The Lyttelton Times. MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 1893.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXIX, Issue 9948, 30 January 1893, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 1893.

If the Prohibitionist League of Sydenham desires to impress the public favourably, it must make a fair use of the weapon of persuasion, which is the only weapon it possesses. But the weapon of persuasion must be employed in conjunction with facts. If employed in conjunction with allegations of fact which are unfounded, persuasion must fail. A few days ago its chief men committed themselves to the definite statement that the Truck Act had been broken, in the spirit if not the letter, in the ease of some Government employees whoso debts to the neighbouring publican were deducted from their pay. Prom the account forwarded to us by our Wellington correspondent, and published in our last issue, it is plain that in one of the only two cases known to the Department, there is no truth in the charge at all, the men having paid for the moderate quantity of liquor they consumed. In the other case the prohibitionists have jumped to the conclusion that a man who is storekeeper as well as publican must necessarily sacrifice everything to the publican side of his business. But it ia plain that the men must have the stores, and the exceptional circumstance that there is only one storekeeper who can supply them has to be considered. The Government has found work for a largo number of men, and has to recognise the fact that they must live. To live they get stores from a man who is not their employer in any shape or form. Not having cash, they give him orders for their goods, and these orders are, according to the usual practice, honoured. No proof whatever has been adduced than these men were taken advantage of in any way by the storekeeper. The idea held by the prohibitionists seems to be that because the storekeeper is also a publican he must have defrauded the men. It is not the first time such a conclusion has been formed on insufficient ground. We remember Mr Harknesa last session accused Mr Seddou of having interfered in a certain licensing matter as he passed through the Nelson district. But we remember also, that Mr Seddou proved conclusively that he had never had any - communication with any of the people interested, and that he had not landed from bis steamer, nor even left his bunk, during the few minutes the vessel stayed at the wharf. In this case there was an invention on the part of so.mebody. In the other case there has b6on similar rashness in forming a conclusion. The Government has certainly never allowed the Truck Act. to be broken, and, wo feel sun*, never will. Neither has the Government prevented the Railway Commissioners from refusing to permit the sale of alcoholic liquors to the travelling public. As a matter of fact, and every child knows it, the Government cannot interfere with the Railway Commissioners in anyway. Upon these allegations of somebody, made with more temperance zeal than common discretion, the prohibition orator at Sydenham founded a charge of insincerity against Ministers. Under the circumstances, it is, of course, quite unnecessary to refer to the charge again. There is only one thing to add, viz., that there is every reason lo believe that Ministers desire to treat whb justice all classes of the community, hrespective of their views upon any particular question. We must conclude with a reminder that unless more-care is.exercised

the prohibitionists in ascertaining their facts they cannot expect to succeed in persuadiog the world over to their views.

The unwholesome condition of the political atmosphere of Queensland — a thing which, concerning the honour of one self-governing Colony, concerns all—may be gauged from the fact that the newspapers have just discovered that Sir Samuel Griffith ought not to he allowed to succeed to the office of Chief Justice of that Colony. Why did they not make the discovery sooner ? There really could have been no reason except the darkness which had descended on the political conscience. What was done was enough to startle the most robust thinker undeterred by something more than trifles. Briefly it was this : The Chief Justice was badgered into resigning ; the House was induced to add <£looo to the salary of the office for the sake of its next occupant; the Premier himself agreed to be that next occupant; and the leader of the Opposition agreed to accept a portfolio in the Government. It was a time of depression and of retrenchment of salaries from the Governor downwards ; nevertheless, though the Chief Justice’s salary was ample, nobody was struck by the indecency of increasing it by a thousand a year. Even the arrangement for closing the mouth of the Opposition leader with the substantial consideration of a salaried portfolio failed to make the Press move, or public opinion feel suspicious. One cannot help thinking that the Kanaka traffic was the key that locked the months of men. Sir Samuel Griffith, after years of consistent opposition to that traffic, suddenly threw himself . into the arms of Sir Thomas M‘llwraith, embraced the traffic in the same moment, and formed a coalition Government, to which the majority accorded its respect in spite of the fact that the virulent and long-continued vituperations employed by its chiefs against each other in the days of their political strife, remained on either side without withdrawal, qualification or apology. The Labour party alone fought against the Kanaka traffic, and denounced. Sir Samuel Griffith as a traitor to the cause that had made him. Then followed the other coalition, and again Labour alone spoke out, feeling vindictive joy in the thought that the ill-treated retiring Chief Justice, Sir Charles Lilley—one of the most capable and moat strenuous politicians in Australia —was about to lead them in the political arena. But: when the Premier in due course actually placed Mr Nelson, the Opposition leader, in his own place—as locum tenens'. ostensibly, but in reality to test the matter, we presume—and when he went so far himself as to accept new briefs in a case which, in a few weelks, might come before him as Chief Justice, the Frees attacked him without mercy. We congratulate the Press of the northern Colony on having effectively if tardily, roused public opinion.