BY THE WAY.

Evening Star, Issue 9534, 3 November 1894, Page 1

BY THE WAY.

—Let your sense be clear, Nor with a weight of words fatigue the ear. Horace. The genial member for Clutha has been in hot water with the temperance section of his constituents, who resented some rather tropical observations anent professional agitators which fell from his lips during the committee stage of the Alcoholic Liquors Sale Act Amendment Bill. What was immediately on the board was the composition of licensing committees, and the " mediocre" member for Christchurch had brought forward an amendment which aimed at the exclusion of all paid temperance advocates. There is no official report of what takes place in committee, but some of the lynx-eyed members of the " gallery" were in their accustomed places to catch the pearls of wisdom that fell from legislators' lips in the small hours of that morning, and one of these recording angels thus chronicled the outburst on the part of "Clutha" and what occasioned it : Mr Collins moved, as an addition to clause 11: To disqualify any person who is a professional or paid advocate for or against the suppression of the liquor traffic from holding a scat on a committee, and this was carried by 2S to 26.—Sir R. Stout expressed surprise at the motion being carried, and at the Government abandoning their Bill by voting for the amendment. It was right, he said, that persons who had interests should be debarred. What interest had these people!—Mr T. Mackenzie said they had an interest in keeping up a state of agitation. These temperance agitators were the curse of the colony. They had been the cause of men of a most undesirable class crawling to the front who had as much sympathy for temperance as his big toe.

The fat was in the fire when it got bruited about—most innocently, of course—that the hon. geutleman, who is never known to take anything seriously, was having a sly dig at the arch-apostle of frohibition. It was not long before he was in receipt of some stronglyworded reminders that the temperance folk, who had not entirely deserted him in the hour of his need last November, had expected better things of him. Then the ladies " got at" him, and the reproaches of his fair constituents were more than the hon. gentleman could stand. He has hj st no time in pointing out that his vote helped eventually to kill the insinuating amendment of Mr Collins and in denying the soft impeachment that he could be guilty of the implied baseness of grievously wounding his friends. The hon. gentleman wrote thus: — During the discussion I made some pretty strong remarks on the attitude of some who were pecuniarily interested, who used the temperance question for their own personal ■ promotion and aggrandisement—men who did not wish to see the licensing question faced and disposed of, but whoso present advantages could only be secured by keeping the country in a continual state of unrest. It was perfectly well understood in the House to whom my remarks referred, and it is coitainly very disingenuous to endeavor to give them the coloring and general application which has been sought.

As if the women.were not able to put Mr Mackenzie through his facings, the 'Christian Outlook' took him to task and rebuked him severely for taking advantage of the protection which is supposed to hedge in a legislator, and too often converts him into a guerilla destroyer of men's reputations, to slander by innuendo men who unselfishly devote themselves to the work of upraising their fellows. Those who know " Clutha" best will have some difficulty in believing that he is imperious to editorial criticism, or that under any circumstances he would sit down quietly while it is "rubbed in thick," ai the 'Outlook' writergave it to him. Thomas isn't built that way, and when he takes to the platform he will have it out with his clerical friend. Meantime, he intends to inundate the Clutha district with authentic copies of the speech, which has occasioned "considerable feeling" in the electorate, and invites his constituents to suspend their judgments till they have read and digested it or heard his explanation, which, however, has received the endorsement of two members of the House. Mr M ; Nab subscribes without the least hesitation to Mr Mackenzie's version of the matter, while Mr H. D. Bell wires explicitly : "I understood." he says, " your words to refer only to men such as Clampctt, and felt sure that members present so understood you. The newspaper report distorted your meaning and the effect of your language. There was nothing offensive to the real advocates of temperance or to such men as Leonard Isitt, and the proof is that many of us in the House on the temperance fide would have been quick to resent and reply had any such meaning been conveyed to us." If "Clutha" ever had any doubts of the strength of the temperance vote in his district he will now Lc quite certain of its solidarity, and be careful, in future, to avoid turning the point of his favorite thistle against himself.

The actual history of that special train appears to be this: Some of the southern members, who were very anxious to get to their home!-, were promised a special train if they stayed to sec the business through on Tuesday, and the member of the Government, who made the promise, did not reckon on having to run a special further than Ashburton, where it was anticipated that the express could be overtaken. But the Tarawera was kept unduly long at AVellington, with the result that it was well into Wednesday afternoon before she reached Lyttelton. Inquiries of the railway authorities elicited the information that no arrangements bad been made for sending bon. gentlemen on, and the wires were at once brought into requisition, the Minister being somewhat forcibly reminded of his promise. As the first message did not " fetch " him, a second way despatched, in which something was said about "selling" those who had put their trust in him. This had the desired effect, and the special was forthcoming. Two South Canterbury, fom Otago, and one Southland member were the passengers.

Unless a surprise is sprung at the eleventh hour, which is hardly probable, the contest for the City mayoralty this year will be confined to the two candidates already in the field—the present incumbent of the office and Cr Dawson. And a spirited contest it will be. The municipal career of both is too well known; each has a "record," and each has a distinct following, the Strength of which cannot be estimated at present, because the roll to be used at this election is not yet available. But it fchould not be forgotten by those who are disposed to jump at conclusions that there has been an effective purgation of the rolls this year, with the result that the number of voters has been considerably reduced. The names of some 50 dead men have been struck off, the claims of 57 persons were rejected for various I informalities, while probably another 50 wero similarly treated for being without the necessary qualification. Only 34 names have been added to.the roil during the year. Contrast this state of things with what happened when roll-stulliiig was rampant on the eve of the councillors' or mayoral elections. A comparison of the rolls in use last year and to be used at the end of this mouth will show something like this : 1893-94. 1894-95. Voters in South Ward ... 354 352 High „ ... 727 (>7U Bell „ ... «fl Kff Leith „ ...997 934 2.74J 2,593 +4~* At the last revision, on the 24th ult., the City Council took a new departure, which is fraught with much danger to the rights of the burgesses. The practice has hitherto been that formal objection shall be lodged by Eome ratepayer against the continuance on the burgesa roll of any names not possessing the requisite qualification; but on this occasion the Corporation officers appeared as "objectors," and at their instance the names of nearly thirty persons were struck off the rolls. The questions that arise are: Who set the Corporation officers in motion, and why were not those whose qualification was challenged given notice individually to show cause ? A very dangerous precedent will be set up if this action, which to my lay mind is quite contrary to the spirit of the Municipal Corporations Act, is confirmed; and now that attention has been drawn to it some of the persons, who will be surprised to learn that they are no longer reckoned among tho elect, will take the trouble to inquire into the circumstances under which they ceased to be burgesses of the City of Dunedin. Nemo.