A LAND OF SEDITION

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVI, Issue 8074, 19 March 1901, Page 1

A LAND OF SEDITION

The land (says the. Cane Thins) is full of sedition—seditious talk, sermons, and newspapers. The inilitaiT, where martial, law is proclaimed, ar=* enforcing the law; but why should the military he the first to enforce the law, and then to show the. public prosecutors of -this colony that there is a. very stringent law in force in this colony against all seditious talk and writing's?" The magistrates, or public prosecutors, should take up this question, inquire into it, and enforce the law. The Peace Preservatiion Act is enforced in the Capo district, but this does not put a slop to the boastful sedition that is constantly being paraded about. If martial law wc.ro enforced in the Cape -district, a largo number of persons would soon be infoiuned against, with satisfactory results. 'The prosecutors might usefully study flirj law on sedition of all kinds in the. first and third) volumes of tilio Placaaten, pp. 407. 435 and) 517-526. It as true that "forfeiture" hois been abolished by us, but for high treason and for sedition of every kind the xigilit of the Court to fine a party to the extent of the value of his estate, with imprisonment for life, is still'in force, and is so in--this country also. _ Of coursn, where military law is proelaimvd, these seditious talks and writing's may bo reported to the military commandant, whoso authority and powers are jswift and mii", an'd more certain than a, trial by jury. But the Magistrates' Courts might also bo reminded that they have the power to take criminal proceedings for std'ilinn of every kind. There is a Placaat of September 12, 1674. by which the States of Holland forbad evervone from writing or speaking anvtlning against the Crown of Great Britain, or the Parliament of England', or the Privy Council, or the (political) Ministers of the Crown, umfer a penalty of forfeiture of all their poods and banishment for life. How different to-day are some of the descendants in this colony to those good; old Dutchmen. Hero, with every liberty in the world, they rsvil" ■Endamrl' and all that is English. There, in Holland, they dared not even think evil of a friendly neighboring Pow:.r, But for England's guarantee of protection, Holland would 'have b'een Tinder tho rule of France or Germany long -ere now. It is England that has saved .and still protects Holland, but some of' tlio Dutch colonists of this colony are still too rebellious to appreciate the blessings of liberty and protection England' affords.