MR BARTON AND THE JUDGES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 860, 11 August 1879, Page 2

MR BARTON AND THE JUDGES.

Thb following are the series of] resolutions moved by the irrepressible Mr. ,G. E.- Barton, on Tuesday last^i-resp'e'ct-Ing the Judges, and which After consideVable discussion, were negatived on the vbiceß:— "(l). That justice is not, and for a long time has not been, administered jii tHe-Courfca of the colony wilir fafrness" Snd impartiality. (2). TJiat aJwrister m tha.act . of ple.adiiig.. the cause of a suitor was corruptly and vindictively imprisoned for one month by two .of the Judges m order to stifle Tree "disoussiohift the CdliJ t," except In ' cases wherein it might further the interests of the governing classes to permit auoh discussion... (3) v Th^t the administration of justice m the inferior Courts, and' more' especially m the districts, of Taranaki and Wellington, has fpr a long time beeti corrupt, and] altho\igli the matter has been frequently' brought .und^'.tne tfie Goveirdi- ■ ment, the* officers ' complained' of' : arW dtill retained oh the Bench V yj ithouiT inc^uiryi and m come instances, when the 'discontent became too manifest to be trifled with, the ofietiding person was prpinpted to another district. (4); That two Judges of the Suprehie C6ilrt, sitting as a "quorum of 'the 1 Appeal Oburt to consider a law.^oiht involving the life or death ■ -df- ; : one - -Woodgate, a British subject, did: dorruptly and aud iov the purpose -of preventing the ; prisoner's : . counsel ; frqm arguing^ against their foregone conclusion, browf-i beat and .intimidate him,;, they then drew from their pockets a judgment prepared before they came into Court, condemning the prisoner to death. (5). That notwithstanding the evidence taken last session before the gaol committee respecting s the miuoon-> duct of certain officials, m the police department, none of the guilty officers have been ..discharged from the service or m any Tfray -cWsdred or^ reduced m grade, while on the other; hand certain of the witnesses m the employ of the* Government, examined befpre,.that committee have been systematically persecuted and degraded from their proper employment; (6) That notwithstanding the glaring and notorious corruptness of the judgment jdeliver^ed b» oner»f the Judges M tKe Sdpreme Cdfitt sitting as a. commissioner on the jenquiry , into the Heretaunga purchase, which judgment is published m the recordsof the House, and bears upon its face the evidence of a determination to aid certain governing families m defrauding the native owners of the Heretaunga bieok, no steps have been taken to remove., or even to censure the Judge who wak guilty of suohT mirfoondoot." " That blthbiigh this 'House, .: m view of the great public exigencies at present existing, will not refuse to Her Majesty the necessary supplies fort the public iei-vice, it desires Go say that had' Buch exigencies not existed supplies would have-been-ref used until such had been .fully, enquired Jnj&ax and the persons acoused either acquitted of the charges or, expelled , from : £he public service, and this House, prays j- that inquiry be made and justice done. " ..The Wellington UlTronicle of Thurft- r day, ''p^-.'glA, has the ?p)lpwirig sensational paragraph m its cblumins : — A few nights ago Mn,.BartoA J; m ihe most deliberate manner,"' a/^exted that ini'ihe; oa|ie r ''of 'Wobdgatt,—tirh6 ! two years since was hanged for having ttim-. dered his illegitimate child at HctPii— dhe of the Supreme Court Judgjas pulled the written judgment out' of his! p'ockdS, showed it to another, of those s funbtionavies, arid 'that the latter, there and. then, agreed tp the judgment, which was jjuoaequently oarried, out, .by tjie uritortvinate Criminal being executed. The very soul .shudders, at the barest possibility of this aOcusatloli being true. What could be more Horrible > than fo imagine that? the lives of: oiir fellow citizens were at; the mercy of .men who would deal out the penalty of death m that off-hand way and with' the same easy no7ichalance that a- butcher might order his^ servant to cut off the, heaaof a^heep 1 Whenapharge, of ,«uch an awful nature is made against the. Judges, of the- Supreme Court, vpf Jfew Zeslahd, made, tooj by a member of Parliament m his pjape iv the, House, the people should insist on an inquiry. If the charge were proved .to be true, both HousW of Parliament shouldpetition the Crown for the removal of the Judges ; if the charge were proved itoibe baseless, thfea Mr. Barton ■ should, be 1 from the House, for "no man making groundless accusations of such an infamous character against -the highest Judges m the land should be permitted to pollute the Legislature byhis presence. Whatever might be the result of the inquiry, the ! culprits, . whether 1 guilty Judges or false-accuser should pay the full penalty of their offence!; there must be no faltering with a matter of such mementous consequence,