THE LICENSING ELECTION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2216, 10 February 1886, Page 2

THE LICENSING ELECTION.

To the Editor. Sib,—Why are there bo many persons anxious to obtain seats on the Licensing ' Bench \ This question is beins; discussed just now, and many answers are given to it, but none seem to quite suit, What do vou suppose. Mr Editor, is the value of a license? Of course, we know that £4O has to be paid ' directly'for it; but is it not worth more ? Do you suppose it would pay an aspirant for ft license to. spend say £SO more in order to. get it &• I by no means wish to hint that any of*? the candidates now before the publio would take money in this way, far from it; but there is a possibility that other candidates in other parts of the country might do so, and it is just as well to. bear in mind that there iß' nothing to stop them, if th'o thing is dono quietly. Why do they call five of (he candidates "Liberals"} 1 am sure it is a greafc-' shame to do so, for not one of them hag' ever dons anything to deserve' such'-'! abuse. Mr MoEwen for .instance. No '■'■''

one could possibly accuse him of being a " Liberal." Ho is a decent, hard-working kAsnron, that has done no one any ha™. But all! Mac, if you will como flut as a public man, you must expect far !worso abusa than this. Depend upon it, , you would bo far better shoeing horses thjin having your "head ta'en up with the things o' the Statu." Mr Hogg, too, us nice a creature as you could come across. The idea of calling him a Liberal! Mr Hogg is no move a Liberal than you or I, sir! Look at tho way he tried to break up the school the other dav, and now when he wants to substitute the publu - houso for a school, you call him a Liberal! Sham'! shim ! Why a will you not allow the mau to do good in idl his day and generation. Do you mean T to say you would prefer a ninny brought up to read and write and cipher, to a manly young fellow who can drink and gamble, smoke and swear, in the way young fellows are taught in tho new Bchool Mr Hogg is trying to substitute for tho old one I Tut! Tut! Don't call hard names! Neyor call Mr Hopg a Liberal again; it might hurt his feelings, Mr Harding, too, a quiet decent fellow who if let alone will interfere with no one, What on earth do you call him a Liberal for? What has he ever done to deserve such hard usage? Then there is Mr Hessey. A Liberal, eh; He has onlyto point to his career in the Borough QoMil to refute that calumny. Why, »ir,Tfew weeks ago, when it was proposed to water the streets of the Borough who held out against it but Mr Hessey. "It won't benefit rac" he said, "and it might cost mo something," and he voted against it. Again, when they proposed to buy a steam firo engine did not Mr Hessey hold out against it because it would be of no benefit to him ?' Yet you such a man a Liberal. Shame, sir shame ! Lastly thoro is Mr Chamberlain who is everybody's friend, will do any mortal thing anybody asks him, and you brand this man as a Liberal. When has Mr Chamberlain deserved this epithet? Look back over his public career and point out if you can any action that would justify you in applying it to him. Mr Chamberlain is not a Liberal. Far from it, but a decent quiet fellow who does not caro whother ho does right or wrong so long as ha pleases somebody. The only thing I cannot understand about it is why these men are so anxious to aorvo the public. Of course we turn with disgust from the idea that there is money in it, that cannot be it, it must be I suppose that they really aro philanthropists and wish to increase the number of places whoj&the poor hard-workine man can enjojfjiirnself and get drunk if ho likes without anyone interfering. And if ho does get drunk a little oftener what dues it matter, and if boing drunk he hammers his wife who dares interfore, and if his ■ children do got hungry and half-naked, does it not mako them hardy, why should anyone seek to interfere with a poor man's pleasures 1 Why should anyone try big) prevent these five men who aro not * liberals from giving to others a share in the monopoly, it will make it so much less a monopoly and so do unquestionable good. lam, &c,, ' Conservative,