THE COROMANDEL NEWS ON THE LIBEL CASE.

Thames Star, Volume III, Issue 1669, 9 May 1874, Page 2

THE COROMANDEL NEWS ON THE LIBEL CASE.

There is a moral as well as a judicial side to the charge of libelfjijstituted by Captain Frascr against Mr. Reed and Mr. Brett, and-there is a political one also. With^ i<he judicial ( features! of the case, we*'h* are notfiMg at this stage of the proceedings to say, but there our forbearance will fairly endi if > ?■• Guifty drnot guilty in law, Mr.! Heed's (for Mr. Brett is a mere barber's block in .^.^w;, .■'* ; '. ■■' .■■:■■'.uij-m:---^

the windows of the Sljss office) attacks on Captain Fraser have 'aroused the open indignation and , condemnation of the Thames and Coromanderpeople; to whom Captain Fraser js and was Veil and long known as a most impartial magistrate and honorable man.i „* The people' of Gratiamitown have not hesitated to expfess their abhorrence of the licentious attacks of, the Star, which have not outraged Captain Fi»ser alone, but have branded the inhabitants of their district as a-"•community of thieves." This,expression of indignation has roused the ire of Mr. Seed afresh, and we have now in the columns -.tot the. Stat-^tudther of those bitter, personal, trenchant,, bi^t gtdlssjy vulgar productions' whicji fcharaCteriso t\x6 pen of that er- minister of the Gospel, and which have placed his paper "fn the same position amongst journals that in a, former, generation the professed arid 4eMly du'ellfsl; held in society—tolerafcejd only through r fear, and.,£olerated only, until some Douglas bell-the-cat whose well established character *«nd position \ jcould enable him to do so, came forward and putting ordinary etiquette on one side thrashed ,hjm,wjthin, an. inch ; qf his life TefusipghimAlLptte^satjsfaction.r This, metaphorically .speaking. Captain Eras^rw .has^done, and the thanks of the people of thisProyince may well be gratefully accorded him. ■ ■■'

]Vlr. Reed, nas fairly thrown his case opento public* ' criticism, though it'is aia , yet ''ssub judice/' by himself, in the Stajf, discussing iCs merits ;" but' we hare no' v msh> tq ; take advantage of the 'position. What^eiwould^draw attention to are the subsequent outrages on public feeling and common decency which have during the last: few- days characterised the columns ,of the, KjStar.-, We have seen shameless creatuPets; in >the. 'dopk, wko'^ when thjj Mag^tr^e ha,s_l .passed sentence upoii them,, have turned round and; applied the vilest of language to the Bench, the wit!.'nessejs,' and the prosecutor, but we never remember having seen one of this class who had not the patience; to'wait first foir hi s / sentence, i for wlio :w.as so excitedly violent; that> he' could!'ttbt; restrain his insolence till all 'chance of acquittal wa,s ; lps^si'v/Thie v-'Pjcovineiali-. Treasurer of. the,, jPupvince ,iof'7Auckland knows no ;>s«oh;j 'ptud^htialii lioourse. He tells the Thamesipeople through the Star ttbat it is to him a matter of perfect indiff ferefccg whiafcithey may- think ■or say 'of Mm. ; ■Fdr^thci^fandignati^n^o'r^lpprobaitieri he ,does not care a snap 6$ liis nngSrs', and if they were so offended as to stare their eyes out of their sockets he would simply, he says, wink at them with the corner 'of ' His left eye. " The wholq Thames community fiiay go to blazes scj far aspwe arej^conceSrned^ writes tbis( model statesman-Hthis* 1 expectant of the pliicp bf Minister fof Jiailways-but we are muck-mistaken if so gross an outrage on one of the most important populations of the province, if language such7as this applied to the people _by, a member of the Executive- I—will1—will be alowed to pass by unpunished.' This4s strong language for the Pi ovincial Treasurer to' use. It is bad enough for one of the* proprietor^ and editor; i of^th'e:rStar?~to, wrjte in this strainrbttt fora .person 'holqing responsible office of Provincial Treasurer, to do so is 'an outrage on public decency! which ip, \^iUj^?diß^np^r> ifor> the Pro I vince and for the local Legislature to' condone.' '*• . i