Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

6 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

GOD BLESS OUR SAILOll PRINCE.

TENBY.

CORRESPONDENCE.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

CORRESPONDENCE. Wt do not consider ourselvesrespontible for the opinions and sentiment. of our Correspondents SIR,—Tbe correspondence between Fisbguardian and myself is, doubtless, getting tedious to your readers. I am conscious that I ought to have treated with silence and contempt anonymous correspondents who revel in falsehood and personalities. Some friends have drawn my attention to the inutility of noticing writers of sueb stamp, one of whom observe*, "I have read with much disgust a letter in Potter'4 News, signed 'Fishguardiao,' 10 which the writer uses most vituperative language ia reference to you, Whatever r letter or letters you have published I am aware that you always -attached your name and signature to. Uon- sequently you ought to be on equal terms with the person who fires at you behind the shelter of anonymous pro- tection. You obviously have exposed yourself to the designs of an assassin who may be hired to wound and assail, and yet escape that just. and severe chastise. ment which every honest man would infliot upon an unprincipled assailant. Unless, therefore, this creature reveals himself, I would forbear to answer his poisoned missiles; you have many friends who will uphold and second your views as regards the apathy and indifference with which the interests of Miltord Haven and Pembroke Dock have been neglected by their repre sentatives." Another writer In reference to this latter point says, "our Mi-mi-ers are worse than useless, for if we had none, other Members would help us, but now they refer us to our own Members, who are too negligent to make themselves master of the subject. It serves the constituents of the Boroughs right for choosing them." One of my correspondents (in reference to the evidence given before a Select Committee of the House of Commons by an Admiral, who made the following extraordinary (statement: look upon Plymouth as the onlipDockyard Port in ijreat Britain, as a port; it is the only harbour into which a ship can come every day,) writes: 11 1 am much struck with your quotations from t-he Blue Book regarding 'he evidence of AdmirafSymonds regarding Plymouth Yard: anything so monstrous I have rarely, if ever. before seen how an officer could utter such A statement I cannot understand. My astonishment is only exceeded that no Member of Parliament, or even the Lords") the Admiralty, should allow it to remain uncontradicted, which tacitly is a confirmation. The accuracy of your expositions will carry you through triumphant, in spite of the ignorance of some, and hauteur of others, who oppose your views. I am of opinion a meeting should be called by all those parties interested in Pembroke liocl, and Milford Haven generally, and do justice to themselves if others will not do it for them." Far be it from me to iinsinuate that the Member for Haverfordwest can be expected, among his numerous parliamentary or other avocations to p.;ruse every I Blue Book.' But this one related to a suhject of vital importance to Milford Haven, and, indeed, the whole of South Wale*. I believe 1 am in a position to prove that this Committee on Dockyards in 18fH. was selected in rather a doubtful manner, if the interests of the nation at large or only those of particular ports are to be benefitted. I have a letter from a Member of Parliament, (not one of our representatives) stating that he applied to the Chairman toexamine witnesses fro III Pembroke, butwhicb he declined to entertain but who at the same time stated in the House that ho had put on the Committee members for the express purpose of watching the interests of their constituents—and particularly one for the South 01 Ireland (Cork) An extract from an Irish papej; in reference to this, is interesting: "TheGummitteeon Dock- yards and Royal Arsenals have had another sitting, and agreed to a resolution that the establishments at Wool- wich, Deptford, and Pembroke should be given np, that their sites should be sold and the proceeds devoted to the establishment of Dockyards at the places recommended by the Committee. This resolution will be of aid in bringing about the establishment of the Govern-nent Dockyard at Cork, as thr-y cannot decline to carry out the work on the grounds they have not funds a-allable, as the Committee point out where the funds can b. fonnd. In connexion with the sittings of this Com- mittee, a rather amusing circumstance has occurred: (t, seems that one of the witnesses examined was a Captain Stuart, of Cork, a friend of Mr Hpnnessy, who it appears telegraphed to his friend, "We have carried a Government Dockyard for Cork," for which it appears Mr Hennessy was threatened to be had up before the Bar of the House for a breach of privilege. This Com- mittee, by a majority of 9 to 4 proposed the abolition and sale of Pembroke Dockyard, and amongst these nine I do not believe a single one of the". had ever seen Milford Havw. but many of whom were interested in the advance- ment of rival and inferior ports. Surely such exposition- as these ought to prove the correctness of my argument as to the necessity of local advocacy on the part of our representatives. I have confined my remarks to public matters connected with the development o-f Milford Haven, and Railways coming to its shores, and have carefully avoided per- sonalities, but which this writer accuses me of, evideutly with a hypocritical excuse for indulging in them himself, which he does pretty freely; and I have a strong im- pression he does so for the purpose of deterring myself or others from the exposition of doctrines contrary to those advocated by the Member for Haverfordwest, and that the dread of anticipated electioneering contests has driven his partizans to such dishonest devices. This idea appears to be warranted by a speech delivered by the Member for Haveriordwest at the close of the la-t sessions of Parliament, as reported In the Times, 9th August, on the representation of minorities, of which the following is an extract: "When the hon. member for Birmingham said that, the liberties of England would be destroyed if there were no election contests, he could not help thinking that the hon. member spoke, as if the life blood o( all (be election agents and lawyers in the kingdom were flowing in his veins. The fact was that election contests were frequently unmitigated curses, and many places had been seriously injured by their means." These remarks did not appear to have been appreciated by the House, but are, nevertheless, very convenient maxims for certain localities, and for certain candidates. And it is to be h'ed that the reformed House of Commons, when it meets, will take immediate steps for ameliorating these unmitigated curses by passing such laws as may effectually check intimidation, bribery, and corruption, which have hitherto prevaiied to an enormous extent, particularly in Dockyard Boroughs. In the generality of contests, bribery has been a tax on the pockets of the candidates themselves, but in Dockyard Boroughs it has been a tax on the public by placing inferior persons over the heads of their betters, and by spending millions at ineligible ports (which will be almost useless in war time) to bring into Parliament the relatives or supporters of those in power. Any one who will take the trouble to read the reports of El, ction Committees at Chatham, Plymouth, and other places, cannot but concur in the truth of these remarks. I have had some experience in electioneering matters, having on one occasion signed about 400 objections to the claims of fictitious voters—which were nearly all struck off—and on another occasion proposed on the hustings a candidate, whose motto was, The Repeal of the Corn Laws," The Member for Haverfordwest termed this a factious opposition, but. nevertheless, this can- didate was supported by a former Member for the Pem'- broke Boroughs, and one of the most intelligent that has ever represented it I happen to know that on this occasion gross intimida- tion was practised on the workmen, and a black mark placed against the names of those who refused to vote against the wishes of certain Dockyard officers, who were improper!y permitted by the Admiralty to exercise thi< power, and I have many letters by me from arfizans and others, complaining of being coerced in consequence of their having voted according to the dictates of their conscience. If therefore any of our Members should be sincerely desirous of checking these unmitigated curses, which they undoubtedly are, both to the pockets of the candidates as well as to the protection and independence of honest voters —it. is to be hoped that if a Bill is brought in for try ing the experiment of the Ballot in Dockyard Boroughs (where it is most needed) they may support it. The latter part of the letter of thin anonymous writer are mere impertinences, which I pass over; but which if he reveals his name I will notice, At present, notwithstanding his asseverations to the contrary, I can only consider him as the low tool ot a political club, hounded on by his employers to smother tree discussion. In your paper you state "that whatever is intended for insertion must be authenticated by the name and address of the writer as a guarantee of good faithJ" Newspapers are capable of doing good or mischief according as they are honestly or dishonestly, ignorantly or intelligently conducted: uid it would be well that you give up the name of this writer to prove which of these titles most appropriately belong to the Pembrokeshire Herald. I am accused of speaking harshly of public officers. I think I may say (without being charged with egotism) that I have seen more of thos#who have officiated here, than any one in the county, having transacted business with them to a considerable extent for 30 or 40 years, and conclude this letter on a dry subject by an amusing and graphic illustration, which from personal knowledge of otIicial doings I believe to be a faithtul one. WK. ROBURTSON. Hazel Hill, 24th May, 1868. AN OFFICIAL ANSWER. Mr John Bull now knows what kind of answers he may expect from his servants should he again permit the Earl of Derby to take the direction of affairs. Sir Benjamin Hall has done the good service of enabling the public to understand what the Derbyite rule of sincerity and frankness really is. We may, therfore, expect after the next accession of the Derbies and Dizzies to offioe to read something of this kind under the head of Questions to Ministers' in the Parliamentary report. Mr Hume asked the Leader of the House of Commons whether a pension had not been oonferred upon an officer notoriously rich enough not to need it The Leader of the House assured the hon. member that the statement was untrue. At the time the pension was conferr,d the gallant officer in question (upon whom he had pas<ed a high ealogiura) bad not one shilling in the world. (Hear, hear.) The Minister was afterwards heard to remark, pri- vately to a member near him, that this was strictly true, for the officer had nothing but sovereigns, half-crowns, and sixpences about him, and a round balance at his banker's. Mr Gladstone asked the Home Secretary whether it were true that a warrant had yesterday been issued for the execution of David Jones, now under sentence? The Home Secretary Certainly not. (Cheers.) (The hon. gentleman winked at a friend, and said, in a low voice, "It was the day before yesterday.") Lord Talmerston wanted to ask the Secretary for Foreign Affnirs whether he had received dispatches announcing war between Spain and America? The Foreign Secretary said that he had not. (Sen- sation.) (We learned accidentally that there had beett only one dispatch containing this important information.) Mr Sidney Herber wished to ask whether it were true that a Government Emigrant vessel, the Washing Tub had, as was reported, sailed without a Surgeon 011 board ? The first Lord of the Admiralty reported in the most emphatic manner, that neither the Washing Tub,' o°r any other vessel in H.M. service had ever sailed without so necessary an officer. (Lond cheers.) (He privately explained that the 'Washing Tub' was a steamer, and, of course, therefore had not sailed.) Lord Robert Grosvenor asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he intended to move the second reading of the Metropolitan Pavement Bill that nipbt? It so he must remain, having some observations to offer upon it; if otherwise he should be glad to leave, as he had a deputation to receive. The Chancellor of the Exchequer pledged himself not, to move the second reading that night. (Lord R. Grosvenor left, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer moved the second reading at exactly tiye minutes past twelve, when of course it was the next day ) RED HOT PREACHING.—Richard Sheridan is said to have remarked, I often go to hear Rowland Hill, because his ideas come red hot from the heart.' The words express precisely one of the most important cha- racteristics of good preaching. One o' the leading defect" of mucb of the preaching which we hear is its lack of fervour. A brother, in remarking recently upon the preaching of another, whose sermons are always well- prepared, but whose style is so deliberate and cold as to lose half its power, said: 'His preaching is as good a meal as you can get prepared cold Cold sermons, like cold mealll, however well prepared, still lack the fiavoof and reiish of the warm. A gentleman who had heard Dr Chalmers preach was asked what he thought was the secret of his power. After a moment's consideration be replied, • His blood-earnesiness.' Blood-earnestness— that is the word. The preaching that warms the blood and the heart of the preacher will warm also the hearts ""d the blood or the hearers. ThA truth pouring out red hot from the heart of the speaker does the execution- When thus presented aud åpplled it becomes slJarptr I han the two-edged swords, penetrating to the joints and marrow.— The Telescope.

-.-::: SOUTlI WALES RAILWAY…

MILFORD BRANCH LINE OF RAILWAY.

PEMBROKE AND TESBY RAILWAY.