Wanganui Chronicle. AND PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. "NULIA DIES SINE LINEA." THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1886.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIX, Issue 11126, 11 February 1886, Page 2

Wanganui Chronicle. AND PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. "NULIA DIES SINE LINEA." THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1886.

The recent riots in England's great metropolitan city are being set down as the natural and justifiable results of the pitiful state of things disclosed in "the bitter cry of outcast London." Far be it from us to say that men, poverty" stricken and out of employment, should be content to lie down and die, without uttering words of reproach or remonn strance, or indeed using language very inuob stronger still—when all round about them there is bread enough and to spare. In cases of famine, arising from failure of crops, Government have recognised the responsibility thrust upon them of providing for the necessities of the starving people ; and we hold that the responsibility is not less imperative, nor the necessity less urgent, when the starvation is the result, not of lack of food, but of the means of procuring it. Indeed, in the latter oase the sense of wrong on the part of the sufferers must be intensely aggravated. Men may well fall to the ground in the hopelessness of a terrible despair, when a country's food supply runs out ; but ii; is quite a different thing, and excites very different feelings, when a man realises the aggravated mockery of being condemned to starve, with plenty staring him ia the face wherever he turns his eyes, "Give me work, or give me bread," is a perfectly legitimate demand, in the case of a man who finds himself quite unable to procure either in a legitimate way ; and we should certainly entertain more respect for the man who would lay violent hands upon the bread neoessary to pre» serve the lives of his perishing family, than for him who, in submission to the peaceful preservation of law and order, would sit down with lamb-like resignation and watch his children die. But while we hold such views with regard to the rights of humanity where life is in peril from laok of food and the means of obtaining it, we hold equally strongly that very little quarter should be given to the indolent, the improvident, and the habitually lawless. How much of Bham distress may be represented by meetings of the unemployed, we have had plenty of evidence to show in New Zealand, and how shamelessly people sometimes try to foist themselves upon hospitals and benevolent sooieties, even in a colony like this, those can testify who have had to do with the managetnent of such institutions. But to return to the London unemployed meeiing. The nature of the dastardly acts of violence resorted to during the voluntary diaper* eal of the mob, go to show that the socalled riots were not the ungovernable and savage outbursts of men suffering from grievous wrongs, and who with their little ones were in great straits for lack of food. Bather does it seem to have been an organised raid by the army ofLondon piokpookets and roughs, who played the part of army camp followers to the unemployed demonstration, and under cover of the reckless language and foolish and violent conduct of the leading rioters, seem to have made quiok work of spoiling the jewellers and wine sellers and robbing the foot and carriage passengers on the line of march. While the " unemployed" found temporary occupation in the purposeless mischief of smashing windows, and others made •sport for themselves in the bread and wine shops, the horde of London thieves rapidly and violently appropriated all the valubles upon which they could lay their hands. It was a bad day's work for the police. To allow the roughs thus to get the upper hand is like letting the tiger's whelp taste blood, and broods mischief in the near future, which the guardians of the peaca will have some difficulty in pre* venting or controlling. If once the three-score and ten thousand who represent the criminal olasses in the city of London fully realiso the extent to which the city is at their mercy, fearful and unparalleled destruction of property may be expected to ensue ; and stern, vigorous, and bloody repression will then be necessary before they will again be got under effective control.