"THE BROKEN PACT."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9671, 9 December 1909, Page 4

"THE BROKEN PACT."

Discussing "the Broken Pact" the "Evening Post" of yesterday remarks in an editorial article:--"The arrangement, whjeh was formally made by two of the leaders of the No-license Party, "on behalf of the New Zealand Alliance for the Abolition of the Liquor Traffic, and being duly authorised by the executive of that body to make this request on its behalf," was condemned in a vital point by the convention of the party heldja fortnight ago. The party which the signatories to the compact had professed to bind refuse to be bound, and the whole thing was at an end. The Trade, whose representatives had, in our opinion, quite outgeneralled those of the other side, were thus deprived of the fruits of their diplomatic victory, and the excellent chance which the arrangement had opened up of checking and even signally reversing the rapid progress made by the Prohibition movement in recent years was knocked on the head. That the exncutive of the New Zealand Alliance and the gentlemen who negotiated on its behalf acted throughout in perfect good faith we do not for a moment doubt, but it was onlv natural that the indignation which swayed yesterday's caucus of the Trade should have found expression in insinuations of an opposite character. If, as was suggested yesterday, the positions had been reversed, what woulJ the No-license Party have done? It would certainly not have "taken it lying down," nor would its leaders have minced their terms of disapprobation."