The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

FEBRUARy 24 $ * Quotes From Report. "And the least influence," inter. "---- wios Mr, Leduc, in raising the question, jected Premier Hepburn. Heenan Flays Cox. & quoted from a report of the timber _ "That may be so, but it has some," _ Mr. Heenan charged that the Port| _ committee, published in the Star. continued Colonel Drew. "The only Arthur member, in his testimony He declared that the report pub--, inference to be drawn is that pub= -- before the timber inquiry Thursday, lished by this newspaper contained | lic officials had received money to had "perjured himself from the be. several statements of evidence not | influence their actions. Elected rep-- ginning of his evidence to the end." given before the committee. resentatives have an opportunity to Newspapers should not be blamed, he "Certain statements are most of--| defend themselves on the floor of said, when a witness hands a brief fensive; they attack the honesty of| the Legislature and any elected to reporters and then "hasn't the officials of the civil service when| member has an epportunity of de-- intestinal fortitude to make the no such statements appear in the| fending himself against slanderous statements he intended to make." stenographic report of the commit=«| attacks of publications of this kind. Until Thursday, the Minister de-- tee," said Mr. Leduc. "The man who| When I say slanderous publications, clared, the conduct of the special wrote, or rewrote, those statements| I wish to point out that, fortunatee timber committee had been construc» must have had an uneasy con--| ly, there are few in this Dominion. tive and "gentlemanly," bqt N.[ayori science, for the report varies from | This particular newspaper has been Cox's evidence had made it rldicu-% edition to edition." doing it so long that the time has lous in the eyes of all who were| Mr. Leduc referred to the eight--|} come to call a halt." there. column streamer and the sub--head-- | "*Mear, hear," said Premier Hep-- "I was ashamed and sorry for the ing which, he said, blazoned the !burn. witness,' Mr. Heenan smd,'beca}xse charges that officials had been|| '"This report in the Toronto Daily the committee seemed to be enjoy-- "greased" in order to influence their| Star contains statements which were ing itself at his expense. No one g(ior;s not even given before the commit-- knew what he was talking about, ac""v» .duty is to bring this matter| tee," continued the Opposition Lead--| least of all himself. And then, at to the attention of the House and| er. "It leaves an impression not| the end of his brief, he pulled out the Attorney--General," said Mr.| easily forgotten. And that impres-- . a moth--eaten auditors' report fif-- Leduc. "It demonstrates the strange| sion is that civil servants, whose: teen years old and tried to charge way certain people understand the| positions should be permanent, more Some sort of political graft. ivileges 'of the press. This is a| permanent than they are, have He ridiculed the Port Arthur .?:u';rilgus attack on men who can--| taken money to influence their ac-- member's suggestion that forgs}: not defend themselves, Ministers of| tions. They have no chance to de-- fires could be fought by men wit M | h 3 j parachutes, and declared that many the Crown expect to be attacked| fend themselves, Not only is it * s and they are able to defend them--| dastardly but it is cowardly. The Of the witness's §(tigtezlnents were selves on the floor of this House.| newspaper didn't even have the '"."-'S}F:?"S!bl':h'"d ri ;cumoa';xs'wh is a but it is a shameful thing to attack | courage to name the individuals, or 'This is the salmtt i o o the integrity of civil servants and! could they. The people or Ontarie Noted for getting letters, notes an j peci | » j memoranda from dead men's es particularly, not to specify those| have the right to be proud of the tales," Mr. Heenan continucd, "and so attacked. I would like' 'lrl'e°All.l 'civil service. There is nothing more p':' tetjn a his cown Inferpretation 91 torney.--General 't'o looic "2: 'tlhgr;n i? |_contemptible, more cowardly, more _ them in attempting blackmail. When in m'".",'hn.' o 'Nh 5 pon.| Teprehensible, than to sow suspicion _ he was a member of the Conserva-- ie 1y " o.k Fl neimg 1nose re.spon-. against civil servants, because this tive Association executive in Port sible to tagk. \ newspaper happens to dislike cer---- Arthur he did the same thing on ' Being Studied, Says Conant. \_tain individuals in the Government." _ his own Government. When he be-- Aitorney--General Conant declared ' Says Words Changed. c:me a Ll{)era:al:\e ec::;'lfd it on more it was a "most important matter Not satisfied with its "original srse;e';';:zy.lames H..Clark Inter |from every standpoint" and th8L _ cviminal libe!l in the Home And |rupted the Minister to point out while he must refrain from preju-- Sport edition, the Star actually in~ jna; his address was not in accord-' dicing the case, "it is only PrOPS! | creased the criminal libel by Chan£* | ance with parliamentary procedure. for me to say that the matter '* |\{ing words which were in quotation "The Minister did not Say At first | :l:::r:le"l':wc:;feiitqus::divh,orcr,;:;t in the first edition," added Colonel to whom he was referring," the | l g s i ; * | | Drew. id, "but in the course se has 'boen commiitted. Broue Finally, in the night edition, he 3;);?:erl.ems:;fis itb:ecomes clear that etions whit foltguc® _ " LCl' *""** [1 sale, ine paper ran an eight--column |ne ;s referring to a member of this cutions will follow. P headline, "M.P.P. Charges Timber |p,,.,» He read from a section of the| / craft: Political Toll Gates." "Yes, the member for PoM Criminal Code, a section which he "There was not one word in the | Aripuyr," Mr. Heenan said. claimed was not widely known and evidence pertaining either to tim-- "The' rules of the Housos afe. mb h en e ianel U io m iima® fa uh [ ber graft or to political toll gates," Isolu(elv against the making of any fclinitions: Proter i agall ( pugy | seid Colonel Drew. | offensive -- remarks against mem-| definitions. Protection against publi-- In the Legislature, he continued,| | pors» the Speaker ruled. "Whether calion of false or injhrious TePOMS | concern had been expressed over! l ins 'remarks are iPUG Of nOL OOCK was given also, he said, in the sl"' the loss of press freedom in RUSSi@ |poj maiter. You might say &. Cef-- "?'n Vrelaung jre de{amatory aga»s and Germany. tain member was a liar and the r "n_h'out prejud;cmg i (9n." "We should fight to preserve statement might be true, but it is dded MF. Conent "'" exar'mnauon. freedom of the prcss, and freedom éfl'ensive nevertheless and cannot .'td?;d M;' C:nant. l;;"-' :'-V th:f of the press from Government in-- |\, permilied." ;ona;lr: ::un:l:n!:: gclfel:'sin ol'thrc.fre tervention. But the freedom of the "I'll leave it at that then," said has beengan offense, the matfer wi| press does not mean unbridled |ino Minister. "But I felt compelled be prosecuted with the utmost| !!C@nSe on the part of wealthy press to say something because he has vigor." magnates," declared Colonel Dr€W: . | peen continuously --making false "I concur entirely in what the two | . While the cause of action by &N | onarges and scurrilous inferences previous speakers have said," de.| !Ndividual who has been libelled re-- against public servants in the past." clared Colonel Drew. "I wish to| M&ined fairly certain, it was ex-- '"'The Minister's explanation falls add my voice as one who originally | C@Cdingly difficult, he claimed, fOr |for snort of the point," -- Colonel moved the lands and forests in--| 4 Rroup to secure satisfaction in a | . interjected. "Nothing he has quiry. 'There has not been any more | PrOSecution. He suggested that, if |caiq apsolyes the Toronto Daily serious instance of abuse of power| &Y Civil servant started action, he ; | 5,,, p,, ;;, handling of this story. by the press than the present case.| WOuld open himself to that "offen--| |T must make it clear that I am not \Let me make it perfectly clear.| S!VC" type of comment, "if there lreflecting in any way on the re-- When there is graft, I will endeavor |: WAS No reason to worry, why 410| | porters of the Toronto Star in the to see it punished to the fullest ex--| N° take action?" and he claimed | | p,/., Gallery, but reports have, to tent of my power; when there is | that in an attack of this kind, the¢| | my gnowledge, been distorted with-- bribery, I will endeavor to see that| @UtY Of securing redress fell upon | |;n°imas office of the Daily Star. The it is punished, but when a news.| thg elected representatives. public must be protected from paper falsely reports suggested| _ "Th¢ Circulation of false state--| |yicious slander shects of the type |statements of bribery and graft, 1| MCN!IS calculated to disturb confi--| | of (ne Toronto Daily Star. will also demand that the laws oft| 3°N¢% in Governme'ntiaslain i"':.""' "Hear, hear!" interjected Premier the Province be invoked against the :::: l:hi';mh:'t'biscrl';:'tl:a less" (pas | " Mepburn, thumping his desk. ; Venom?us publication. treason and a betrayal of public in-- Says Not "Mere Error." terest in Canada," said Colonel "This is no case of mere error or | Drew. mistaken reporting," _ continued He again referred to headlines Colonel Drew. "It is time for the |, published over statements that were law to have full regard for prac--|| "not even made," and averred it lices growing up that threaten to || was "the duty of the Attorney-- undermine the principles which we || General to prefer a charge of crim--| > are fighting today to preserve. This ||\ inal libel against Joseph E. Atkin-- newspaper boasts the largest daily |\ son and The Daily Star." circulation in Canada . . ." \