LAMBING DOWN.

North Otago Times, 26 September 1908, Page 2

LAMBING DOWN.

Sodom and Gomorrah could have been 1 saved from the consequences ol the deflections of their inhabitants from the moral codo had there ken an .infinitesimal number of .the people who conkl lay a reasonablo clairi} to being; accounted righteous, and in a per contra application of the same method of selection ono bluc!;| sheep in the licensed victuallers' fraternity assists to consign the wholo lot to tho perdition . prepared- by the local option .vote. That ' public opinion is intluonced by tho doings of Mr Josoph Burko, licensee of the Record- llagn Hotel in-Gisborue,' is 'easily demonstrated. Ifr Burke sued tho Gisborno Timos for £250. for making the statement that ho had been guilty of lambing down ia man named Pearson. Burlto must hav o had more knowledge of tho circumstances ol his own caso than Poarson did ,of whoro his £l3 had gono when ho finished up his but, and why ho fhould have dragged "such a disreputablo transaction into tho Supremo Court is difficult to understand, The Verdict of tho jury and tho judge's remarko leave no doubt in people's minds as to the character of (he affair; and the revelations made m connection with the lambing i down assist to hurry along tho timo'when no-license shall havo tnlcon possossion of tho Dominion. If tho other licensees ol tho Dominion woro paragons of all tho virtues the one black sheep has the same influence to destroy as tho one righteous man in tho ancient cities wo lmvo mentioned would have had to save,_ for the natural bent.of live human mind is to,associate nil in ono common assemblage. Accowlini' to the evidence givon in tho trial Pearson went in with a littlo over £l3, and, as far as can be gathered from tho proceedings, came out with a mild form of delirium tremens as his share of the contest botween tho purchasing power of money, and tho efficacy of drink to bock him over. Tt is not every publican who would have taken Pearson's, money and lurried him out wrung dry and in a stalo bordering on semi-lunacy, but the fact tlmt the verdict shows that one man did do so drives a long spike into tho coffin of license, Licensed eicfuallers havo to carry on liieir business wilh circumspection, and one black sheep gotting into the flock is singled out for conspicuous notice hnd comment. He irradiates into one .liugo aggregation, against which .tho v hole form of no-llcenso is flung, and affords one of the reason? for tho advancement of the no-license cause.