MR GLOVER REPLIES TO "ANTIHUMBUG."

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1951, 22 September 1888, Page 2

MR GLOVER REPLIES TO "ANTIHUMBUG."

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,;— l am very sorry, but I have only just got your paper for the 13th, It has followed me an to liunedin, and I see " Anti-Humbug" has been at it again m his own nnfqna stylo — not a line of argument agalnat the principle I advooate m it, for what is more jaot than that the people themselves, m a free country, should have the power to prohibit the liquor traffio when they 10 desire. Evidently the arguing of great principles is not m "Anti-Humbug's" line, henoe he uses the most of the space you have given him In rejoloing over the Idea that he has made me very nrr* by letting out the fact that I have' a Hilary, and do not pay my own travelling expenses. Dear me? What a marvellous find, I wonder -who ever tbooght I did. Certainly I never said so, and no sane man m Ashburton could have got suoh an Idea into bis head. Why does he not give us his name, and then we might know if he receives a salary. He seems to thick I should fear the disclosure of his name. No, Mt Editor. .On tha other hand I urge him at onoa to do so, and not act the aaeak he has hitherto been doing. He also says he knows more about me than a few Ashbarton people do, Me Editor, give him » ob^nce to ont with it. I have been Id much the name oooupatlon In this and ! other countries now 20 years, and anything this '• Humbug " may know will no doubt be Interesting. And now I come really to my only reason for troubling yon further, and that is that he disputes a statement I made re the Auckland merohant. lat once forward the merchant's name to my friend the Rev J. Newman Battle, who ia at liberty to write to him for all particulars, and satisfy any friend of the movement m Ashburton ; and I could give hj>lf a do?en other very similar oases where pressure has been brought to bear on Lloenslng.Oommitteemen. And next he says — "A HceosecJ boose cannot be closed exoept for grievous mlsoonduofc," Now, Sir, what does he mean, First of all, I said the house referred to was misconducted, therefore his statement is valueless. Bat I now say if It was not, it might equally have been closed, for all Licensing Committees have absolute power to close whatever bouses they will, and need not give a reason. If they should give one, they can always say the house was not a necessity for the requirements of the locality. There is no power to upset suoh a deoislen. (% Antl Humbug" should read before he writes. I will undertake to find him fourteen houses m Auokland closed for no other reason, and many others m other parts of the colony— one here close to me at Bavensbourne. I will also nndertake to find our lodges' decisions on the point, and defy this " Humbug " to find one case to the oontrary It has been more than once definitely settled by our highest Courts On appeal that if the Committee give the applioant seven days notice, and hear him at theit meeting, they c»n decide and none oan opset such derision. He may think what he ohoose, but I give facts and oan assure yonr readers that the only Instances In which | (as once as Wellington) the Committee had to rehear the ease'was when the seven days' notice had not been given, Now, Sir, your correspondent can warm me up ageiu if he will, but before he makes any impression on the public he had better get up his facts ; give as some* thing a little more solid by way of reason, and possibly If he wrote a little more civilly it wonld have quite as maoh weight. I am, etc,

T, W, GIOTBB.i Dqnedln, September 20th. [This correspondence mast Qloie^here—