Prohibition.

Manawatu Herald, 15 December 1896, Page 2

Prohibition.

♦ Mr John Duthie has been writing to the Post about the persistence of the Prohibitionists in running special candidates at the last election, says that Parnell, Egmont, Manawatu and Waikouaiti would not have returned Government supporters had they nob acted so. The action of the prohibitionists is to be condemned for they sink everything in their andeavour to secure their panacea for every evil, but as regards Manawatu Mr Duthie is in error. We iad in this electorate a Government mndidate with moderate views on licensing matters, an Opposition jandidate with very pronounoed [ , tnti-prohibition views, and the pro* <

hibition candidate Belected by tbs Good Tempiar Lodges. At this election the prohibitionists were, in other views, Oppositionists, mostly because they thought they had got all they could from the Government, and the botelkeepers were opposing them by helping on the Government candidate. We had thus an extremely curious croaa voting, but the third man harmed the Government candidate. The Opposition has generally throughout the late election been supported by the prohibitionists under the impression that Sir Robert Stout would return to power, but in this electerate their having brought out a candidate on their own account showed thit neither the two candidates were acceptable to them. Though prohibitionists are not necessarily of one view in other political matters it is impossible to imagine that they would vote for Mr Bruce who wag exceedingly outspoken against prohibition, so that the 457 votes polled by Mr Eellow would either not have been exercised, which would not have altered the totals, or else would have been casb for Mr Stevens, thus making his majority greater. The prohibitionists are therefore not to blame for keeping out the Opposition candidate for Manawatu.