CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4289, 1 December 1892, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

The Temperance Question. (TO THE EDITOR 01' THE WAIRARAI'A DAILY TIMES,) Sir, —As Temporance matters have been claiming tho attention of tho publio a good deal of late, porhaps you would kindly allow me a Bpace in your columns to offer a few remarks on this important subject. It is quite on tho cards that tho publio may be culled upon to settlo this vexed question with some 'degree of finality sooner than is generally anticipated.

The impression, from a Temporance point of view, seemß to be that directly tho women receive the franchise they will make the first use of it to destroy the liquor traffiic- root and branch. Now assuming this to be the case, and assuming also that they will have thefrauchise in tirno to exeroise their right at the next General Election—a thing by no means impossible -what will bo the result? Tho Teraperanco body as it Btands to-day, apart from the ladies, is a powerful body; so powerful, indeed, that we see politicians, who have little sympathy with the Temperance movement, toadying to it for support. The logical inference from this is that at tho noxt general election thoro will be a strong majority returned pledged to prohibitory measures.

Such a state of things would in my opinion, afford an easy solution of tko compensation difficulty. I bold that if a local body takes away a hotelkeeper's license without good and sufficient reasons, ho has an undoubted right to compensation for the loss which he sustains through their action. But if the state on ihe other hand leaves the publican severely alone, and at the same time stops the importation of liquor into the Colony, I do not see that he would have any juat claim to compensation. In the former case it would be impossible for a hotelkeeper to foresee whon the Licensing Bench might fall into the hands of unreasoning bigots, who would niin him and his family without the slightest compunction, while in the latter case hohas only to read the signs of the times and uwke his calculations accordingly. It is quite time hotelkeepers began to seriously consider their position. They are engaged in a traflio as honorable as any other traffic in the world, but it is n

traffic which publio opinion (under certain circamstances) may sweep out of existence at do very remote period, It therefore behoves them to look to it in time. Whether the abolition of the liquor traflio will bo a bJusaing or otherwise, il is not iny intention hero to offer an opinion, bat if it does no other good than toko away the occupation of those of the leather-lunged fraternity, who make a living out of tho public by preaching Temperance, it will have achieved something for which mankind should be grateful, At all events, it is absolutely necessary that the liquor traffic should be adjusted in some way other than it is at present, Either it should be swept away altogether or else emancipated from the petty tyranny to which it is exposed under the existing law.

The local option is a most iniquitous law; it opens the door to bribery, corruption and lying; it gives the publican a sense of insecurity, and is a powerful incentive to him to make as much money as ho can with the least possible delay. He "does not know from one year to another when tho Temperance harpies may bo down on him, and either get his license cancelled or put him to the expense of defending it. Is it any wonder the liquor traffic should have a demoralising tendoncy under such a rotten system? Wo want alteration, and wo want it soon—the. sooner the better! Yours, etc.,