"MALICIOUS BACK BITING."

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 85, 3 November 1880, Page 2

"MALICIOUS BACK BITING."

TO. THE BMTOB. ■ Sißprl must congratulate you upon' the very liagenious manner m which .you have dissected tne individual personalities of the' editor of The Times and Councillor fßuugan^oolJy appropriating for the the. former 1 the credit of b(»ag" the' champion of openness tuid fair-play, "and shelving the charge of " mali<nbus tack-biting " on to tha .laeter 1. However/ 1 suppose it is one of the tricka' of the profession; and I must ". grin and bsar it."' With regard .to Mr.- Carl Jorgensen's strictures : although I am somewhat at a loss to know by what pre-emptive iight he has called met 6an aecDunt, or why I should make him my F a fcher s Confessor, as to." what are. my serious charges," or "who brought them 7 to me;'-' still if the information is of interest ita him, he! is.qtdte wel-* come to, it. I dd'ribfc know' w*hy lie should aak^ wJmtaremy serioiis^arges/i'wheri tstat^ at the Council .meeting openly that f.*3eriohs. complaints had been made againt- Mr. Griiff 'of his' tyranny over his oountrymen •" and m feet, the very..es:pressioh ofthe nature-of the complaiht has'" brought forth Mr.Joi^gensen's letter; and-flat con-' tradieiion. Now, as to the persons from whom I derived my information; perhaps Mr. Jorgensen will be disgusted to- learn that Thad the mast: serious complaint from one. of Mr. Graff's strong-' est; supporters at the Cwueil; table^\gentiemaii who seconded his appointment, and yet, an/tour, afterwai-ds, denounced him as unfit to hold the position on.accqMit Qf. cruelty, which he himsetf had witnessed." When I compare my conduct with," that of the .supporiera of Mr. Graff, I think the> public will have an idea -that Mr. Jorgen_enhas ,• saddled the; wrong horseL with "malicious back-" in "T-'' i 1 ™ay sayitbatTi a few ; days'-pfevions "to" the Council meeting, Mr. Graff came to me, and" aok.edme if any of the intending applicants for the Bangership had been maderto irie for niy support ? I replied m the affirmative, but told-hLn! that the answer I had- given was that I declined" to pledge 'myself. I stated that' l considered it very unwise to give a distract pledge to any person for any office until fully aware of tie names of all' ; the applicants, as at the last moment a than eminently fitted tmight apply, and then faith! would" have to be broken with the person to whom the* pledge was given; or a good man would beset! aside for an inferior one. -He stoppedfor soinecon-' siderable time dilating upon his own merit-, but Isfceadfastly held to the expressed of • yotiug'f or th e* best man, whoever hemight'be*. " It is' needless to repeal what took pla.ee at the Cotmcil, * as it has been already .reported. Mr. Jorgensen" says I should give "the: name of "my infor.nMit3." I may tell them that I did' not wait to be streagKhened.by his advice m my action, - for'the' very next" morning I s^w Mr. Graff, told'him why I had not.' supported Mm ; ; aid more; than that—gave him the names of those from' wh.om v I had the information. . It is certainly rather a.singuhM- thing" that' I had never opened my lips to the tWo eouncilloi'sV who had endorsed -the. complaints against Mr,"' Gmff, and theirVtestiin,on,V : took me somewhat by snvprise; while those who supported him had often referred-to his actions*: Inowasfcthe public has mv conductbeen that of " maliciously* settiag' the ball of back-biting rolling ;*" or" have I done my duty m openly makiag a statement, having it! reported, and then giving _Mr. Giaff my authori-' ties ? "f^ersoTJatly I have, nothing whatever to say" asainst Mr. Graff,, who has always been civil, courteous, and obliging, and as far as I could see, when m prosecution of his. Court duties, has.beeiC ;a most attentive and zealous officer. . Onlthat ac-" count I am very much pleased to hear the statement made by Mr. Jbrgehson as to the estimation m whioh he is held -by his countrymen. -At the Council meejang the Chairman called for a freeexpression of .opinion, and having heard' what I did, I wouldhavebeen waiting in'my 1 dutydid I— from any interested motive or fsar of the eonseguence—keep sUea"; on the occasion, "tfock-b'-'gßg*. is an art which I have not cultivated ; oh , the .con- ' trary, I have an 'unhappy habit bf speaking my mind a little too plainly.-. I Iqiow I am not possessed of the "wisdomof tiie serpent," and geY nerally call a spade a spade. I feel that I have hitherto given some offence by the line of conduct. I' have pursued ;;' I.know that this letter may lose" me some friends; hut even* at -s-^J-LJiii^sacriftce I cannot allow myself to "be bran<*JßTas that most, contemptible of- all charactersT-a. cowardly: SlaSi-' deref. I -freely s admit that I 1 have made -inany^ mistakes, and been gnlity of some injustices, but I- c-'ji conscientiously say that while T have tried to remedy the first, I have taken the earliest opportunity of atoning- for the latter^ la "the present c ;se I feel that I simply ; did jay duty ; had I 1 * done Mr. Graff an injustice; there would he no one mora anxious to make reparation than — " ' • -' - ■ • — y otnrg 4 0) y . Johk b. Dtogam.