneral m November, 1903, he created anew department, called the Law Draftgms&n's Department, and appointed (thereto a friend of his own at a salary, it was then said, of £1000 a year. TSMs is what appeared Mi public print, aand it- has never been corrected. There was absolutely no "necessity for -this, for .fihe law driaftsman was a man of great ability and: .industry. ; The papers belauded the .learned doctor to tfie skies. Even the 'Christohuroh. Press' did . so.r They told us we would have clear, well-drafted law henceforward, but the contrary is ttie abs-o---r lute truth. We huve n'ov&r bad more ; stupid legislative work." \£erHy, and there is more. Since i Eindlay's new-f angled . department came into vogue, what ft-as 'been the ■trend of 'his legislation 2 Whenever possible, laws came from the draftsman aimitng to dispense with trial ': by jury. More than one member of /iparlia'nient has complained of this, but to no purpose. Dr. Findlay may .keep on "Jri'ddjng, " but of an* tohbng he can rest assured ; he w ; ill not walk through the portals 'of Parliament by "the voice of the people," who, so far, have refused to call than. Tbe Doctor's only hope is -to be.politically boro again. • .