MR TRAVERS AND THE HON. JOHN JOHNSTON.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVII, Issue 3116, 6 February 1871, Page 3

MR TRAVERS AND THE HON. JOHN JOHNSTON.

. — — — ♦ ■ (TO THE EDITOR OF THE INDEPENDENT.) ! Sir, — Having been requested by Mr JohnBton to place myself in communication with Mr Travers in reference to certain charges reported to have been made in your issuo of 2nd instant by Mr Travers against Mr [ohnston, I have the honor to forward you the enclosed correspondence, and to request thafc you will publish it. — I have the honor to be, •ir, your obedient servant, I. E. Featherston. Wellington, 4th Feb., 1871. Deab Dr. Featherston, — In reference to our conversation yesterday afternoon, I now write you as promised. In tho first place I absolutely repudiate all responsibility for the statements or reports of the Independent or " Advertiser." In the next place, I positively deny over having usod the words "You're a liar, a slanderous liar; you're a liar in private life ;" or any words of Bimilar import respecting Mr Johnston, in the sense imputed in the Independent. Afc the meeting referred to, Mr Johnston, in the course of his speech, said deliberately, and in a manner giving point to the matter, charged Mr Richmond and myself with untruthfulness, at all events politically ; and made, in support of that statement, bo far as regarded myself, an allegation, that after I had uttered a gushing speech about some "toad of despotism," in 1854, " I had on the very next clay, accepted the oflice of Attorney- General under that toad." I denied this statement in the plainest terms, bufc Mr Johnston replied, ." that if his eyes had not deceived him, only . two days before, ho had seen my appointment in the Government Gazette." Further on in the evening, after Richmond bad concluded some remarks in reply to Mr Hart's speech, a Mr Wiggins camo forward to address the meeting. His observations did not appear to "go down." and many peraons left the Hall, creating, in doing so, come noiso and confusion. The Chairman then addressed tke meeting, suggesting that both Richmond and myself had had a fair and attentive hearing, and that it was not proper that our supporters (whom he charged wifch the interruption of Mr Wiggins' speech) should act as they were doing. I then got up, and whilst being hooted and yelled afc by Mr Pearce's frieuds, I in a loud voice (necessary to overcome the din), told the ohairman " that the reason Richmond and myself had been listened to quietly, was thafc we had never indulged in offensive allusions to our opponents, whilst we were constantly made tho subject of violent attacks by a pack of scandalous vagabonds." Immediately after■wa.de I charged Mr Johnston with " uttering a pack of fnlsehoods about myself, under the protection of the platform, which he would not dare to utter to me privately." Mr JohnBton then said, in a sneering manner, " that he was happy to find his remarks had sunk so deep." I then told him, " that if he ventured still to affirm the truth of what he had stated, I should look upon him as a scandalous liar, and thafc I should treat him aa such, both iv public and private lifo." I admit, that I spoke excitedly, and that I ought not, in deference either to my own position or that of Mr Johaston, to have used auch language, but I naturally felfc angry at Mr Johnston's persisting in the assertious he had made. If Mr Johnston will admit to you in writing that he was in error in stating that I had aocepted the appointment he referred to, and withdraw the chargo of untruthfulness in political life which he made againsfc me, I am perfectly willing to withdraw, and express my regret for having used any offensive expressions towards him. — I am, dear Dr FeathersBton, yours faithfully, Wm. Thos. Locke Trayers. The Hon. Dr Featherston, Wellington. The Terrace, Feb. 4th, 1871. Dear Featherston,~l readily admit I was inaccurate in my statement, based ou a apeech reported in Hansard, thafc Mr Travers was in 1854 gazetted as Attorney-General; for on reference to the Gazette I find that Mr Travers was gazetted, not as Attorney- General, but as a member of the Executive Council only. I mußt further add that on going over every word I uttered on Wednesday evening (in the endeavour to account to myself for such an extraordinary ebullition of feeling on the part of Mr Travers and Mr Richmond), the only ones I desire to change are those o( political untruthj ulness, for which I would willingly substitute political inconsistency. While saying this however, I wish to guard myself against admitting the accuracy of Mr Travers' statement of what occurred at the meeting, or of tho expressions he there used as being correct. It is however satisfactory to mo to find that Mr Travers " Absolutely repudiates all responsibility for tho statement or reports of the Independent or " Advertiser," and positively denies ever having used the words "you're a liar, a slanderous liar, you're a liar in private life" or any words of similar import respecting myself in fche sense imputed in the Independent." — Yours very truly, John Johnston.