The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, MAY 26, 1891.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3819, 26 May 1891, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, MAY 26, 1891.

"From information received" wa are led to believe that there are three parties in the Licensing election contest, No 1 a publican's party, No 2 a temperance party, and No 3 a professional party. With a desire to give the public as much information as possible on tbe subject we will indicate the names of the candidates who constitute the respective parties. Nol-. 7 Eton, H. E. Dalrymple, G. S. W. Heron, G. ' k * Perry, Walter Williams, Joseph No 2. Daniell.C.E, ■ *■> Feist, E. W. Woodroff, G. W. Perry, B. P. No 3. Pownall, 0. A. The publicans, we need hardly say, form an organised body, have an association of their own, and will take siuh steps as they may deem necessary to return the five candidates of their choice. It does not follow that these candidates should be necessarily under their influence, as it is oft in a Wise policy for a body of publicans to endeavor to 1 get respectable settlers to Eerve on a licensing commission; The publicans' virtually mean the men they intend to, obtain rotes for. Then comes No 2 party, the representatives of the Temperance Societies of this town. They, it is said, intend making a clean sweep of all licenses in the borough by closing every public house. With the views they hold they have a perfect right to do this. The only question is whether they are strong enough for such an undertaking. In No 1 party there are five candidates and ju No 2 there are an equally significant number, but No 3 is numerically weak, though it may perhaps make up in quality for its deficiency in number. Five temperance candidates were expected to take tbe floor and fire publicans' representatives were like Susy "to be there,"" but this chipping in ef an eleventh candidate at the last moment has been a surprise. Just as the music is beginning, suddenly the lights' burn rtliie, there is a smell of sulphur and "Alonzo tbe Brave" glides in with his teriifie air! The momentous question now is, ought tbe public to plump for party No. 3? What would be the awful consequence if par ies No 1 and 2 were defeated and party No. 3 were returned. There are eridently complications ia the present election which require to be unravelled. There in, however, in all shcli elections one sad aspect which cannot altogether be disiegaided. {n this community, as in all others, there are heart-broken vomen whose husbands, yielding to tern citations- which they have not the moral strength to resist, pour down their throatsjthe price of their children's fcod and clothing. If anything could be done to check this evil we could gladly help to stay it. So no doubt would the ministers of religion in this town and many others jvho are not directly associated with either the temperance or the publican's parties. Our temperance friends propose a very drastic remedy, for whujh the community is bcarcely ripe. It does not, however, follow that because we cannot go to an extreme length with this party that we do not sympathise with the cause of temperance or are unwilling to promote it in any way that we may consider wise and prudent. We believe it fc possible to regulate the traffic, but at the present time we do not consider it can be annihilated. There are tjo many licensed houses in Masterton, and we would like to see someof them closed and the others improved, but beyond tbis we are not prepared to go.