THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2201, 7 May 1896, Page 29

THE WEEK.

" Nunquam allud natura, iliud sapientia dixit."— Juvinhl. "Good nature and good sense ruuit erer join." — Fore.

It will be remembered that when 'before bis , constituents at Palmerston

The Bed the _,Hon. John M'Ke»zie Herring. made an attack upon the

Press Association, accusing that body, always hitherto colourless and accurate, of unfairness in its dissemination of news. The alleged' "unfairness on this particular occasion was connected with the report of Sir Walter Bailer's remarks upon Mr M'Kenzie's non-attendance before the Horowbenna Commission. Mr M'Keazle gave sundry hints that he knew all about the matter, and was going to bring it up before Parliament with a view to the punishment in some form or other of the Press Association. It now appears, as we can gather from what has since taken place before the same commission, that all Mr M'Ke»zie has to go upon is the fact that Sir Walter Buller himself furnished the report of what took place and sent it to the Wellington Evening Post. But before sending the report to the press Sir Walter Buller submitted it to one of the agents of the Government in tbe case and to Lieutenant-colonel Macdonnell, who acted as interpreter to the commission, and both gentlemen certified it to be as nearly as possible a verbatim report of what actually took place. The Press Association took the subßtance of the roport apparently from the Evening Post, after satisfying itself, as in duty bound, that it was true and accurate. That is, of course, the proper— and, indeed, the only — coarse to pursue, for if the Press Association did not take its news from the newspapers it .'could seldom get it anywhere else. The accuracy of the report is in no quarter denied : if it could be called in question we may bs pretty sure that tbe chairman of the commission or 'the Government agents, would have done so at the time. Even Mr Donald Fraser, who specially acted for the Crown in the Horowhenua business, when he hinted that the report emanated from Sir Walter Buller, did not venture to question its accuracy. The sum and substance of Mr M'Kenzie's complaint therefore, is not that the Press Association adopted a felso report, bat that they adopted

a true one which told somewhat against himself. Had the Press Association ignored the truth in order to shield Mr M'Ketizle it would have carried out Mr M'Kenzie's notion of fairness 1

Mr M'Kenzie is now clearly adopting the time-worn device of drawing a red herring across the scent. The whole matter can be stated with great conciseness. Did Mr M'Kenzie, under the shelter of his ■ Parliamentary privilege, denounce Sir Walter Bailer as a man who for his dealings with the' Horowhenna lands ought to be in gaol 7 Beyond all question he did ; his own words are there to testify against him. Did Sir Walter Bailer challenge the Minister for Lands to throw aside his privilege and have the matter oat in the Supreme Court?- and did Mr M'Kenzie refuse? That also is undeniable. Did Mr M'Kenzie demand that a Royal Commission should investigate the matter? That also must be answered in the affirmative. Did Sir Walter Bailer tender himself, for examination before the Commission and at the same time ask that Mr M'Kenzie should, -be called, receiving a refusal to his request ? That also ia unhappily true, as is also the fact that Mr M'Keczie has shirked the examination up to this hour. Can Mr M-Keczle deny any of these facts ? .We should be very glad- if he could, but he evidently cannot. -' Under the circumstances, therefore, he may save his breath from denouncing the Press Association. What really wants denouncing Is tbe shameful and tyrannous right members of Parliament enjoy of slandering the citizens of the colony with impunity. And if there was a spark of real liberalism in the parly now supporting the Government they would lose no, time in abolishing so dangerous and intolerable a power. Tfie assassination of the Shah of Persia is one of those incidents of The royalty which has much more Dust of importance and much more Empires. significance in the West than in the East. Persia is a country very like Turkey— like her in faith, in the character of her people, in the nature of her Government, in the traditions' of a past greatness, and in the present inevitable progress towards decay. As the Sultan Abdul Asiz was allowed to pass quietly into the world of shadows no one exactly knows how, so the Shah of Persia will be buried with great pomp and ceremony, and nothing more be said or done about the crime beyond the execution of the assassin. An Eastern potentate is a being whom everyone fears when he is alive, and no one regrets when he is dead. The redeeming feature of the dead monarch was that he had tlae insight to perceive that Russia was the great enemy to be feared, and that — for that very reason -England was a nation to be cultivated. In such crimes as this in .Persia the great danger is as to disturbances over the succession. The eldest son, of a Persian Shah may pr may not succeed. It depends largely upon the expreseed will of the reigning monarch, and after his death very largely upon the character of the brothers, uncles, nephews, and horde generally of near relations. If any one of. them happen to have much strength of character, daring*, or ambition it is bard to say how v fche may go. In the present instance the rightful successor appears to have met with no direct opposition so far. It is curious to reflect that Persia was once^the imperious ruler of the world — when Russia was roamed over by „ Tartar tribes and . our own savage ancestors were living no one exactly knows how, for- it was many centuries before the days of Caesar. Persia is the land of Cyrus, of Darius, of Xerxes, aid of Artaxerxf s — " Kings of the World," tq some of whom, at all events', the title was no misnomer. They could- afford to spend the winter months, in Babylon, \ and the summer' in gorgeous granite palaces in Persia, the ruins of which may be seen at the present day. Sii'l more curious is it to reflect that the -conqueror of the great Persian Empire sprang from one of the now degraded provinces of Turkey, cursed by the Sultan's misrule.

What the future of Persia may be it is purhaps not very difficult to say. Bat for the existence of our own country it might now have been a Russian provinca, which in all probability, it will be in the not very distant future. That huge and rapidly-expanding empire has been ceaselessly pushing her way to the warmer waters of the ■ south. Such au outlet is within her grasp at this very moment ia the farKsst — thanks to the hopeless decay of China. a For a century back the eye of Russia' has been fixed on Constantinople and the Mediterranean, but as the Sick Man of Europe displayed unexpected vitality, or was assisted by protecting friends, she turned it to the land of the Shahs and the Persian Gulf. Both, as we have said, are pretty much on, a level on the downward path of decay. It is a mere question which will go first. For twelve months back it 'seemed as if the dissolution of Turkey in Europe might come at any moment. Through the sinister influence of Russia she has, however, got a new lease of life. It may be that the assassination of the Shah will turn the attention of the Russian Government to Persia for a change. There are signs, too, of an approaching change in the traditional polioy of England towards Russia. Hitherto that countiyhas been forbidden to come southward towards Constantinople, so that the water way to India might be kept clear. Persia, on the other hand, has been regarded as a sort of " buffer State " (of the second order) to India. The question now beginning to intrude itself into the mind of the English statesman is whether India would not be safer if Russia was allowed to satisfy her natural ambition to secure an outlet into warm water. The idea is one which is likely enough to grow. 16 was pretty certain from the first that the Boers would not execute the The sentence of'" death " passed Transraal* upon the five members of the Johannesburg Reform Committee. There was nothing to be gained and everything to be lost by adopting so barbarous a oourse. By the death "of the men the Transvaal State would have been no safer than it was before. On the other hand, the majority of the Outlanders would have been for ever alienated, sa would also probably BQDQQ of the foreign naIAQM that actively or

passively sympathise with the Boers. Indeed, the best reason for exercising olemenoy is to be found in the fact that the independence of the State is all the safer for it. The Boer is the ruler now; he has abundance of money, and can oonstrucb batteries and arm men to overawe the Oatlanders. But it is numbers that tell in the end. To imbue the minds of a rapidly increasing majority, not very well affected as it is, with horror of the Boer rale would have been a mistake more fatal than that committed by Dr Jameson. The gams of the Boers is to deprive their opponents not so much of their material as of their moral weapons, and it must,, be admitted they are playing their hand with admirable skill, moderation and good sense are large elements in civilisation, it cannot be said the Boers are very far behind the nations generally.* As matters connected with the Transvaal develop it must be admitted the position occupied by Mr Oeoil Rhodes becomes more awkward. There ctn be no longer room for doubt that he was privy to the schemes hatching in Johannesburg ' to overturn the Gorernment and to the, projected movement of Dr Jameson ia bis celebrated raid. That he has committed a very great blander, and has largely-fallen from his high estate, there oan be no doubt. At the same time it is easy to- magnify the quality of the blunder he has committed, which consists really in permitting the troops of the company under his control to make the first move. No one oan blame him for silently approving the schemes of the Oatlanders, or even for morally encouraging them in throwirg off a yoke that in the very nature of the circumstances cannot be expected, to last very long — even now, after due recognition of , the Boer triumph. It was not his duty to go to the Governor of the Oape and say, " The Oatlanders having failed to secure the reforms they desire are meditating treason against the Boer Republic; ,yon had better inform President. Krager and' have them all arrested.'' His duty as an English citizen, a Oape Premier, and the chairman of the Chartered Company was to let the Transvaal settle its own affairs, so loag as the position of the Cape and the Chartered Company remained unaffected Tbe grand mistake was allowing the Chartered Company's troops to take the initiative, thus patting England herself in the wrong. Bat supposing that Dr Jameson, who had just previously Been Mr Rhodes, had said to him : " There is trouble brewing in Johannesburg, which may stir up the native population as well as overthrow the Republic, and perhaps lead to massacre in Johannesburg. What am I to do ? " What more natural than that Mr Rhodes, whtf had abundant powers under his charter, should say : "In that case if the trouble really comes send your men without delay and preserve order in the town "--for Johannesburg, it must be remembered, is the London of South Africa. If Mr Rhodes gave positive orders to Dr Jameson to .advance at the time he did— of which there is so far no evidence — the whole weight of a disastrous blunder must rest on Mr Rhodes. If, on the other hand, Dr Jameson acted prematurely where the action' itself taken at the right time would be the right thing to do. the offence of Mr Rhodes is very much extenuated. There is a good deal to show that Mr Rhodes had always been of opinion that the Transvaal difficulty would settle itself in time. He bad expressed himself in London to that effect not very long before the raid occurred. Tbe probability is that his own hand was forced by the rapid progress of events in Johannesburg. And, as we have before said, tha whole affair has been productive of much good— more good probably than evil. There is very little doubt that for some years back the Overmans have been scheming to get the control in the Transvaal, and it is something that they, as well &c the world at large, should be made to perceive that England is determined at all costs to be the dominant power in South Africa. It must be admitted that fqr^ a man in the position of the first Minister of a colony the speeches of Mr Seddon are singularly wanting in ideas, and as singularly lacking in that sort of elemental good taste which is commonly found in the most ignorant as in the cultured. The other day at Petone he droned away for at least the fiftieth time about the " 14,000 men who had been driven away from the colony " by the iniquities Of some Government or another which had preceded bis own. Maoh more contemptible was his allusion to another subject. " Captain Russell," he said, " had charged him with cowardice, and on the same night he (Mr Seddon), with other brave men, was facing death at the Brnnner mine." Throughout the world, in all ages and all countries, brave men have never boasted of their bravery. That is a habit which belongs fco quite a different order of men. Sir John Falstaff, it is true, regretted that it was bis destiny to be so very terrible in war, and under his tongue four men in buckram whom he had never encountered grew to eleven with whom he had a valiant contest. But the world has loßg agreed to pardon the braggadocio of Falstaff for the sake of his wit. The cowardice to which Captain Russell alluded was political cowardice, which is a wholly different thing from the personal article, as Mr Seddon well knew. Mr Seddon was never asked nor expected to face death i at the Branner mine, for the very simple reason that his doing so would not in the least help the poor fellows entombed. Mr Seddon is now fighting desperately what he sees to be a losing cause. Had he the moral courage equal to the physical of which he so disagreeably boasts, he would be calm, temperate 6 , and strictly truthful and accurate. Mere " plunging " in politics, as in other affairs of life, is only calculated to precipitate disaster. Political speeches are falling thick arid fast, but few of them, it .must be admitted, are worthy the labour or the space of criticism. That of Mr Oarncross at Mosgiel"i^ no exception to the rale. Like his representation of the district, it is characterised throughout by dull and colourless respectability. Mr Oarncross, we have alwajs j noticed, has a peculiar fashion of making capital out of a Bort of pseudo-moderation. He gets all the credit that is to be got 'out of supporting the Government, and then he tftkej Urc oreditr o£ moderation, mild objeo-

tion, and feeble remonstrance. He has an* other trick upon which he rather trades both in and oat of the House. . In the House he contributes nothing whatever to the debates, but sits silent until the poor fellows .who do ' contribute ideas get a little warm over them, and then he gets up -and delivers* a short homily upon the "waste of time." The Dewspapars then take op the theme and ancounce that "MrOarncross animadverted strongly upon the waste <jf time that wai' going op," or something to that effect, an ft Mr Oarncross, of course, is assumed to be rather a model of parliamentary propriety, •, W« confess to having more sympathy with the men who have something to say,', and occasionally say it a little intemperateiyj than with their critics, who me all ideatau propriety. . , '\

As might be expected, the new process of photography by means of the 'f'Rontgea lUys " was not long in passing 'the stage of a mere scientific curiosity and/ entering tbe region .of the practically useful. In some quarters medical men are making use the system as a specialty— that ie, ■ they proposs to devote themselves to a department of medical photography. When oases come before' the ordinary medical man in which substances such as a bullet, needle, or other article has becoTme embedded in the fleßb, the patient can be at enoe taken to the surgical photographer, to- whom the case would properly belong. There, are: cases, within common knowledge in .which pereons have suffered lifelong . annoyance and discomfort —if not of positive' illness — by the presence in some unknown portion of the* body of a foreign substance of the kind. A case for damages for injury to the feet has been already decided in an English court of law by tbe production -of photographs taken at University College; London, showing, tbe injured bones of one foot. When the news of Rontgen's discovery firut reached Canada, and before any detailed - description of the process could he transmitted, the discovery was applied to practical surgery in Montreal. Photogrspho were taken of the leg of a patient from tbe hospital which revealed a flattened bullet lyiig between the two chief bones of the limb. -The next day the bullet was extracted by means of an incision 2in deep, where M.it would have been Sin had it been mads where tbe bullet actually enteredthe leg.- The discovery itself," as well as its application, in, of course, only in ita infancy. At present the rays are too far-seeing: What is most urgently wanted is that they should reveal the flesh and tissue, whereas now they panj through it to the bone. Doubtless in time their efficiency in that rsspect will be. corrected, and then something in the nature of a revolution in medical and surgical scieaeo may be the resuU. The use of tbe muoh-deba ted Referendum in South Australia, being a new experiment in Eoglish-epenking countries, will be watched with interest. Three issues wsf« submitted to the people under it, all of them in connection with education. A very large majority voted in favour of the continuance of the existing system of secular education, against the introduction of Scriptural instruction, and against any grant of public money to denominations. The voice of all tbe constituencies is not h6ard yet, but ir may fairly" be assumed that the^result is representative of the whole. In tbetrue interests of education the result is satisfactory. But if it proves anything at all it proves that the itself is not required — that the representative system is itself a very accurate and quickly responsive indication of general public opinion. That is exactly . what has always been maintained for it, and what it has always proved itself to be wheri the test came to be revealed. It is almost impossible that a popularly elected House should long hold to opinions "at variance with the opinions of the people. The effect of a material change' in public opinion on any question is almost immediately* seen in the ranks of members of Parliament. Whatever else members jaay be disposed to do, they are never found to stand out very long against majorities, and it must be admitted they get very skilfut in reading the signs which reveal on which side of a question the majority ,lb to be found. A report was ourrent in town on Monday that the Walton Park Coal Company's mine had been flooded out. From' information supplied to, us by Mr James Loudon, the manager of the company, it would appear .that the rumour exaggerates the position. A fall occurred in the mine on Sunday afternoon which brought dawn an accumulation of debris, and ono portion of the workings has been flooded. The fall took place, howerer, in a part of the mine remote from the main dip, where work was resumed yesterday. The directors have not yet decided upon the steps to be taken in consequence of the full, bat it is probable that the portion of the mine in which it occurred will b» abandoned. A man named Bernard Cunningham, a tanner, living by himself at Green Island in a three- roomed brick house, owned by Mr A. Stickles, had a narrow escape from being burnt to death on Monday evening. He went to bod at 7 o'elook, leaving a lighted candle on a table near his bed, and half an hour later five lads, named Baird, Barnes, Ritohie, Nelson, and M'Lcan respectively, noticed that the window curtain Wfcs in a" blaze. They immediately broke in the door and, finding Cunningham asleep on the bed, dragged him out. The pillow on which Cunningham's head had been lying was burning,. the bedding iru on fire, and the sleeve of the shirt that Cunningham was wearing was also beginning to burn. Bab for the promptness of the lads named, it will be recognised that Cunningham would almost certainly have perished. The young men .extinguished the fire, which caused damage only to the' extent of about £2. Neither the house nor the furniture w»s insured. " ' -'• Mr George Rowe has been elected for the Anderson's Bay. subdivision of the Peninsula Road Board. . , Mr Samuel Hinkley has been elected, for the Broad Bay subdivision and Mr Roberj) Milne for the North- East Harbour subdivision?of the Portobello Road Board. , Mr W. Carncroiß, M.H.R., addressed a fairly well attended meeting of electors &b the Societies' Hall, Outram, ,on Monday night ; Mr W. Snow in the chair. Upon the termination of the address, which was on similar lines to that delivered at Mosgiel, Mr A. Chinholm proposed and Mr D. Baird teconded — " That a vote of thanks be Accorded Mr Carncross." Aa amendment to the effect that a vote of thank*

* be passed to and confidence expressed in Mr j . parnoross as member was proposed by Mr J. Devaney, eecondfed by Mr D.: Sheriff, and G&rried. , On Tuesday night Mr Carnorosi addressed the electors at Woodside. To-night lie speaks' at Maungisfcaa, on. Thursday at Berwick, and on Saturday nigtit at WaihoU. jHe addresses meetisgs in 17 parts of the electorate before his tour terminates, Another of the very early sett'ers.nae'sed away {Tuesday in the person ot Mrs Rennte, relict of the late Mr Alexander Renuie. While h«r husband during* the latter. portion of his life* lime devoted touch of his time to'adrriinUteriog public charity, having beeii for years chairman of the Benevolent Trustees, the deceased lady was doted for her private benevolence and kindness, and the news of her death will be received with' regret in "many a household. For some time past she-hus resided with her daughter at Carey's Bay, where she died yesterday in her ■ighty-first year. -A man named John Gregg, a strong yonng fellow of ',30, has been sentenced to three months' imprisonment at lnveroargill for Vagrancy. .The evidence of the police showed that the man had levied blackmail on » young girl under- threat of ' disclosing an alleged incident in' her past .-» life,.«nd one which there was every treason to ieJievo had no foundation In fad!. The Western Star records the death At the -extreme age of 87 'bf Michael James Connor, At the residence of his son, James Connor, ' - Iliverton. Born in Ireland in 1809, he came bat to Sydney in 1834. He had some exciting N Experiences anioiig the blacks as a cattle-driver, fae was" married in Melbourne in 1840, .and settled down tb farming at Portland, where he •joaet with an accident which- crippled him for the remainder of his days. He fell sideways on -to an iron spindle, which peuetrated his body for a foot just below^the ribs, and for the rtast 30 yean he was an invalid, bejng scarcely j *ble to Walk. He was able to read without glasses np\tq within three weeks of his death. TheOamartk Mail records the death of Mr J. jb. Hassell, one of -the pidtit-«rs of the distriot. y& native of Surrey, Eugi«.ud/ Mr Htssell emigrated to Victoria, whore he took up the. Moorabay run, which. afterwards became a rich goldfield. He came- to New Zealand in 1859, and purchased the Oamaru ran from Mr Filleul. Be then chartered *, vessel and brought from (Australia his family and stock for the run. His first journey from Dunedin was a memorable one,' as he had to find his way by the use of a compass. He first eivcred his house where the Did courthou«e now stand", but afterwards i removed to Cave Valley. He built 'the old windmill, the first ouurmill in Oamaru, and afterwards erected a malthouse." He visited the Home country in 1874, rfhd on his return Entered into business. Ha ' removed to .Waiinato a few years ago. He. was a wellknown sheepbreeder and took an interest in jrabJic affairs, serving on rarious local bodies. fie was an elder of St Paul's Church. His widow and two unmarried daughter* reside in Waimate, and a third daughter is the wife of Dr Garland. The eldfesb son (Jinnee) is in business in Australia, the second (Lloyd) is engineer* for the Queensland Railway department, and the third (Gray) is the s-blf medical Buperirtendent of the Wellington Lunatio .Asylum. He has left behind him a irsion of friends. ' The planting season has now commenced and arrangements should be made without unnecessary delay. Those who contemplate planting this season are referred to Mr George Matthews'B Special price list of general nursery stock, which will be round on pate IS of this issue. Mr Jabes. Burton reports: "The Roxburgh flredge washed op for tbo week lljoz cold. Ihe ISttrick dredge has reached the old claim kgaiu, and Is expected to start dredging on Tuesday." ,;*