Untitled

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 379, 19 November 1889, Page 2

“ALL RIGHT WHEN UNDERSTOOD.’’ Mb Andrew Graham is a most unfortunate man, and gets into all kinds of trouble simply because he allows his tongue to wag too freely. Mr Graham ought to be far enough advanced in yeais to know what truth is contained in the proverb that /•’ Silence is golden.” There was no necessity wWever to make the statement he did about the Assets Company, but having done so he should have come forward at once and explained that he said something very different to what he meant to say. All he had to do was to write a letter to each of the two local papers, and the whole thing would have blown over. Instead of taking some action of the kind he allowed the statement to go forth and offered no explanwtien until nearly a fortnight- later

while in the meantime very severe criticisms had been made by the Press of the colony and the district itself held up to opprobrium. Not content with an explanation Mr Graham makes the serious accusation that his words have been “ twisted ” into a different meaning to that intended, and he insinuates that there has been an attempt to make political capital out of the statement. As the articles which have been given on the subject in toe Wellington Post, Napier News, Wairarapa Star, and other papers, were feunded upon the report which appeared in the Gisboknb Standard, we take the accusation as being applied to ourselves. We have already stated that we have no wish to attack Mr Graham —not even on political grounds—now that he is down in the world, but he ought to be careful not to abuse that consideration. If he attempts to deny the accuracy of our report we shall know how to deal with him ; if he does not, then we ask him or anyone else to point out how the following words can possibly be “ twisted ” to mean anything beyond what is unmistak< ably conveyed : " Debtor: One of the principal reasons that induced me to come out for th'. House was that I thought I would be able to fix up some titles of theirs, I succee led in fixing up some I believe would not be fixed up if I was not in the House,” We challenge Mr Graham to deny that the statement is as it fell from his lips, that a word has been added or a word omitted. If Mr Graham is the man we believe him to be he will not delay in making an apology for the grave and baseless charge he has made against some of the leading newspapers in the colony, and in a friendly spirit we advise him to take early action in the matter.