THE BELL AND THE SPEAKER

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 5055, 30 December 1887, Page 2

THE BELL AND THE SPEAKER

MR 0. M. REED IN REPLY. The following h An extract from Mr Reed'a reply to the Wellington Post, in in answer to its Btrictures on the Bell's article concerning the conduct of certain members of Parliament : — ! I would like that there should be no misapprehension of my motives in writing this " alaiming " article, or censure attaching to others for it. You tell me I did it /or " love of notoriety." I can hardly think any man loves notoriety. I do not love notoriety, but I do not fear it. I believe thit the fear of notoriety deters niauy pnople fiotn doing in publio what they otherwise would do. The fear of notoriety — that is, of the- bad opinion of crowds of otheis — wouM not deter me from doing anything. I do not caro a snap of my finger for tho bad opinion of any man or all the men in New Zealand if I am conscious of right. But I certainly would not willingly do anything with the purpose of winning people's bad opinion. I sincerely wish to do what is right and deserving, in writing, and I would like to be esteemed ; but if anyone objects, so far as I am concerned, he can go and put his head in a pot. Again I am told that I wished to be raised to the position of a martyr. Truth to say I never anticipated such an honor. I nover for an inatanf dreamt that Parliament would do anything in the matter. So let nobody give me credit for a courage in this which was nob in exercise. It is true I hauled open the lion's jaws and looked away down his throat ; but there is nothing in that. You have only to fix your eye steadily on any wild beast's eye and he is quite quiet, and if you tickle him. a little he purra like a torn cat. Again my article has been called " Vindictive." Why vindictive ?or against whom 1 I had no ' vindictive feelings against anyone. On the contrary I feel free to say now that had 1 been put on my defence results would probably hare occurred which I did not intend, and such as I would have regretted as long as I lived. Let me not be misunderstood, I am not speaking of results to myself or anyone concerned with mo. I trust I would have borne the consequences as a journalist and a man ; but for ether reasons I am now well pleased that nothing has come of it. Again, one journal in its ineffable wisdom has connected Sir Julius Vo^el with the inspiration of the article. He certainly knew nothing of it. He had nothing whatever to do with the paper in which the article appeared, nor do I know on what grounds anyone regards me as necessarilysupporting or owning allegiance to Sir Julius Yogel. Wellington journalism — perhaps from self-consciousneß3 — appears to think that a newspaper must be an " organ " of somebody or something and does not seem to realise the possibility of disinterested and independent journalism. So far as Sir Julius Yogel is concerned, I saw what I thought was a foul blow struck at him, and I struck in return. Ido not to this day know whether he was pleased or displeased. I rather incline to think he must have beon shocked at my contumacy ; he has been so orderly since. I have no doubt you were stung by my charge of "cowardice" against Wellington journalism, and possibly that gave vim to your abuse of me. But I hope you will exhibit your manliness, and show at least that you are not afraid by publishing this, my defence. Attack it, and attack me again a3 much as you like— l won't mind th «t ; but don't give force to my charge of cowardice by shirking this leter, and so compelling me to have it published in some other way. And now let me briefly refer to that charge of cowardice, I maintain that the Wellington papers are, and always have been, too deferential to Parliament and officials, and that had they done their duty they might have corrected, if not prevented, a hundred abuses with which the country is ringing now. They are on the spot ; they must be cognisant of what is proceeding ; and if they had only the pluck to handle Parliament and Ministers a3 the Dunedin and Cliristchurch and Auckland papers handle their City Councils and other authorities, the colony would have cause to he grateful to them now. But you are all evidently very much freightened of Parliament, and yet you sac what a quiot thing it is when taken firmly in hand. These members of Parliament are nearly decent, well-disposed men when they are at home in their own districts, and rather pleasant than otherwise to talk to. But when they get down there, and form themselves into a sort of Mutual Admiration Society, they put on " side '■' and talk «♦ privilege " and things, and develop into something formidable — in their own estimation, and evidently in the estimation of some other people. But it ia all a pretence. There is really nothing very dreadful about them. Of course Parliament has great privileges,but they a-e "a great abuse, and utterly at variance with the free spirit of colonial life. They are not of the slightest benefit in enabling Parliament to make good laws, or to regulate the Government of the country ; and they rest on no better basis than that they are handed down from Parliamentary usage in England— a place fairly reeking with wrongs and absurdities that come of such ancient and timehonored privilege and vested abuse.

Tt is really discreditable to the colonies that they continue. Of course they will pass away before the advance of common sense, and every time they come in collision with anybody their absurdity becomes more manifest. When "privilege" laid hold of citiz3n George Jones some years ago, it did not know how to get rid of him ; and it would appear aa if he had almost broken "privileges" back, and he set the whole world a-laughing at it. Of courae, Parliament could have seized me, and played Old Harry with me. It didn't though ; but I have very little doubt that if it had, I would have been the last martyr. But it is time that this should stop, so that Parliament should cease affecting to be above criticism. These absurd pretentions neither contribute to it dignity nor help it in the I least to perform its important and noble duties. However, I hope that the Wellington journals will now got up from crawling on their bellies, and stand erect like men. If they are afraid of themselves, don't let them say that other people, who are not afraid of bigwigs, are merely seeking notoriety. It is mean to talk that way, and not worthy of metropolitan journalism. And, finally, pleaßo give us proof that you at least are not afraid to face the truth by publishing this, my letter, in cxtenso. — I am, &j., G. M. Reed, Editor of the Evening Bell.