A Bill to Drop One of the subjects on which
Ministers must take an early decision is whether to proceed further with the so-called Sedition Bill. They will be well advised to let the measure drop. It has admittedly been shorn of some of its most objectionable features, thanks in large degree to the genuine desire evinced by the Attorney- General to meet reasonable criticism, but the case for the Bill has never been established, and its passage into law would reintroduce the pernicious principle of the General Warrant, giving the police—on the authorization of two ordinary J.P.'s, who would rarely refuse a police application—right of entry into a private house, and virtually unlimited right of search and seizure. If there were any public emergency calling for the exercise of drastic powers the powers would be voted without hesitation. But it is our just pride that this country, by its own innate good sense, is maintaining a balance and stability that is the admiration of the world. TO suggest that- such a measure- as the Sedition Bill is necessary is to cast a slur on the community.
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