THE RANGE QUESTION.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 88, 22 August 1877, Page 3

THE RANGE QUESTION.

: (Contributed.) - ■'"] In l&slriSg§£6ver- |he^ne^spapers we notice ;the great argument ,oi: :the day is dmded. in' JitsPmterests tf etWeen Temperarice : in : a,n v a v^tment sense and late mperanee,^'e have a^hristclijUfch.paper giyiag-as a scene of one R. M. convicting ;on : drunfcenneiss, /»and another considering it. equally penal to be sober; and to Jbring^umgs nearer home wp hare vtEe^Hon-^Wv^^y lecturing (at request) on behalfe|pdih support of the Order of . Good Teniplai^/ 'v'Siuceisthe, newspaper writers have mostiy^ad a say ou one side or other of this great; questioiVjahd as it is also' likely" to : form a; subject for legislation ,. m. theHpresen t sessioni perhaps a i ew remarks here, may not be misplaced. ,'. !,;■;■ To to England, the temple from which most of bur Uaws ; are formed, we find the Act .provides for the care, of inebriates, and from time to time as newspaper" agitation Jhas directed, amendments i ; ami:bjel»Wsj halve' been added-,, whilst oh'tKe btlWr Band, laws which have been found to be* too stringent have been repealed. Some, enthusiasts on the question have a great Knack ot going ;tb their constituents on i-tlfe' question of the Liquor Traffic, and although; supported in a, small measurelby certain classes , of the population/ yet it is utter nonsense for ■ any nian toiseek entry into the pre6incts of the Legisla-tive-Assembry^unlfess'heCihas something more to lay before his .supporters than - His abhorrence of alcoholic liquor, i \ "Whilst w. a ;measure confessing: the ievils tlikt mayi an<l*no* dotibt do v ' arise from the too free inbibirig of what Artemus 'Ward,^facetiously calls the " eoticentrated essence^ of sweet con-' tentment,' there isVnb doubt that : any law formed to meet the case must be well considered at the; onset, and will haveita be Icbmmitted "again and again/ as circumstances demand, for restriction and modification ; .but Jl : am of opinion that it is impossible for any indiyidua!l to gainvahinaependent majority m any commtmity, who has nothing to say but that; be would, if he could/ close the publfc houses/ ' * yi • rsystein proposed in;^ Bill to come .before" the House • (the i • result 'of .ithe Vlabors of ;• a sober .4ew); ; ;.iß'-- that - thei^. shall only be one public -barj where shall be {suppilied to 9 certain number of i persons; m: that /locali^r. The^e legislators do not propose ; to Te:duce the number; of nouses existitfgrbut they provide that after the passing of the Bill (if it dbes pass), that no new license shall be granted to any one until :^thei population points up to the standard • of hotel, representation. ';. I recollect sometime back a vdergymanV and Good; Templar, addressing a meeting of -that^ brotherhood ia Auckland said, * r Men of sensie r men of mpney, men^ of religion> men of morality,; do not join us." Theni -tisks l'^^Canjeb, a" writer In the; Auckland. Weekly ;: News;*' if such is the ca-se,- of what of the community are, the Good Templars composed? There are cases coming under our notice from day to day, and from year

to year, which clearly prove that the stringent application of the law only j makes the devotees to Bacchus the more determined to obtain their beer, aii d it is a melancholy fact to be admitted that, many men unable to meet their -storekeepers' accounts can find | the means to get a certain amount of i drink for cash on a Saturday-right. In many cases tl-.oy will oveu go so far as- to- propose a drink a»>d pay for ( it, wi'h the very man to whom they have just pleaded povpity as siv excuse for not settling. Iheir store account. Now, takii'g these things into consideration, does any one of these Temperance agitators mean to state that any law he may bring m will have (he immediate effect of putting a stop to this ? Work is only intended for sftt days and- supposing that a man, be He traveller or what not, is unable to .obtain refreshment of any kind on a Sabbath, except a meal, will the fact of his being unable^to get his glass of beer at. the place he gets his dinner keep that man sober for that day ? : We say undoubtedly not, for he well knows from the friends he visits that (if they are not Good Templars) they have taken the precaution to obtain sufficient ale over night to meet the requirements of the day. The system prevalent m the Australian colonies is, totally of a different nature, and ... it must be confessed, matured by of great -experience m these matters. In Queensland for instance, so long as a house has the necessary accommodation provided by the Act and that _ there is notWng to advance against the character of the individual applying for a; licence, . it is granted, fetit the moment anything of a contrary nature turns up the licence is cancelled, the, revenue m the meantime; deriving the benefit of the fee paid? for' such license. Stow knowing such to be the fact and taking a statistical .view of the subject we do not find ]more drunkenness in Queensland than m New Zealand, yet greater freedom m the matter of licensing. The question" therefore I would" propound to the efithusiastic upholder^ of total abstinence is simply this,— iD>o you m Sour hearts think that by closing pubchouses youjwill lessen the sale of intoxicating beverages 1 ? For my part I should ■;. be glad to see * a .decrease m the number of drunkards, but at the same time I fail to see that it is to be accomplished* by the .' 'system of, legislation which you propose. : '■■'. We see very often where: magistrates are led to sentence men only guilty of. this vice (not crime) to lengthened terms of imprisonment, and we feel, sure that a much milder tone of law may be adopted. There^s no use whatever m saying to a man, "You: shall not have your daily ■ ; beer,-" j -The only thing- to do is to give him such facilities for; obtaining his quantum withouttlie temptations arising f I'om strmgent, laws. Take the majority pfi^o^kujg men "on a question of wages, and say % them, We will not give you so much a day. What is the consequehc? Why, simply; they«are as equally; deteii. mined they. will have as you-are that they shall .not. The bare fact of a man once feeling (and working; nien are not without feeling), that a thing for which he v can pay is denied him by law, will cause him soon-find out~mean3 (evidently deeeiLftilyandtherefore demoralising),to accomplish the-gratificatioh of ;his wishes ; therefore, I would urge on those ?vho have the power, to make," as far as they can, suchlaws as will affect only those who do not know when they have had enough. '* > ' / " V . . | ' I f eel certaiu that any infringement of | the prerogative of a^ citizen wul (be met * withideserlved opposition ; at the- same time I am certain that if less restrictions a re ; put upon - the ," sa^le of. "alcoholic liquors, the revenue will V not feel the loss, and the drunkenness^ will f decrease. ; Any one who -has ever been a child, *and,l should like miuch. to see a man who has hot, must confess that of all the apples hfe ever p^artook none seemed so sweet as those ne had stotentf^sante with kisses^sasnie with everything, andit. is my. own private opinion that this rute applies more tha,n ever to jshe slibjectin question,; and I would /impress upon.^thos^( m whose hands .the} making of tite laws for the future may rest, that the necessary end will never; be;acepTny plished by harsh amd stringent laws. In conclusioni I do not suppose for a^mpment that all these temperance gentle-men-will have their; own way m; the Legislative Assfembiy',- .but I urge upon those other gentlemen, who do not, pos s?Bs these ultra bpihions, : to beair m mind the facts 'that the more stringent the laws' axe i made the more^^laiwbreafcersthere will be/ • ; V '\'v - ' V