Mt. Ida Chronicle NASEBY, FRIDAY, SEPT. 30, 1904. LICENSING.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume 36, Issue 9439, 30 September 1904, Page 2

Mt. Ida Chronicle NASEBY, FRIDAY, SEPT. 30, 1904. LICENSING.

tap Premier has for the last few years gdSS to' immense, trouble, and. assumed an .extraordinary amount of personal respon ibility, in connection with the worrying question of the sale of alcoholic liquors. The fact is itself an evidence of the extreme importance to which this matter has attained in thg minds or the people since the present ment took office. The avowed alliance between the Premie*, and- the representatives of the liquor tfa'de, whfether or riot it has resulted (as the no-license party allege) front Mr Seddon's original connection; wjth'that business da the West COasty tas beer! one of the most powerful factors at work during the last three Or four general elections; and its existence has kept the leaders of the noJ license Eection in a continu'a'f state of fermenfc and suspicion, as evidenced by the extreme and jfealous attention they pay to each of the Premier 1 s successive moves in the matter, arid their readiness to break out into furious' denunciation whenever it appears that any proposed cTiangein the law will confer any benefit or relief upSn those connected with the liquor trade. On the other hand, looking at the general,result of-things so far, it is difficult to suppose~that 'the brewer and the publican tan-nave' derived so" much advan-J tage from the'r powerful political backing as they mitst nave bopeS from it when thd existing eonnecdon was first established. The point for them to appreciate would-seeni to be not so ranch riny positive benefit-that has been seemed as their escape,", wbetber temporary or permanent, _frcW the' much! worse evils which- would certainly Have befallen them as the result Of the great advance' movement in the.direction of<,uernperance reform had-not their" strong saltfj.nceS.yri political circles partially way. The conferring of the franchise np%n women, which has had such an immense influence orr the course of temperance movements, was a measure on trie part of the Premier which 1 his friends in the trade.found it hard to forgive, recognising as what~mi>st-jin-evitably be'the' general trend 1 of the women 'B vote ; and when this was" followed by-the institution of the double p4H a*t 'icensing elections—thus placing the liqft ; >r- question on an equality cf importance with the apparently far graver matter of determining' who sbofrld guide the desrinies of tn'e 661bny —the danger of the situation was at once recognised by the entire liquor trade as fV'ing' of the acutest.kind.. It was clear, that without the introduction Of some couhter-"balanc-ing legislation the Premier was in danger of losing the support of one of t the most'powerful sections of his political friends ; and this ; is doubtless tbcreason »^by,"on^the7appeat , ' 1 ance of each successive amendment.of "the ; Licensing Acts emanating from the Government bericoes, the leaders" of-tne^no-license, party have been inclined to raise the cry of treachery, and worse, almost before they had time to peruse the actual clauses ofthe neW measures. The trade has always, on its side,sat tight iTid held its tongue to' a much greater degree. V?hat has mYdourtedly happened has been that the Premier has said to* his liquor friends " Gentlemen 1 ,- it's no for you to expect nm to turn bfitek tbe haaJs?

•■"■ Vf the political clock.' • I'cffn-do a'great deal, "but I can't defy or destroy so obvious and to determined k movement in the direction \>f sterner control as you can seo for your- .' "selves has arisen in -the colony, All I can ."'do is to act as a moderating influence and, ~ "do the best that can be done to look lifter, "Vested interests while bending to the pplitl- ■ . 'cal storm-. JtTs'no.uSei:to abuse roe for it;. and it would be "still more useless.for ycjiu to . turn against me, 'for though I can t- do ira- \ , ' ".possibililies.l am the most in "'' the country, and without me to set the points 3 "of th'o'game you Will be swept out of exist>"encn I, v fore you can 'find a stronger leader i .. \o fight .vour battles for you. The country is , Meterra ineduponlarge.measuresof reform•; I, 'am the political head of the country, and 1 am. Wnd to execute its will. If you continue to. " place yonr trust in me, I will make things as; • ' 'fair for you'asl'can while carrying out the reforms ; but if you say vou will have no "more of me, well, look out for yourselves, ■' for I shall then acquire an even > larger, measure of public appreciation by g>™»g. a '2ar longer rope'to the temperance reformers. Itisas g much P asl can do to see what you would cnll fair play ev>en while I have your Undivided support, behind me.' , -Much c>f ■whatsis otherwise puzzling;;in recent meatf'•ures neconies clearerfif; we remember.that 'something like the above is in all probability what has taken place. A signal evidence of it has been lately seen in the unexpected fervour with which the Premier has thrown himself into the crusade against clubs, which "for obvidus- reasons*, are organisations de'tested by the publican who relies to any .''great extent "On his bar trade. _ The action is a particularly clever one, for it is exactly, of., 'the kind which,. though.So welcome to publi--■"—'cans, excites nd kind of animosity on the "other side.' 1 Clubs are not the most popular 'of thing'safany'time ; and even tbe.casually 'intereste'd'outsider naturally thinks that ; 'what is;ibo^'legisj'dtion;fqr a publican's bar M/Wgoocl'*' Bol for the'liquor-room of a club or ''for the'flourishing'trade.i6£ Bellamys itself. 'We do not know 'that a logical, rinswer to J thatc6nteriii,on is,very easy to find.