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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9255, 8 January 1889, Page 4

, The letter which appears in another column, signed "W. Steadman Aldis," abundantly confirms the correctness of our supposition respecting the late / , deputation to the Governor on the C.D. Act. We said that " those who know better" are being " urged on to attempt to compass an unconstitutional - Act"; and the tone of our correspondent "better shows the chagrin that has been cans ad by the failure in the attempt to make of two such astute and able!

aixiv/Gaiuejj. an on- v*eorge v*rey and Sir William Fox mere cats' paws to pull the nuts put of the fire. That the promoters of that enterprise should have conceived themselves clever enough to befool two such men, is one of the funniest instances of over-ween-ing self-conceit that have = appeared for some time. Professor Aldis, in his letter, speaks of our remarks as " hysterical," and the assertions of an "irresponsible writer," and so on. Our respect for our _ correspondent personally, and for his office, prevents us from treating such remarks as the temper and tone of them deserve. They betoken anger only, and considering the fiasco that resulted from the deputation to the Governor, the writer may well say, "I do well to be angry." The promoters, of whom he was one, sent the deputation to curse the Government, and behold it did nothing but bless. If the public are laughing at the result, it is not the two knights that are the excitinc: cause of the merriment. Our correspondent refers to this form of legislation as discredited in the Imperial Parliament. This is a' favourite argument with those who oppose legislation on this subject. The action of the Imperial Parliament was simply the triumphant expression of «that sublime hypocrisy with which the British people closes its eyes to wickedness probably never paralleled on the face of the earth. Within a radius of half a mile of those halls of legislation in which, with blushing modesty, British legislators repudiated legislation for the regulation and restraint of vice, there are nightly enacted scenes we verily believe surpassing in enormity and extent those which brought down the fire of Heaven on the Cities of the Plain. Legislators see them, know them, and fully realise the effrontery with which vice rears itself to the public eye, familiarising young and old with its forms, sapping the foundations of chastity, obtruding itself and its suggestions on the eyes of innocence and purity, however unwilling, however shielded by parental care ; and, besides all this, honeycombing society with disease and death. Legislators know that, see that as clearly as they see the risen sun, yet legislation closes its eyes, and will not touch it with its finger. If British legislation courageously grappled with the vice and sought to crush, it, one might respect such heroic conduct even if it failed. But when it simply winks hard, pretends it does not see it, turns and looks the other way and lets the evil run its horrid course unchecked, then, we denounce the hypocrisy as being as cowardly as it is criminal ; and the conduct of the Imperial Parliament, in, almost with silence, voting the suppression of the Act for the restraint and control of vice, was simply a stupendous manifestation of that Pecksninian hypocrisy and cant which is eminently characteristic of the British public. It was a compound of narrowness of view, ignorance of the world, deference to conventionalism, insincerity and mainly moral cowardice ; and what there was in the action of the Imperial Parliament, there is in the persistent agitation of an insignificant coterie in Auckland to-day. Those who have had the opportunity of knowing best, tell us that the suspension of the operation of this measure has had a disastrous effect, more especially on the juvenile morality of Auckland, and the responsibility for that rests on those whose moral cowardice has opened the floodgates of vice. Our correspondent points to the changes that have taken place in the City Council since this question was raised. But he knows, as every one knows, that neither this question, nor any other question, has affected the changes in Council, but that perfect apathy has unfortunately characterised the attitude of the public towards the constitution of that body, to which is. committed the important trust of administering the affairs of the city. It is, we admit, a deplorable condition of things when apathy in relation to any public institution reigns ; for it is when apathy exists that the gravest evils are likely to come to the body politic. Our correspondent laments that the constitutional Government of this colony should force the representative of the Imperial power among us to take " such and such a course. He would have liked that the Governor should have defied the Government. But His Excellency did not; hinc hoe lachrymce. The promoters of this great deputation, headed by two great political leaders, expected they would have done great things in bursting up constitutional law and usage; but alas I the head was wiser than the tail. , And so it ended in a fizzle.