FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

Observer, Volume XXI, Issue 1180, 10 August 1901, Page 2

FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

Mr Seddon's Device to Muzzle the Press. MR SEDDON has devised further legislation to muzzle freedom of speech in New Zealand. His latest ' Liberal ' measure is a Criminal Libel Bill, under which libel is placed in the same catalogue of crimes as highway robbery and house-breaking, and the editor and owner of a newspaper are made liable for lengthy periods of imprisonment with hard labour for publishing matter " designed to insult the person of whom it is published, or likely to injure his reputation by exposing him to hatred, contempt, or ridicule, whether expressed in words legibly marked on any substance, or by any object signifying such matter otherwise than by words, and may be expressed either directly or by insinuation or irony.'.' ••• ••• ••• Such a luw as this would be the death knell of freedom of speech in this colony. It gives no privilege whatever to the Press. Hitherto, a free interpretation of the law is that a newspaper was entitled to reasonable latitude in criticism so long as the matter was true, without malice and for the public good. But Mr Seddon makes no reservation. To insult a man by word of mouth is punishable by a small fine. To insult him in a newspaper means that the editor, owner and publisher of the newspaper must go to gaol for several years ( and break stones in the company of hardened criminals. ••• ••• ••• The grossest political abuses might occur in the government of a country, but, under Mr Seddon's law, not a newspaper would dare open its lips in disapproval or condemnation. To do bo would make the editor, proprietor and publishers of the paper criminals. The ! rogue and swindler and the political boodler would alike be free to carry on their operations without feaj? of exposure or comment. Onehalf of the letters published in the daily papers at the present moment would render their writers, such as " Pro Bono Publico," •" Constant Reader," and others of that kidney, liable for criminal service in 'the gaols of the colony. | The leader columns of newspapers, except such as slavishly grovel at the feet of the ruling Administration, would be done away with altogether, and even the publication of ordinary items of news would be undertaken by journalists at great risk of becoming" criminals, ••• ••• .«. We have a shrewd suspicion that •Mr Seddon is finding some suoh drastic and autocratic law as this an immediate necessity. Within the next year or two, there will be such a washing of public dirty linen as will electrify the colony. It

is well that the Press of the colony should he muzzled in good time. Mr Seddon dreads criticism more than any other public man who has been in power in New Zealand ih our time, and in view of forthcoming revelations, he is probably wise to make criticism a criminal offence. ••• ••• ••• Designing fetters for the Press seems to be a favourite occupation of some of our legislators just now_ Mr Fisher's Bill, which was shelved on Thursday, is a case in point. It is interesting to observe also that alleged Liberals such as Messrs Napier, McGowan and Houston gave it their support. It will be interesting to observe what defence they will make of their conduct on the public platform. There is always a section of the nublic who hold that tho Press already have too much freedom. These people, however, arc the first to condemn newspapers for want of independence and fearlessness in exposing abuses. In these days, however, it is not safe to expose abuses, and neither does it pay.- If Mr Seddon gets his way, it will not even be safe to publish a newspaper.