SUNDAY CLOSING. TO THE EDITOR OF THE EVENING POST.

Evening Post, Volume XXII, Issue 94, 19 October 1881, Page 3

SUNDAY CLOSING. TO THE EDITOR OF THE EVE NING POST.

Sir— lf there is one quality more than another which the electors should insist upon a candidate for Parliamentary honours possessing, itis that of consistency, otherwise they may find to their cost that when the successful candidate " bears his blushing honours thick upon him," he may throw to the wind all the fair promises he made when upon the hustings, and thus prove an evil instead of good to the constituency electing him. Allow me to point out what, to me at least, is a great inconsistency in the speech of Mr. Stafford at the Arcade last eight, as reported by yonr morning contemporary. He is made to say in one plaod, " More care should, in his opinion, be taken a<* to legislation, aud, as far as possible, any reforms made by the Mother Country should, as they occurred, be adopted in this colony." And yet, immediately after making this statement — with which I entirely agreein respome to Mr. Kdgar, he says, "The present licansing system with regard to Sunday closing was unsai isfactory. He saw no reason why a man, if ho wished a pint of beer on Sunday, should bo debarred from getting it within certain hours." How can Mr. Stafford reconoile the two statements ? As a lawyer he muct be aware, Sir, that Scotland has long enjoyed the advantages of Sunday closing. Later on, legislation in the British House of Commons did away with Sunday trading in Ireland, this has been followed but a short time since by Wales Bharing in this reform, and the day is not far distant when England herself will enjoy the advantages of a qniefc Sunday. As to its being a reform, we will leave the clergymen, judges, lawyers, magistrates, and police-inspectors, who have had every opportunity of witnessing its results, to speak for themselves. Tn spite of facts snch as these, Mr. Stafford, the advocate of Liberalism, or progress, wouldhayeus— who, by our example in this one particular, have helped to teach tho Mother Counti'y that this can be successfully carried out— make Buoh a retrogade movement as that which he advocated last night, a step which would be suicidal to the true interests of the people and the real progress and greatness of the colony. I am, &0., COHSISTENCf.