THE OKATO CONVENTION.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11607, 23 August 1899, Page 3

THE OKATO CONVENTION.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,— l was there. J.J.E. was noh Hearsay evidence is of no value in Court. In this case it is untrue. Warea was not mentioned. Cowspankers not referred to. The Okato hoel not alluded to. I said, in substance, and I take the responsibility of repeating, and J J.E. is ignorant, or worse, iE he denies it, that I knew from personal observation that some young men who took bush contracts for felling, fencing, &o , (not all by any means), and after exposure, solitude, and tent fare, deservedand ought to have feast and holiday) but knockiug down their cheque because of hotel inducement, when "on their. beam ends" in conse. quence were driven to accept low wages from necessity, and so kept labour value down, whereas otheiwise they might have rational feast and holiday, bank ibe balance, and be in a fair way soon to buy their own section, work on it, leave the labour market, and become purchasers of wire, etc , etc ,in their turn and contrw butors to public revenue and colouial prosperity instead of in their old age needing old men's homes or pensions. An objector at close of meeting said he repudiated the statement that all the bushmen knocked down their cheques ; only 10 per cant, did so. I replied that if 10 per cant, did, the 90 per cent, ought to deny themselves for the. ten's sake. 1 say so still, and, mark, it was not I who stated that even 10 per cent, knocked down their cheques. Au anti-ProhibU tionist did that. It h became I am the friend and almirer of thesa stalwart young New Zsalauders, who deujiugly make farms possible in place of forests so that others like J JE. may daily s;o to factory and enjjy tho comfort so hardly and nobly woa. It never occurred to me that the presence of tho " man in blue "' wjs necssary "to protect" the spfpkers at a Prohibition meeting. I hold a higher opinion of tho district in which I have tha privilege to live. Let me commend to J J.B. the reading of Number 9, Decalogue: "Thou thalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour," and Lord Wynford's remarks on the Bench a3 follows: " My opinion of the liberty of the press is that every man ought to be permitted to instruct his fellow subjects that every mm may fearlessly advance any new doctriaes That h4 rray point out errors in the measures o£ public men, Lut ha must not impute crimiaal conduct to them 'ihe liberty of the press cannot ba earned on to this extent without violating another equally sacred right, the right of character. Thh right can only be attacked in a Court of Jastice, where the party attacked his a fair opportunity of defending himself. Where vituperaiion begins the liberty of the press ends." Why does not J J E. come out into the open, give us hh full name, and tell us who spoke the lies and what they were at the meeting to which he refers, instead of asperaing and stigmatisiag men I venture to say every whit a3 honourable as himself ? We should then know what to do, but on behalf of the chairman, speakers, and all who as prohibitionists took part, I maintain, without fear of honest contradiction, that sincerity, humanity, and benevolent intention, coupled with some heroic courage, was characteristic of all their utterances. "A fair fialJ aud no favour" is all wo ask, and " God defend tho right." — I am, &c, John H. White. Rahotu, August 22, 1899.

The Rev. J. Olphert also write 3 denying that the expression complained of by J J.E. was U3«d. He concludes hte lei-ter thaa: —"J.J.E. makts a very grave charge against ministers who are now advocating Prohibition. In reply, I throw down a challenge. I know personally or by repute almo3t all the clerical workers in the Prohibition movement in New Zealand, and I challenge him to name to a committee of three (it would be libellous for him to publish them) the names of, not s'-x out of 100, but three in the whole of th 9 colony, who have been guilty of such ' (iv ' as to cau3O ' ecindals ' in the churches; and let the committee decide whether or not 'These on ing? of my clerical friends have done nure harm, produced more crime, aud induced more drink than all the hotels in New Zealand.' Let him either do this or stand condemned of shamefully slandering the ministers of all the churches of New Zealand."