THE Wellington Independent Tuesday, February 21,1880. TRUTH WILL OUT.

Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1407, 21 February 1860, Page 3

THE Wellington Independent Tuesday, February 21, 1880. TRUTH WILL OUT.

Of all the lame flogs that ever wanted helping over a style, the Advertiser is one of the lamest. Having denounced the conduct of the Superintendent in not j conferring the gaolership on Mr. Barry, , M.P.C., as a political blunder — having admitted that the deadlock was only continued because His Honor did'nt avail himself of the vacancies that might "be 1 made in the rowdy ranks, the Advertiser now tries to cover its retreat from the legitimate conclusions to which these denunciations and admissions lead, by asserting that it has been held as a political axiom, from the days of Wai pole to the present, " that every man has his prica," an assertion which certainly does ! not in any way improve our cotempo- ■ rary's position, and, if carried to its logical consequences, would induce the i belief that were the hook properly baited : — did the Superintendent choose to offer j a " sufficient price" the opposition of the rowdy organs, as well as that of the rowdy councillors might be considerably modified. It is very amusing to observe the cool way in which our cotemporary now disavows the .championship of those individual members of Council whom it has so long backed. No better proof can be given of how. low some of them must have fallen in public estimation, when even the Advertiser blushes at the idea of being thought their approvers, and, adding insult to injury, not only throws them overboard but twit 3us with being " ignorant of the fact that a principle may be true though its exponent may bo false ; and that an opposition to a government may be not only justifiable but worthy of all encouragement, while the conduct of some of those who compose it may be neither admired nor justified." Truth will out, and now that the Advertiser admits that some of the " Radical Reformers" need a little reforming themselves — in fact that a few of them are " false " and the conduct of others neither to be "admired nor justified," we may hope that the public will take care how they again trust the intei'ests of the Province into such unfit hands. But the Advertiser even goes further than this. Having had its eyes opened to the true character of the exponents of " Radical reform" principles, it "candidly acknowledges that if they continue the bitter contests of the last two years, the Province will go rapidly to the dogs. Lest we should be accused of misrepresentation, we extract the passage entire. " We have repeatedly sad that neither of the two parties into which our leading politicians are divided represent public opinion. Although we believe that the radical majority deserve the thanks of the community for opposing to the utmost of their power the encroachments of the Executive, and the usurpations of the Superintendent, we are nevertheless persuaded that in the opinion of vast numbers, who do not pin their faith to the skirts of Dr. Feather. ston, that these bitter, personal, party contests will, if continued, send the province to the dogs; and hence perhaps their apparent apathy." Although the Advertiser is thankful for the opposition offered to the encroachments of the Government, yet it professes to be fully conscious that a vast number of radicals — of men who " do not pin their faith to the skirts of Dr. Featherston," — are alive to the serious injury which a continuation of this opposition will inflict. We trust that the Advertiser , as a mirror of public opinion and desirous for the good of the Province, will second the conviction of

the " vast number" of radical reformers ■ to which it alludes, and advocate the ' abandonment of such factious opposition • as was manifested when the Council refused to consider a single government, measure, not even those for providing! employment and improving the commercial facilities of the port, by the reclamation of the beach and the erection of a wharf. Who can doubt that a reaction has taken place, when the Adver- \ User seconds that which we have so repeatedly stated, that numbers of those who were the most zealous in the Wakefield interest two years ago, are now tired and disgusted with the fruits of his " bull-dog policy." We are fully aware that two wrongs do not make a right, and however wicked we might become, we hope it would never be a source of satisfaction to us to see our cotemporary wicked also. We are <X: eadfully wicked we know ; Aye are a second Topsy in the eyes of Aunt Advertiser. We always misrepresent, we did so in our last — we uttered " a gross and palpable untruth, with the full consciousness at the time that it was false," and yet in its article of Wednesday, and again in that of Saturday, the Advertiser villifies the Government for not issuing a writ to fill up the. vucancy in the Hiitt, and brings the delay forward (coupled with the government's impolicy in neglecting to create a vacancy in the town, through not giving the recent appointment to Mr. Barry), as evidence that the deadlock suits the Superintendent's purpose, or that the constitutional party fear a deteat there. Is the editor sure that a vacancy exists in the Hutt, or is he, to use his own words, uttering " a gross and palpable untruth, with the full consciousness at the time that what he uttered was false?" As the Advertiser has said ovev and over again that there is a vacancy in that district, we presume ho must be privately aware of some resignation having taken place which has not yet reached the ear of the public. It cannot certainly have been misled by Mr. Wilcock's highly interesting letter to the Hutt electors, stuck up in a public house there; nor by the second and somewhat similar one, which the same individual has more recently shewn to a select few. Our cotemporary must be above palming any such contemptible subterfuge as this upon its readers, to mislead them and villify the Superintendent, or else it is another illustration of Satan taking upon himself the correction of sin. The Advertiser sh6u\<\ clear itself.* 1 It should show that tnere is a vacancy; or else do penance in its own pilldry for uttering " a gross and palpable untruth, Avith the full consciousness at the time that it was false." The fact is there is jno vacancy at the Hutt ; but it suited 1 the Advertiser's purpose t j say there was, and because we did not think it worili while to contradict it, it grows bold, repeats the falsehood, and makes the most of it. The Advertiser is very sore at our calling it " Mr. Bowler's paper/ as if it was born in a corner, and nobody knew anything of its " broughtings up." " Was it," asks the writer, "to gratuitously annoy Mr. Bowler, who is acknowledged by his opponents to be one of our most enterprising men, or was it to damage the credit of a rival office." The Advertiser is humble enough to believe that it must be annoying to Mr. Bowler to be supposed to be in any way connected with it, and vain enough to imagine that its Bills would be less marketable with Mr. Bowler's name on the back than without it, since our coupling that gentlemen's name with the Advertiser iis construed into an attempt to damage its credit ! Pray good frog don't inflate yourself any more, or you will certainly burst. The public know well enough what ays mean when we call you Mr. BoAvler's paper, and with us can alike laugh at your professions of your OAVn independency, and at your ignorance of ourselves.