THE PROHIBITIONIST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4103, 4 May 1892, Page 2

THE PROHIBITIONIST.

Pi&lhhei by tk courtesy of the Editor of Wairarapa Doi'y Timet, under the ampicesofthe New Zealand Allium for the prohibitum of the liquor traffic, Maslerlon Auxiliary.

When ratepayers demand the entire extinction of all places for the sale of liawn, their praycrshuU begranted, -Okrles Buxton, Brewer.

[Communications tor tins column must be addressed to " The Prohibitionist," care of Editor of IYairarapa Dam

Times,]

The prohibition reform is essentially a democratic question. The demand is that ihe voice of the people should be heard and given effect to with,regard to the alcohol scourge in lociilU ties, In the Old Country the Radical , nature of this reform has become so apparent that the Radical lenders in very consistency have been forced to declare themselves on the side of Prohibition, Mr John Morley represents the Radicalism of England, and he has made Prohibition a plank in his political platform, Our Premier poses as the representative of our New Zealand Radicalism, and yet he is a Tory of 'he Tories on this question, We fear that Mr Ballance is one of the most loyal henchmen the publicans possess in New Zealand. It is currently reported that ho owes his seat in the House to the yote of the publicans of Wanganui. His opponent, who r»n him very close at last election, was a Prohibitionist, Then in his Cabinet the publican interest is largely represented. Mr Seddon is an old publican, and has a real interest in the .liquor traffic in Greymouth. Our Postmaßter-Ueneral must from his connections have a warm sympathy with the publican. We gladly recognise the fact that Mr Seddon voted for Mr-Joyce's Bill last session, but the man who votes prohibition and at the same time pockets the profits of the pnblio house is not worthy of much confidence. We fear that Mr Ballance is but too well supported in his Cabinet in his attitude of "Hands off the public house." As Prohibitionists weare neither Liberals nor Tories, The Alliance is formed of people of various political and religious creeds. We are patriots 6rst and party politicians second. We in no way take any side in party politics when we hold up lo scorn tho sham Radicalism ot Mr Ballance that refuses to give the power to the people ot emancipating themselves from the drink scourge. We trust that the member for Masterton, who has shown much earnestness in saying "ditto" to Mr Ballance in many matters, will break with him on this question, We believe the member for Masterton is open to reason on this question. He showed last session of Parliament that lie whs not a foe of Prohibition. It was not a very heroic position for him to take up to face both ways by voting for the Prohibitionists in the shape of Mr Joyce's Bill one day, and then a day or two afterwards for the publicans in the shape of Mr Hutchison's Bill; his action was that of a man in a very perplexed state of soul. Has he now made up his mind ? A political Facing-both-ways will not do for Masterton. Demos is crying " How long halt you between two opinions ?"

■ The Prohibition motto of "patriots first, party politicians second," has its counterpart in the motto of the - Licensed Victuallers:-" Publican interest first, patriotism second." Mr f C, Petty.a paid agent of the publicans, thus expounded this principle recently at Hyde, in England; " They wanted to sink all trade differences in tboir electoral aoheme, They wanted the ; brewer, tho licensed victualler, the beer . retailer, the off-license holder, the mineral water manufacturer, tho cork manufacturer, the bottle manufacturer, and oven the eon" Burners of drink, to support tho candidate they adopted as a fit and proper person io represent them in the House of Commons. They did not care whether a candidate was a Home Ruler, a Gladstonian, a Conservative, a. Unionist, a Tors: a Calvanistio Mothodiat—they did notice what on earth a fellow was so long as he answered their five questions right, He would give them • tho fivo quoatiODß which would be put to every candidate in this country before the next election, and he had to answer these five questions in writing. They would not tako his word, He would not believe any blooming candidate for Parliament if be told him anything, but wlun they had him down in black and white he could not run away." . A correspondent in Hawko's Bay writes us about the way in which the development of the liquor traffio has led to the enriching of the English language with slant;. Our correspondent was considerably puzzled by bearing a good deal said about the doings of the local publican's" Polers" (pole bullocks). As the country side was remarkably free of bullocks it dawned upon our iiiend's mind that the publican's" Polers" were not veritable quadrupeds, Tho meaning of the word was made plain to him in a short time by the following story, A wos man in the neighbourhood was oon>. versing with the publican's wife about the badness of tho times and the difficulty she had in getting money.for various household purposes, and she expressed her surprise that her friond seemed free of suoh oare. " Oh," said the publican's wife, "I have plenty of working bullocks and they keep me w,ell euppliedl" The working bullocks were the station hands who knocked down' their cheques in the public-house. Another phrase also mystified our correspondent, Several of the men about the.nlace had lost their horses and he was told that the horses had "jumped the bar." The bar was the public-house bar and the poor. wretches. after knocking down their cheques had sold their horses apd drank the rnopey. The.readers of this column knpw of the way that the publjcans' bullocks have been working; in Masterton under the reign of Moderation, They know also that the most unlikely things have jumped the publicans' bara of Maeterton, The police have a sheaf of complaints from those who have been plundered. Stolen whips, garden tools, and sacks of oats have taken to themselves life and "jumped thebarl" Lord Salisbury, through the foreign Office, has actually issued a series of Temperance Tracts I He had been moved to institute an inquiry into the : workings of tyojiibjtion in the United States, and the , resjjltwas the issue of the tracts,. The tracts show that the American people' .from the Gulf of Mexico to the St, Lawrence'in t'anada were 'approaching Propibjtion. A man might wallf 2000' miles through the fjtates without seefng 'a drpp of dunk. In every case where Prohibition had been'' tried it had proved successful, Mr Gaine jn. repprliug ' tbeflafac>tp. a'meeting in yvorpool I on February 10th added that -he believed that in twenty ye ts Prohi- ' bition would obtain in every state in J America, I