SOME REMARKS ON TOPICS IN GENERAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1433, 20 June 1868, Page 7

SOME REMARKS ON TOPICS IN GENERAL.

To the Editor of the Herald. | Sir, —In making ray remarks upon topics in general I regret having given umbrr.ge to the sensitive mind of " Amicuu'' upon a mere que»tion of political economy. In the first place, I beg to assure him that 1 would bs vtry glad, indeed, that any humble effort of mine would make Sew Zealand prosperous and happy. The will is there, however, but thi way is sadly wantins. Lacking this most necessary eesential, all I can do is to point out the means to so desirable an end. Hut, although I could not by any word or de?d of my own, convert it into " another flower of the ocean and ;em of tho «ea," by establishing distilleries and fattening piga upon grain* ; nevertheless, I would be roost nnxious to eoe her what Goc and Nature destined her to be, like the Emerald Isle, by the full development of her great resources— Great, glorious, ami free, First tlower of the earth and first gem of the »ea. lam asked by " Arcioua " why I cannot take a more exalted *iew of the preeent and future of thie colony than that of mentally calling to my nid those means wht< h corrupt the morale and destroy the health of my fell'-iw men. My answer is plainly and simply saying that if I failed in his eyes in taking a " more exalted view " o£ the subject than I have done, I considered in my own, ut all ovents, that I was taking the plain, reasonable, and matter-of fact view of it— the only view, in l*ct, that could be taken of such a subject, it is true that I did not sophisticate it with j that subtle principle of reasoning which some j advocates surmount the good cause of temperance with. I simply took the same view of this particular subject of restriction as others hare done —men, to. l , be it Temembered, who would be as little disposed to fay or do anything to inflict injury on public morality by any act of theirs as would " himself or any other preacher of it. Who wilt say to the husbandman that he muet not sow bailey from the probability of its subsequent bad conseqtieiices to tempeianco ? Who will tell Such husbandman that he would bo guilty of immoral tendencies by the production of barley as part and parcel of his agricultural system ? The most deadly poison has ita uses, and though thousands of human beings have been destroyed by various kinds of it, still it is permitted to be sold, ou the principle o£ trade and commerce. It is not in the use, but the abuse of anything that danger lies. Wo all know that intemperance in anything is bad, and thatintomperanco in eating as well as drinking is destructive to health ; and through gout, plethora, and many other " ill) that flesh is lieii , to " art! the positive reeults of this gross habit, yet men will s'.ill be gourmands. Again, I ask, who wili tell me that a teetotal architect will refuse for the usual per centage to draw the design of an hotel becau'u diinke will be eubaoquently sold in it that may tend to " encourage immorality and destroy h'.akh ?" I venture to say that he will not; neither will teetotal nrorkmen who want etnployment refuse to give their labour upon the same principle in assisting to raise ix, up. Neither also, i am inclined to think, woulrl a teetotal doctor refuse hia professional eervices to tho family of an hotelkeeper because his medical feo was the product of that which tended to immorality and tho injury of health. Some of engaged in erecting tho Waitemata Hotel, at the foot, of Queen-street, inoy be teetotaler*, yet I dam say they are very glad to have thai job. The press has given vory nice descriptions ofthi elegance of tho design of this building; yet the press, the doctor, the architect, and the workmen employed upon each buildings together with the farmer who produces the barley, from which the malt ia made that producee tho beer and whisky, all

these, I nay, might be as consistently told that they are aiding those means which corrupt the morale and destroy tl.e health of thoiv fellow men, as I am, because I Bay that the legislature ought to place no restrictions in the way of establishing distilleries, wbieh would tend to promote agriculture and to rear pigs and rattle, and leave money in the colony. " The he'ad and front of my offending (against morality and the promotion of health) hath this extent, no more." I am sorry, indeed, that the nature of the question iteelf did not permit me to take that elevated view of

the subject that I would otherwise wish to do, or that would please "Amieus." Probably, if I had " a wee drap in mine e'e " at the time, I might be in lighter spirit* to ioar to Parnassus, and invoke the immortals to inspire mo with a theme worthy of the muse of " Amicue," honorable to myielf and beneficial to morality, and mankind in general. I »V.all, however, carefully bait my Pegasus, in order that he may be in, good.condition to carry me on a future occasion to the lofty and inspired mount for that purpose. No doubt I plead guilty to tho charge of looking to the political economy eido of the question ; and in doing so I do- no more than " Amicus" himeelf does, for he admits " that if people will drint, it were better they should do so to tho advantage of their country "than to hand over that capital to strangers." This is " Amicus , i' own t candid admission, and tbii ia the light in which I thought I fairly put the question in my "late picture." However, if the "commercial aspect" of lhe case will not harmonize with " the extended views I mostly tako of topics in general," I cannot for the life of me help it, for, most decidedly, I should like to secure to New Zealand thn " pecuniary advantage " of having the large amount of capital which is sent away annually for alcoholic spirits left in the country for the benefit of its own people, rather than to see that vast sum handed over to strangers who have no manner of sympathy with us ; but who, on the contrary, ([rumbled and growled for spending a trifle to crush a rebellion that was sacrificing life and proporty in New Zealand; but who do not grumble at all at an Abyisician expedition to release a few captives, at the enormous rate of fourteen millions α-year ! ! ! In advocating this pecuniary advantage, I certainly did not conceive that any one could »ay it was at the " expense of publie morality." If we had a Main Liquor Law in New Zealand the same ai they have in Americe, and that I advocated a system that would be injurious to public morality, then, indeed, I might be justly condemned for doing that which I had no right to do, under such circumatancos. Tso\r, Mr. JMitor, it is »aid that " facts are stubborn things," and as " one fact ia worth a thousand assertions," I will produce one for the enko ot' argument. On looking over tho revenue returns for the month ending May 31,1 find, under the head " Spirits," the exceedingly large number of 7,836 gallons taken out of bond for consumption. When in our province alone such a large amount of spirits h consumed, what must the amount be that is consumed in the whole of tho colony ? Yet, upon a false principle of reasoning, we must not advocate the justice of removing restriotions that would prevent the large sum paid for this articlo alone from leaving tho country. Oh ! no; drink and get drunk upon tho imported "firespirit," but you must not at all do so upon home-distilled. Notwithstanding " Amicus's" good opinion of me, for which, I aseuru him I feel thtmktul, I don't feel inclined to change my opinion on this matter. My logic, which I believe to be the truo logic, remains unshaken. If, howorer, he or any other casuit can provo to my satisfaction that I am wrong ia iny deductions, in that case " I -will take up their opinion and forego my own." I would feel inclined to be in good humour with " Amicus's " ficotiousneee about " gruntors" and " Brumm.igom 3riijht-ni'H t " if I thought his equanimity were not unruflled by tho allov of the introduction of distilleries into my topics in general. This phase of the question is, no doubt, as he says, a mercenary one, and I put it forward merely as an antidote to tho pernicious system of sending capital out of the country for an article that could be produced within it. If alcohol were not imported into Auckland »t all, and that we were all total abstainers, in that case I ehould bo very glad indeed to m'lWs the mercenary pbase of the case " subservient to the strong claims of public morality and aocinl happiness," by my total silence on the subject. If" Amicus " would recolloct, he would find that I have not been at all eilont upon the development of those other resources of the Province which may be »aid to be the " nesoJearies of life," and, I trust, -with s»ood results. In arguing the subject, as I have done, of the removal of restrictions, I should be very sorry to be considered as " pandering to our jopraved appetites." But to return to the gruntors. Let mo tell " Amicus" that he would go farthor and peed \rorso" than to h»vo n score or two ot'theee aid grunters in his piggery. Tho lute Princo Oonsoit if England did not consider it beneath his dignity to mild piggeries and rear grunters, and Her Majesty is iiid to have taken much interest in them. There might ie an uglier picturo in one's house to look nt than x :itchen of b'icou. If " Amieus " were partial to that •ery " sweet mid toothsome " article of iood, by havng" h. grunter or two hanging up in hi* kitchen, Pβ rould not bo necessitated to pay tho high price that ie is now compelled to do in Auckland for bacon, ior would he get anything so good as his own homenade. And perhaps the " grains," after all, might je griviuaMy introduced into his fattening proce»s. faking leave of tbo grunters, I will come to where ie saTB, " there is too much of the Brummagen llrii/hlnes* " in my letter to pleaso him. I am sorry 'or this ; >ut etill I am bound to differ with him ; for f I could flatter my«elf that miy part of it bore a relomblance to «o genuine an attempt, I would unhesitatingly say that that portion was the moit startling. 4nd my only regret is that we hare not in Auckland is well as in New Zealand generally a great deal of ihe Brummagen Bright-nets," for, i< , we had, our politicians would be taught a lesson in political science they little wot of, and which at preeent they seem to bo entirely ignorant of. Ido not, ot course, expect that people of the old school of Toryism would epeak well of such a man ai John Bright. But every liberal-minded JKngliihmau will, 1 think, readily acknowledge the great benefit, that he and his fel-low-labourers in the field of reform have conferred upon England, by their indomitable energy, untiring zeal, political hone-ty, and great pergonal sacrifices in the cauie of the people of that country. Therefore, the effort of " Amiens," in this particular initance to be witty, telli rather against him than for him. I really thought I w.i taking a sound, steady, logical view of the subject, without at all introducing the science of trying to secure a pecuniary advxntage at the expense of morality.—l um, &c, Anthbofos,