Breach of Privilege.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1846, 18 June 1886, Page 2

Breach of Privilege.

There has been a Breach of Privilege question before Parliament. Some irreverent “ special correspondent ” —and as a rule the small fry of New Zealand Parliamentary correspondents are unspeakable liars—has sent a story to the Canterbury Press about Vogel having tried to bribe Mr J. C.Buokland, into voting with the Government in the 11 No Confidence " division, to grant all he wanted for his constituency. Well, Vogel made a great row in the House, talked of gross ” breach of privilege,” and said he would “go for ” the Canterbury Press, by criminal indictment and civil process, in action for libel, However, the House practically let the “breach of privilege ” question drop, and so the pure, unsullied, virtuous and honorable Vogel may now seek satisfaction against the offending newspaper, m the Supreme Court. But Vogel won’t do anything of the sort. He knows too much to make such a confounded fool of himself as to become plaintiff in such a trumpery libel action. We really wonder if Vogel did try to “ rope in Mr Buckland." Perhaps what we have now written is not only ” a gross breach of privilege,” but is also actionable by civil process and criminal indictment. Well, if so, we are ready to stand the racket. We know by personal experience that a breach of privilege business and being called upon " to stand at the Bar of Parliament, and purge ourselves of contempt for that august body,” is oue of the most ridiculous farces iu the world, in which a plucky newspaper man who won’t apologise, always get the best of it. We also know that threats of civil actions and criminal indictments very often don’t amount to much especially when the would be plaintiff has such a very queer and questionable “ record” as that possessed by Sir Julius Vogel.