The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 5, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 423, 5 September 1877, Page 2

The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 5, 1877.

If there is one thing more calculated than any other to make an honest journalist feel his profession degraded, it is to see a brother editor crawling through the mire and licking the boots of persons in power, and deeming himself honoured by being permitted so to do. Sickening as such a sight undoubtedly is, it is unfortunately one that is by far too common in this Colony, where men better fitted to

'.yield a broom than a pen are, through some strange freak of Dame Fortune, permitted to guide the destinies of newspapers. Tt is degrading to the utmost extent to see ill-mannered ours, to v.lmm a smile from a great man is of more value than the consciousness of having performed their public duty honestly, prostituting the Press by such fawning and servile conduct. And yet such miserable sycophants flourish and prosper in iNew Zealand. They are not blessed with sufficient perspecacity to enable them properly to appreciate their contemptible positions ; an occasional smile from a great man is all they look for, all they live for. Such an individual is the editor of the Dunedin Evcniwj Star. His love for all persons in power is so great that he is perfectly blind to their faults ; he is incapable of conceiving the slightest possibility of a big man doing anything but what is good and honourable, and if a more straightforward journalist, in the performance of his duty to the public, makes known any piece of abuse of power, this precious lacky rushes to the front, and by lying and evil-speaking, attempts to drag his patron out of his unpleasant fix. We have before had occasion to refer to the doings of this Jeajmes of the Press in regard to the cowardly manner in which he referred to the breach of privilege case against Mr. Jones before that gentleman had appeared before the Bar of the House. The miserable toady has again been at his dirty work. We find in MonI day evening's Star the following cowardly remarks :—" Mr. Shbimsiu, no doubt, as well as his colleague Mr. Hislop, likes an occasional puff in the Oamaru Mail ; but these innocent attaches of the Opposition had better leave delicate matters to thenchief s, and can hardly hope to succeed where Sir George and Mr. Rees have signally failed. There is one consolation for Oamaru ; it can give the martyr a dinner when he returns, and the local members can head the subscription-list to pay his expenses." We take leave to say that more contemptible insinuations than the above never appeared even in the Dunedin Evening Star. Messrs. Shrimski and Hislop are not in the habit of applying to this journal for " occasional puffs;'' and if they did make such applications, they would not obtain praise unless it was meritcJ. We are not in the habit of bestowing fulsome I raise upon anyone, whether great or small. If we admire a public man's actions, we say so ; and if we do not approve of the conduct of any public man, have sufficient honesty to give utterance to our opinions. This is more than the editor of the ttar dare do. His love of the crumbs which fall from the rich man's table is too great to per- |

Mit of his acting honestly in that or any other matter. He is a cringing, crawling coward, who dare not say his soul is his own, lest he- should be robbed of the smiles of those in power. With regard to the concluding remarks of the Star, we can only say that Mr. Jones has merely performed what he considers his duty. and has had the manliness and moral courage to adhere to the statements put forth by the Mail. Whether he. has exceeded his dut}-, and whether, the statements made by this journal are truthful, remains for a jury to decide. Whatever that decision may be, Mr. Jones is prepared to abide by the result, and has no desire to be considered a martyr. We can afford to pass over with contempt the Star's sneer about a dinner and subscrip-tion-lists. Such remarks are not calculated to do Mr. Jones or this journal any harm, and merely evidence the baseness of the miserable poltroon and heartlefs sneak who gives utterance to them.