The Wanganui Chronicle AND RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. TUESDAY, MAY 14, 1901. "THE IRISH PEOPLE."

Wanganui Chronicle, 14 May 1901, Page 2

The Wanganui Chronicle AND RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. TUESDAY, MAY 14, 1901. "THE IRISH PEOPLE."

What has, Ireland done that she' should be" so frequently held up to ridicule by thoso who profess to be,her friends? Well may the loyal Irish sons of the Empire ask themselves the question. Violence of ' speech is nob a new weapon among a, certain class of so-called patriots, but we have never been able to bring ourselves to bslieve that that class is any more representative of the Irish people as a whole than is the street-comer labour1 agitator the representative of lionest working men. The latest scandal which has brought disgrace, upon the Emerald Isle is the workof a scurrilous publication which has the audacity to style itself "The Irish People." The offence committed by this publication appears to have been exceptionally heinous, and to have been the culmination of a series of violent attacks upon the King, the Government and the Empire. Tho severity of the measures adopted for the suppression of the libel, the seizure by Government authority of the whole edition of the paper, is in itself a proof of the extrairdintiry gravity of the offence. The liberty enjoyed by tue British press is proverbial. .The pro-Boer publications of Stead, attacking the policy of the nation and the. political honour of its representatives, stand as irrefutable evidence of the broad and long-enduring tolerance of tlie loyal British public. c When that fact is borne in mind it can be readily understood that tlie attack made upon tho private character of King Edward must have been grossly foul and obscene. Indeed Tho Times goes ko far as to say that the libel "is comparable in falsehood and bad taste to tho worst outbreaks of the French gutter press during the Fashcda incident." What this means can only be fully understood by those who havo had ocular demonstration of the filthiness of the French publications, and of the cruel and cowardly attacks which in dirty language and dirtier caricature thoso scandalous publications made upon our late revered Queen. Mr John Dillon .seeing that ho dare not attempt to justify the language used by the paper, would lir.ve served his country better had .he raised his voice in condemnation of the libel instead of bracketing the sacred name of freedom with what the I?ight Hon. Mr Balfour rightly described as a foul and poisonous weapon. No fault whatever can be found with the action of the Government in tlrs matter. Unwarranted official interference with the freedom of tho press would not be tolerated by the public, but we venture to say that no Honest, clean-minded man will raise his roico in defence of that -publication which ias so outrageously violated decency and norality, and so wantonly nbu.scd the ir.niu of "The Jri.s!) People."