CORRESPONDENCE

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 214, 8 September 1893, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE

[The editor is not responsible for opinions expreseed’by correspondents.] TO THE EDITOR. Some time ago I haj peneft to be present at an inquest which was held for the purpose of finding out the cause ef death of a poor fellow whom men of all shades of opinion considered had fallen in the prime of his life a victim to king alcohol. The doctor in his evidence, after a lot of beating about the bush, said that death had been caused by alcoholism ; hut the verdict of the jury was not in accordance with the medical testimony, and not in accordance with their eonscientieus convictions, so therefore contrary to the oath they had just before taken. In a conversation I had with one of the jurymen, he said, ‘Well suppose that we had placed the name of the destroyer in the verdict what good could it have done ? ’ My reply was that the jury could then have felt that they had done their duty to themselves, their duty to the public whom they represented, and have placed just one more nail in the coffin of king alcohol. But, Mr Editor, we now have another reason why the verdict should have been in accordance with the evidence. Last week a public debate took place in Auckland ©n this alcohol question. A full fledged doctor took up the cudgels for his king and in order to carry as much weight as possible he appeared in his robes, as Doctor of Medicines. During the debate statistics where quoted and when it came to deaths caused by alcohol the doctor said these statistics were quite unreliable, as the doctors generally returned these cases under some other name; or, in other words, in order to shield king Aloohol they made out false certificates.

Now, sir, I thought this a most damaging statement against his own side of the argument, coming as it did from a duly qualified medical man, and above all from the champion of the liquor traffic. We have here evidence that king alcohol has so much influence in our midst that he can make good men and true return false verdicts, and above all make our doctors—men who should be above suspicion—make ©nt false certificates. We have of late heard much of the Direct Vet© question, and through you, Mr Editor, I wsuld ask every man and woman who has the impudence to think for him or herself; those who think that the people should govern the country, whether the time has not come when the people should have a say as to whether this king or the people themselves are to rule. Friends, the general election is once more upon us, let the man who gets your vote be one that is pledged on this question.—H. J Slade.