SEDITIOUS SENTIMENTS

NZ Truth, Issue 602, 30 December 1916, Page 5

SEDITIOUS SENTIMENTS

MORE TWELVE MONTHS' SENTENCES FRASER, BRINDLE, AND THORN SENT TO GAOL Being Treated as " Political Prisoners "

Since the arrest, conviction and gaolIng of Robert Semple at Christchurch on charges arising . out of the use of seditious sentiments, and sentiments calculated to Interfere with voluntaryism, and held to be breaches of the latest gazetted and highly penal war regulations, the police have been very active. Following on the search of the "Maorilarid Worker" newspaper premises, the police arrested the wollknown industrial organiser, James Thorn, who was charged with making seditious utterances at Auckland. He was taken to Auckland and was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment. As Js also known, the police m Wellington arrested two well-known men m the persons of Peter Fraser and Thomas Brindlo., who were brought before Magistrate Bidden at the Wellington Magistrate's Court, on Friday of last week, and, qm will bb scon from a perusal of & report of tho proceedings, both men were, sentenced to ; twelvo months' imprisonment. Last week when a deputation of antl-conscriptlonists waited on the Hon. Mr. Herrles. and laid before him the views of tho conference, several matters or requests were placed before kirn, one of these being that the men sent to prison should not be treated as ordinary crlmlxtalo, but rnther that there should be bo me dJfferontation made. As a result of tho representations made to the Government, "Truth" understands Uiat It nan been deotded to treat the Imprisoned men as "political prisoners." As such they do not wear the prison garb, can have their food sont m from outside, and generally are treated as well aa the German prisoners on Some's Island. Tho sedition cases against Prater and Brindlo wore heard at the Magistrate's Court on Friday. Mr. P. C. Macassey represented the Crown, nd called Detective-Sergeant Rawle, who said, m evidence, that ho wan present when Prascr mado use of thft seditious utterances mentioned m tho charge. H© had boara tho accuse*) *ny that PARLIAMENT OUGHT TO BE CALLED TOGETHER m order that the Military Conscription Act could bo repealed. In answer to the accused, the detec- j tlvo said. *'You also ridiculed the King. You referred to Lloyd G«org<i oh King Georgo VI. You paid that Lloyd George had more Intelligence than the King." Detective-Sergeant Cox gave evidence on similar lines, as did Detective Masou. John Thomas Watklnfl, an «xp«rt shorthand reporter, also gavo evidence ftH to the utterances, and produced hi* transcribed nowws ft* verification. PrajKM', m addressing tho court, plondetl that ho had a prlvllogo under the Statute which tho War Regulation* did not annul. He quoted tho resolution which ho had »frconde«i and which c»»J. cd on the Government to repeal iho Act, Ho contended that ft« a cltix«n of tho British Kmpire ha had tho right to ojtpre*jie«s hi* opinions publicly when he thought that any wrong coura<; was .liplnir adopted by the Government, lie quoted instances of where the German people nnd held J»fK<» mooting* ami they had glv«n public voice to iholr p«*«c« sentiment*, nnd h«* contended that the same privtlegt* nhauUi be oxt«nd«d to a fr<*# country «uch an Now The Maslntrato (Mf. \V\ 0. Rldd«H) «rnnt«tl lo know what avUhMica iU«? &<:• eufifd hail m t.uppos i of hte tfUiement*. Did he hftv« German <»r Kukllhu n«w«« puper* to Justify M» MaiemertW? Praser nald that U« could put In the i oiwipapw "The Nation" ot Ootobtr

14. which shewed that thousands of people had gathered together In Munich and had CLAMORED FOR PEACE. He would point out, also, that Miss Hobhouse had visited the English prisoners and they had wanted peace. He contended that the people had no voice m tho conduct of the war. The peoples of the nations had no voice m the conduct of the'war. The diplomats who sat m the offices saw to Utat. He further reviewed his speech and contended that there was nothing of a seditious nature whatever m his utterances. Ho also contended that if proper diplomacy had been exercised that no war would have tak«n place amongst the nations. He referred to the League of Nations, and contended that nothing had been dono to try and avert war. He further contended that the war contractors and other exploiters were moro disloyal to the Government aftd the people than ever he was m his honest utterances. At Ihla tho bench demurred. They were not there to listen to sentiments of that kind. The business of the court was to try the accused for alleged disloyal utterances, THE CASE AGAINST BRINDLE. Then c&mo the Lancashire lad. Thomas Biindle. Tho evidence m his cose was similar to that m the case of Fraser. Detective-Sergeant Rattle gave evidence of the accused having, h« alleged, ridiculed King George V, The particular utterance referred to was.---"I suppose those two meatless days (referring to a cable) meant that ht> (the King) would not have while veal, but pigeon pie, and instead of champagne, Bergundy (laughter from the crowd and cries of "silenco"). Tho object of the meeting was to Instil into the puMio mind a desire to sweep away the Military Service Act from the Statutes. His Worship: I take It that you are a. man of pen.ro? lirtndt*: I don't boUovo In WOT among naiioua, but, m some other lrtnda of war — Industrial war — I am a belligerent Accused contended that there was NO SEDITION IN HIS SPEECH. What ho bad saiil won a mattar of fact. He "thought that the time had arrived when wo should examine tho roads which led to tho blood ponda of Europe." That won a quatrtion of fact. HuuKia'n chief object was the capture of Constantinople. Jtiuwta, where the unionism and tho socialist wo* sent to tho gallows, wantod It as an open Hen road. His Worship: Never mind about Russia. Have you evor lived there? Urindlc: No, I have not, not materially. ; After hearing further orguroont on I the suiiie lines. hU Worship said that the aceuaed had put his enact an wall j«« it could bd put. Ho desired to wwul | tho whole of th« cip«ech6# through b«foro giving hl» decision, and remanded tho accused until the following dtty (Saturday). Thw© w«u» v Innro crowd In th« court to hear th* decision* givon on Saturday morning at 10 o'clock, nnd the crowd was thickly Intorapcraed with plain • clothe* police and ordinary con*tabl«?j«. }ii» Worship, m riving his d«ci«lon. Hold lhat h* had gon<- corofoJly through lh« whota <>f th» »pr<rrh*'^ of Uifi two tiwfendnutrt nn»l ho wouitl «t>t h«vi» ttuiu^ht tiii* uttorunecvH lv ordinary time*. "TltM»«\ |iow(?v«'r, wnrr not urdimiry llmft*," naid bin Worship, "theywsra tkn« of war," H« wont on to «ay U»t noal •< the rtmarka

mada wor« hmom the auppreaslon of tho Military Service Act, and. In »om» Infitancflji. wcro undoubtedly moditloua. Th«»r« was nodoubl that, although ©aob of i ho dftf«nd*ata -wriui quit* bonost m hi* opinion, a breach of tb« War RcfulationA had boon cotru&nt«d. "2 muit th<?r<<forfe convict. Kach of tb« prtoonwill bo HKNTKS'CKO TO A YRAH'^ IMPniBONMS:NT, v itajd hi* Worship. »ntt U»o crowd Mod uuutdo whor« ft mild dlacuasUm of tho merltn and dewwlU of lim easa was entered ftnto by Icnou of m«3, n»stiy ot tb* iftborttMf oUhm.