THE Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addiclus jurare in verba magistri. FRIDAY, 27TH FEBRUARY, 1874.

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1554, 27 February 1874, Page 130

THE Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addiclus jurare in verba magistri. FRIDAY, 27TH FEBRUARY, 1874.

When Mr Gladstone, not satisfied with .1 small, though undoubtedly a working majority in the House of Commons, resolved on appealing to the country, and consequently asked for a dissolution of Parliament, it may be assumed that he felt confident that his appeal would prove that the sympathies of the people were with him in the policy he proposed for the immediate future. His opinion would doubtless he couHis opinion would doubtless be confirmed by the reception given to Mr Bright, on his return to public life, by the Manchester constituency. It*appeared, indeed, for a time, that the acceptance of office by that gentleman had given a new lease of life to the Liberals, and that they could therefore appeal to the country with all confidence. The result of that appeal, as shown by the latest telegraphic news, must have greatly disappointed the Liberal leadfrs. 80 far from obtaining an increased majority, they have lost the ground they formerly held, and the reign of their party has been brought to a premature end ; Mr Gladstone having decided to resign the Prem'ership in consequence of the adverse vote of the country.

It is worth while to inquire whether there is not some cans**, other than is at 1 first sight apparent, for so nnexpec ed a result of the late elections. We do not think it fair to conclude that the majority of the British public have suddenly ceased to be of Liberal opinions : it is not to be supposed that so great a change has come over the public mind as would be implied in the conversion of the country to Conservatism ; and, from certain indications in our late English files, we believe we 7 . ( can indicate a clue to what at first sight appears a very extraordinary event. It is some time since the Liberals have I had anything to offer the public worthy of their acceptance —anything, in fact, more than the Conservatives were them- ! selves willing to grant. They have np- ; pearcd to think they bad gone too fast in the late measures which had been ' passed ; and there can be no doubt that each advanced Liberal measure in turn lias tended to weaken their hold on office. It lias done this, inasmuch as while it has alienated the moderate members of their party, it has failed to satisfy those of extreme views. The present position of the two parties is pretty well shown by the addresses respectively given to the country by Mr Gladstone and Mr Disraeli, Mr Gladstone, in the well-founded anticipation , of an enormous surplus of revenue at the end of the current year, proposes to repeal the income-tax, to adjust local taxation, and other similar measures ; to which Mr Disraeli replies

I that these measures are just what the Conservatives have been willing to pass long since, but that they have been prevented from so doing by the Liberal party. In point of fact, there lias really been but one truly liberal measure of late before the country, and that the Liberals have been too fearful to adopt—we need hardly mention that we allude to the matter of local selfgovernment in relation to the liquor traffic.

When, nearly two years ago, the United Kingdom Alliance decided, in accordance with the principles of its constitution, to make this the test question of future elections-—to carry, in fact, their principles to the ballot boxes—they were assailed on all sides by the cry—“ You will break up the Liberal party”—thus showing that the Liberals considered that in some way they had a claim on the support of the temperance reformers, while yet, as a party, they feared to unite wiflrthem in their strife against the great evil of the day. The result has been that while the liquor in'crest Ims thrown itself as a body into the Conservative ranks, the temperance party, to the number of many thousands, have stood aloof from the elections and the Liberals, owing to their want of courage in relation to this j question, have found themselves forced to give place to their political opponents. The Liberal party will now perhaps be convinced of what they have hitherto refused to believe—that the temperance party are in earnest when they say that they regard the question af the popular control of the liquor traffic as the one great question of the day, before which Liberalism and Conservatism sink into insignificance; and that

they are resolved to gin- their support to no person, whatever his politics, who opposes such popular control. The late elections, while postponing the result so ardently desired by social reformers, will, we believe, tend to assure its speedy adoption by bringing about a reaction from the state of things which 'vill assuredly result from the rule of the liquor interest.

The unfortunate man James Dougherty, whose case has been repeatedly before the Kesidcnt Magistrate's Court for some weeks past, is an embodied social problem. According to the local police inspector, he is but a specimen of a very numerous class. The charge against him was lunacy, of which when apprehended, he showed every symptom. The Provincial Surgeon, has, however, declined to give a certificate of lunacy, recognizing that the malady, being entirely the result of drink, would disappear on the cause being removed. In the Court on Wednesday, after a week or two of enforced abstinence from liquor, this supposed lunatic appeared perfectly rational, and gave sensible answers to the questions put to him, aud was discharged accordingly—tne Provincial Surgeon warning him that a single glass of liquor would lie enough to bring back the old symptoms. The prisoner (who during his last fit, threw the swag containing all his worldly possessions into the sea), said his only safeguard from the drink was his penniless condition—adding " If I could only go where there are no public houses!" The bench could not help him by suggesting any such place, and he left the Court. For sixteen years this man—a good worker—has travelled about the country, sometimes imprisoned as a drunkard, and once in a hospital—■ a burden to himself and to the country, and often a sourc** of danger to those around him. Though "one glass" will turn him into a maniac, the Bench has no means of prohibiting the sale of the liquor to him as soon as he has earned the money to buy it. In Canterbury, in a case like this, the hotelkeepers would receive notice, and any one supplying the man with liquor would incur a severe penalty. But. for the numerous class of whom James Dougherty is a sample there is only one effectual cure—the one indicated by the victim himself—to send them where there are no liquor-shops. At present this cannot be done, but under the power of popular veto conferred by the present Licensing A ct, we hope that many such places will soon be found iu this Colony. cIn another part of to-day's issue we publish a telegraphic summary of Mr Voxel's speech at Grahamstown. The Premier possesses in a rare degree the power of addressing hitnsc f to the particular interests and sympathies of his audience, and accordingly we find that his address maiidy related to the condition of the Thames gold fields and the brilliant future before them. He did not, however, confine himself to local affairs, but touched on several matters of colonial interest. He again referred to the conservation of rivers and forests; to the export, duty on gold, any reduction of which at present he considered impolitic; to the establishment of a Mint, which he thought uuadvisable, as causing an annual loss to the Colony, without corresponding benefit; and to the extension of the franchise. The Government contemplated introducing manlioort suffrage, but his views were still more advanced than those of his colleagues,—personally, he believed in universal suffrage, and saw no reason why women should nut vote. Mr Vogel " would like to see a broad colonial feeling established in these communities"— an aspiration with which every wellwisher to the Colony will sympathize ; but we fear it will be long ere it is realized.

The Ilev. Mr Root, in remarking in Napier, that “ now that tlie Presbyterians in Poverty Bay were'about to build a church, two others were to be erected,” probably did not anticipate the storm he would raise in (Jisboriie. Members of both the Church of England and the Church of Rome have written to the local press to show that they were in the field as early as the Presbyterians, and a zealous churchman, in the standard, thinks that in making the simple remark which we give above, Mr Root has shown that he possesses “ the nerves of an iron horse ”! * A very impudent evasion of a Provincial licensing enactment has been exposed by the Auckland Evening Star.

The Auckland Licensing Amendment Act of 1873 provides that liquor licences, both for wholesale dealers and retailers, may only be issued once a year—namely, in the month of July, A certain firm of would-be wine and spirit merchants, having applied unsuccessfully for a licence, are selli ig their stock without, by. the “ very simple method ” of “ employing an auctioneer to quit the goods at a nominal comm ssion when any purchase is made,’ 1 the auction being, “of course, only a .sham,’' These gen- j tlemen, says the Star, are “within the | letter of the law.’ We eatiicp that j these evaders of the law consider the ! course they have taken ‘‘objectionable,’ j as they “ wish to act openly and above j board,” Their action has, however, been *‘forc<d upon them,’ not only in i “ self-defence,” hut on patriotic grounds, inasmuch as they consider the law “ridiculous,’ and “ calculated only-to stunt the prosperity of the Province.” If these ingenious gentlemen, and their friend the auctioneer, have not rendered themselves liable to a fine for a breach of the licensing ordinance, the sooner the Jaw is amended the better. Church of England services will be held (i).V.) at Havelock on Sunday next, the Ist March, at 11 a.m., and at West Clive at 3 jj.m,

Mails close for. Poverty Bay on Monday next, 2nd March, at 11 a.m. Heavy showers of rain fell last evening in Na[»ier. Mr Vogel delivered another address at a banquet in Auckland last evening. As the telegraphic summary arrived in Napier at a very late hour, and is very long, we hold it over till our next issue. The half-yearly firing for the Napier Rifle Volunteer Challenge Belt was to have taken place yesterday morning ; but owing to the high wind, it was postponed till Monday. Following the example of the carpenters, the journeymen cabinet-makers of this town struck this week for an increase of wages from 10s to 12s per day. The result of the strike has been that the best hands are receiving the sum demanded, and the remainder 10s and lis respectively. In the Resident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, ther« was a charge of abusive language—Margaret M'Lennan v. Neil Campbell. The evidence was to the effect that the complainant, having been informed that the defendant had been traducing her, and seeing him pass her house with a little dog, exclaimed, in the Gaelic tongue, " Ah, little dog, you are not a liar like your master.'' The defendant, also addressing the dog, in the same language, gave utterance to a still more offensive expression residing complainant's family.—The Magistrate dismissed the case, on the ground that the complainant had been the aggressor ; but lie severely reprimanded the defendant for the gross and offensive imputation in the words he had used. If the parties came before him again under similar circumstances, he would bind them both over to keep the peace. Rush v. Baxter—Claim of £4 wages as seaman on board the Mary Ann Hudson. This was a very absurd case. The facts were simple enough The defendant, having been absent from the Province for a time, employed the plaintiff to take charge of his vessel, on a share of the profits. In defence, he put in a set-off of £5 10s. which plaintiff did not dispute, only giving as his reason for not settling the account that he had not yet collected from the Government a sum of £7 due as freight. —Judgment for the defendant for the balance due—£l 10s, with £1 Is 6d costs. On Wednesday one drunkard was dismissed with a caution. James Dougherty, the supposed lunatic, was once more haought up on remand. Dr. Hitchings, who was in attendance, stated that he could not give a certificate of lunacy—the symptoms being entirely the result of drink : the man was now in a fair way ofrecovery; hut a single glass would be enough to cause a return of the old malady. The Magistrate asked the prisoner if he had friends in the Oniony, having been informed that he had some in Wellington. Dougherty replied that Judge Johnston had proved himself his best friend in that Province. Mr tfealy then cautioned the prisoner against the drink, to which he replied that he had no means of getting drunk now, having no money. Inspector Scully said that the man, during his last paroxsym of insanity, had thrown his swag, containing all his property, into the tide, beyond recovery. As he appeared quite rational, he was discharged witli a caution. As he left the Court, he called upon the Inspector for his swag, alleging that the police ought to have taken care of it.