Correspondence.

Colonist, Volume XX, Issue 2355, 28 February 1878, Page 3

Correspondence.

To the Editor of the Colonist.

Sib,—Wo have had a number' of letters, articles , and scurrilous writings upon the action of Mr. Gray but all seem to be fighting a shadow, i.e., the reniurks made by, him, which have se(; a certain party alive to clear the Council of his disagreeable presence; weshali 8»o with what result! The real question at issue, which I asked in my last; has not been noticed •' How is it that the Council (excepting Air. Gray); voted for the passing' !of £11 8a for certain w&rk done by the Surveyor which, the Committee had no power to do, and the Council, never authorised? thus supporting public servants in doing that which was contrary to law, and stultifying their own positions as Councillors. Then, let me ask, who voted for it P Why, Messrs Little, Everett, Hooper, and Hounsell (the latter I .forgive, being new blood) — these patterns held up by your evening contemporary, who casts all sorts of abuse upon your paper through its late able (?) reporter for inserting a defence of the right and the ratepayers' inlereste. '.'.* I trust, in spite of the large committee fighting against Mr. Gray, the ratepayers will roll up with one aooord supporting the right man althougn only one who will act conscientiously in their interest. One of the Mail's correspondents who was deprecating such writing as its late Reporter's was upholding the Editor as one who was fair and just in all his writings. Now, let us notice this man of fair play, he could not even allow that letter to appear in his paper one day without writing a long article trying to pick it to pieces. Why ? because it was in favor of Mr Gray. So much for fair, play. One correspondent went v far as to say that Mr Gray ought to be brought before a court of law. Let mo ask that man to take the beam out of his own eye before he tries to take the mote out of his brothers' eye. And now, sir, what have we adduced against Mr Gray? Why, the mobt that can be said—iustly, mind that—"he was,too impetuous in leaving the Counoil." Yet reasons oan be brought forward for doing that; one of these is that only one reporter was there, who was, and has been, bitterly opposed to him, and has not correotly reported faota as regards Mr Gray's speech or lay ings. On the other hand, if what the opposition avers is true, what does it amount to ? Let me ask them to read Hansard. See the grave charges made there against public servants, which if taken up in the same spirit, the speakers would have been hung long ago (in vro' portion) The truth is, it is all smoke; 'and when we see this olearing away, our lace Cr., Mr Gray, •tands justified bj the Batenayers of Nelson.—Yours, &o. t 1 ' ' '"'• ■ Batkpatee. ,\,