TO THE EDITOR.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2306, 19 December 1889, Page 2

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, — Mr Frledlander seems fond of balling thosa who dlff.r from h_» "f-natloß.' If it affords him any gratification to csll me a " f»n»tlcd fool*-— for ''fool" is general y understood In suoh esses— l have no objection ybe Is free to do so. lam sorry his oaee should require such argument — bat its his affair, hot mine. Mr Friedlander aoca-es me of want of decorum. Well, I admit that decorum was not taught wh n I went to sohool, I em pleased to know that Mr Friedlander is np m this Important subj -ct ; bnt 1 fear I hive a great d.al to forget before 1 shall please him. Concerning the io formation I gave ths Couaoil, I thought myself justified ln stating that the Licensing Committee was not likely to grant a lloende seeing that fone ont of the five had signed tha petition, I thought even Mr Friedlander would have been of that opinion, he having threatened to teß.gn his seat In the Oon oil onoe when the then Mayor was supposed to have voted with both sides. Ms Friedlander says lt Is right, decent, and rational to sign a petition praying for a certain thing, bat when yoa have to vote npon the cjuastlon to vote against It. I hope he will clear ap that point In bis next. To my fanatloil Indecorous mlud, such tctfon appears silly and unmanly. Another sign of my ignoranoe of the ruler of deoo.um Is that I thought, tha majority of any Oooecll or Committee was tho party to decide questions coming before such body, and that the minority were bound by what the majority deoided upon. Mr Frledlander says this Is all wrong — 't's the minority who ought to rule. How ignorant 1 hf.v_ been 1 Then he calla the deoleloa of the majority '• biased, Illegal, io decent, onjust." He does not say why. I always thought It decorous when anyone fooßd It necessary to use suoh strong language to offer some sort of jusHfioatloti. for .It— 1 some argument In support of It, But Tata wrong again. Foregone oonolaslons I When we eleot » mr.n to represent os anywhere we generally like to kuow how he will vote on different qurj^loD-i Now If wa knowtffa views of all members of any body it U not difficult to know how any question will $c 88i 1 led . It nppoHvs, aooordlng to our professor of deoorum, very wrong for suoh a body to meet at all, their decisions oan only be " foregone conclusions," therefore " biased, hideoent, unjust," Mr Frledlander must bo a believer iv the ig oorant jury system, I winder If he.hia ooneldered the trirtl by flre plan of settling knotty points; Mr Fried larder "la satlsßod with the B'gaatQrea of the two rubral meO| Mr R.ete.l and Mr Th:.inaa.' J Mr Restell signed the petition : Mr Restell called a meeting of hla committee to consider the question. They deoided against a license being granted : The 1 -layer states he spent half a day last week In trying to talk Mr Rob toll round, with* ont success ; and now Mr Restell' has signed the license. If these things are rational It Is a new meaning for the (roid. Perhaps Mr Restell will explain. Mr Thomas la eometlmes very Irrational, Consider his aotlon In thtu oa«e. Hell a temperanoe man, never drunk a drop sir ■, Is iii favor of closing Meis mth'eompihsation; thinks It would be muoh b_6.etf"to do without drtek In the Domain ; wanted a committee of tbe Oounoil to wait upou the Caledonian Soo'ety to beg them not to apply foi a license j is anxious and willing I to prevent any drinking io the Domain I after this year ; has pledged himself to 1 vote for a motion tn that -^Ct j zzt J»t he Bpends half a day irylng "to tiik round the Chairman," He attended | meeting of the Committee where ho'*asln a minority of one; then signs a license against ihe wish of : the majority: If this is retlonal, juat, decorous or) deodnt, "I'd ratber be si fanatical dog and bsy the moon,!' than have any snob virtues, about me.— l ani, eto, ' ' r '^ ' '-> -J, Ktt»s