News of the Day.

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1566, 10 April 1874, Page 180

News of the Day.

A Canny Customer. The following story is from the Gipps Land Times:—A few days ago a worthy Scotch farmer, who resides not far from Sale, entered one of the banks, and after carefully extracting a florin from many wraps of brown paper, placed it before the teller, when the following conversation occurred between them :—Farmer : " Man, but a'm glad ye're tae the fore ; a've been wan tin' ta see ye for twa or three months back; d'ye min' o' gie'h me that ?" Teller: Ho! ah ! well, really you see there's so much money passes through my hands daily that I cannot recollect whether I gave it to you or not." Farmer : " Ou, ay, ye'll maybe no min' o't, seeing it's sae lang back; but a tell ye it's a fac' that ye gied it me for hauf-a-croon; a didua find oot the mistake till a got name, but akeepit till a cam' in again, thinkin'ye would make it guid ; saxpence issaxpence, maman." Teller: "There's no doubt of that, but I am afraid that I cannot make up the difference ; but if I did so, I would have to pay it out of my own pocket. Had you returned the same day the- mistake would perhaps have bi en rectified " Farmer: " Weel, it's a sail- thing to hae a loss like that; a doot a'll hae to speak to the manager aboot the saxpence, an' it' he'll no make it up to me a'll just hae to write tae the boord. Guid day t'ye." With these words he picked up his florin and departed, much to the relief of the teller, whose agony of mind, Jest he should be called upon to disburse the amount in dispute was visibly portrayed in his countenance. " The Conservative Reaction." We make the following extracts from a speech delivered by Sir Wilfrid Lawson, to a large meeting held in the Free High Church, Paisley:—l read lately a sentence in the Scotsman which I thought very good. I don't know any abler paper than the Scotsman. I always read it with pleasure, and I read it because it is the ablest champion of the publicans that I kuow—far better than our English papers. The Scotsman really brings arguments and intelligence to back this great baud of monopolies. But what did it say concerning the elections that had been won ? It said nobody seems to be in earnest except the publicans, and as the Tories provided beery candidates for them, they gave their support to the Tories. That is tha Conservative reaction which we hear so much talk about. That is rather au expensive thing you kuow ; it cost £IO,OOO in .Renfrewshire. But still it is very effectual. Well, I call that an unholy alliance that between the Tories and the publicans. On the other haud, we should find such an alliance with the Liberals exactly the same, for we know nothing of party. But I speak facts when I say that the publicans aud the Tories have gone heart and soul together iu the late electioneering contests. We are getting into politics ; but we must. Is there anybody who believes that sort of thing can go on ? What is to become of the Liberal party if, wheu their candidates go down, they find the whole body of the publicans—that influential body dead against them, aud in favor of the Tory candidate, who always is civil to them and tells them he will respect their vested interests ? But most of the Liberal candidates, who can ouly rely on the enthusiasm and earnest aud uuited support of the friends of order, instead of speaking out boldly, have tried to conciliate the publicans by saying they will not vote for the Fermissive Bill, Mid promise the Alliance men they will not vote against it; therefore they do not conciliate the publicans, because they are dead against anybody who will not vote against the Permissive Bill. They get no enthusiastic support from the temperance party, aud so between

the two stuuls thi-y come to the ground. It' the Liberal party wishes to re-establish itself iu the affections ol! the people, they must take a decided line of action and say, •■ We will follow the grand old tradi tions of the Liberal parly; we will go against this bloated vested interest, which is injuring the country." (Applause.) But, geutlemeu, we are in the market, and I tell you what our price is. The Liberal party caunot win without us. In many places we simply say, We vote for the veto power to the people to free themselves from the greatest curse and the greatest tyranny which any people cau suffer under. If the Liberals don't accept us, but fight it out with the Tories, they will see who will win. I know that the Tories will lick them hollow I have admitted being beaten over and over again, and I am not sure that the tide is not now turning—yea, that it has not even turned. Did you see what happened at Newcastle last week ? There were two candidates, one of them was Mr Cowen, and the other Mr Hamond. The latter was brought out and supported heart and soul by the great drink party ; at least they formed by far the bulk of his supporters, and the most energetic and earnest What did Mr Cowen do ? He had a meeting. A Mr Jones got up to ask a question. He said, " If Mr Cowen is leturned to the House of Commons, will he support Sir Wilfrid Lawson's Permissive Bill?" What did' Mr Cowen say ? He said, " If I go to Parliament, I will vote for Sir Wilfrid Lawson's Bill." (Applause.) The constituency of working men received the declaration with loud and prolonged cheering, that he would support that wicked bill, * which we are told over and over again is to rob the poor man of his beer. (Applause.) But what said the publican who had questioned him ? " Then you will never go." The publican papers also said that that man would never go to Parliament. They said that Lawson's radical temperance friend Cowen would never see the inside of Parliament. The publicans made greater exertions, I suppose, than they ever had done at any previous election. I am told that out of 800 publicans not more than 20 or 30 supported Mr Cowen. They hired cabs; they organized a sort of trades union, threatening all who would not go with thorn*

But what was the result ? The working men stood firm. They fought the battle of the people against a class, and last Thursday afternoon it was announced that Mr Cowen was at the head of the poll by a larger vote than ever had been known at a Newcastle election before, defeating his adversary by a majority of over'a thousand. (Applause.) That election has done a great deal to clear th ,j air. Mr Cowen, in returning thanks for his election, spoke out boldly, sayinsj that the working men of Newcastle and the working men throughout the country would regard the mass of the publicans as their sworn political opponents.