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Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 194, 11 May 1908, Page 2

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Sir,—Of the many lessons there are to bo learned from.-.tho recent, Mayoral: election,, tho -'apparent'apathy-of.the temperance;leaders . has. iinßress!i^ : g«K eral : , election-, looming ill'. tho: diStaiifce,. the" temperanco question has. much to do 'with tho recent 'contesji.On Jthe f oiio hand , we; have a man supported by, the liquor party, '■ strongly backed, by organised Socialism,"ie-' cciving ,tlie support of, and nominated by.noliconso people. On tho other a temperanco man, who has served'hi6 party, faithfully for years and years, who finds himself deserted at the poll by those.whp should have remeni--bered his past valuable services. 1 It lias been estimated by some in a position to know. that ; of the' SCOO no-licenso electors who recorded their, vote at the last election, at least half , voted for a man supported by liquor on this occasion. | Small wonder no license is in the dim and. distant future, small 'wonder,' indeed. Some' of th« prohibition leaders aro riot far-seeing enough .that,is very plain when they miss an oppoi. tunity such as this. Labour .looked ahead, and received a' stimulus whicH' will carry; ii , far. Short-sighted leaders of the New Zea^'' land Alliance missed their chance. I believe with one or two notable exceptions no'mem-. bor the . temperance party'-iinade any: K at" tempt to . organise in -Mr. Aitken's/interest;-' Poor reward indeed to a ,man who had stood . by them so loyally and 60 long. ' The moral effect of the liquor party's sue- • cess will be far-reaching, and it is time thii ' temperance' people weeded 'out , those of its";, leaders who have become fossilized in office. ' Over arid over again these leaders' have im- ' pressed upon their audiences tho' importanco of always voting for a' temperance' man. What- have . they t<i say ; now ? Instead rf , looking ahead they have been content to let tilings slide, and all the work they are,proDared to put into the general election will not undo the harm now done.t Of course; wo know that .many individuals worked very .- hard to secure Mr. Aitken's return, but. as . an organised' body temperance did- nothing. ~ Of course also it-will say it was not a tern- . perance issue, but it is idlo to igrioro that, a temperance man in the Mayoral or ■ any other high public office can- be of great,assistance to ;"tho: temperance party,' owing;t«... the weight which his office adds to his views; —l am, etc.,. i DISGUSTED. . May 6, 1908. - . " ;