THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27,1899.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11230, 27 November 1899, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27,1899.

Afteu all the heated discussion there has been upon the prohibition question, the near approach of the polling clay for the coming elections should make the Moderate party consider its position. In all great struggles it is the moderate party that rules. Every page of history tells us this. In the Civil War in England, though Cromwell and his party may now be considered by some as extremists, there' was a strong party in England who denounced Cromwell and his party as time-servers. The Levellers and Fifth Monarchy men went to one extreme, and the Royalists were at the other. And in the Civil War in the United States it was the moderate party that made peace possible. The mass of the people are not extremists. In the temperance struggle we may say there are three parties. There are the out-and-out prohibitionists who believe that the only remedy for all social evils is the abolition of alcohol. They are enthusiastic, and many of them are imbued with this one idea. The limitations of most enthusiasts affect tiiem. They are narrow, do not take •a broad view of life, and wish everything subordinated to their " fad." AI the other extreme we have those who are engaged in the manufacturing and selling of alcohol in its various forms. They lack the enthusiasm of the prohibitionists, but they engage in a struggle for existence, which is to them their life, In such a struggle for existence it is not likely they will look to the right or left to consider aught but how their trade may be preserved. The third— believe the greatest party—are the ordinary colonists who desire to see temperance, and who believe that all reforms to be lasting must come slowly. The danger with which the colony is threatened is that in the coming general election, ,the prohibitionists and those connected with the traffic will not view the various political questions from any fair or impartial standpoint, but will subordinate all political questions, and all question of the personal fitness of candidates to this one question—that cf the selling of alcohol. The fact that the local option poll takes place on the general election day forces the liquor question to the front. It is now too late to ask both sides to change the day of the poll to the same day on which the Licensing Commissioners are chosen. So long as the general election day is the local option vote day we must expect the liquor question to be a disturbing one in politics. It is not well for the good government of New Zealand that only one question should be considered by the elec-' torates, however important it may be. There is no breadth of political vision when that is the case. Failing, however, the changing of the day for the taking of the local option poll, we would suggest to all those vho desire to see good government in New Zealand, to consider first the character of the men that must be sent to Parliament; and second, the need of fair legislation and pun; administration in the colony. We know that in the past many prohibitionists have voted for men who would sign the pledge, regardless of their character, their knowledge of politics, or their general political opinions. And those who are at the other extreme—those interested in the traffic—have been successful in sending to Parliament some men who are a disgrace to our Parliament, and a reproach to the constituencies who returned them. We do not require to give names. The liquor party were responsible for the return of such men. They do not come from one provincial district. Hardly one provincial district can reproach the other for this most unsatisfactory state of things. Auckland cannot reproach Wellington,

and to see the present KeenJang hMS maintained, are not cai'e£u | - selection and support j> f they need not longer rely on ; the sup nort of the moderates in the com munity. If they will aid m the return to Parliament men whose charactei will not stand • strict inves • ration they will find that the mor i. ire of the community will be raise ~ and many votes will be cast for prohibition. Further, if it is true that certain of the leaders of those engaged in the trafhc have mad, a league with the Premier, and that .n some districts only Sedcloman candidates are to be supported, aga w) warn them that they will alienate the support and sympathy of ili'i mass of the electors-the moderates oi New Zealand. It may be that tins rumour of such an alliance is baseless. It is true, however, that at the last election those who fought against prohibition generally supported candidates who were followers of Mr. Seddon. In Auckland two of those supported were Seddonites, in \\ ellington three, in Dunedin two, and iii Christchurch two. Those, theiafore, who are opposed to the present Administration had much to complain of, and if there is the same line of action taken now there will, we expect, be a revolt on the pait of those who desire fair legislation and pure administration, and the prohibitionists may gain votes by some voting with them as a protest, and many may abstain from voting at the local option poll at all. we know that there are many brewers, publicans, and spirit merchants, wiio are as anxious as any colonists can be to see good government in the colony. There are, however, others, who care for none of these things, and who only consider how their trade can be protected. We warn them that they are treacling on dangerous ground. The prohibitionists got about 98,000 votes at the last local option poll, and a defection of 30,000 or 40,000 moderates would make things very awkward for tha liquor traffic. If it is once believed that there is an alliance between those engaged in the traffic and the present Ministry, the local option vote will become more numerous and more powerful. We believe the remedy is to change the polling day, and to thus eliminate the drink question from our ordinary political struggles. This, however, cannot now be done, and those engaged in the traffic must walk warily. It will not do for them to send members to the House whose characters are not high— give way to excess in drink—nor will it do for them to support only one political party. They must subordinate their particular question to the other important questions that demand careful consideration at the hands of the electorates. And may we say one word to the prohibitionists ? However sacred they may deem their cause, we would appeal to them to consider whether the Government of any country can be carried on if one social question is to dominate all other questions at the time of a general election. There are several other subjects that electors must consider—finance, education, public health, electoral reform, federation, Legislative Council reform, charitable aid, and, above all, purity in our administration. Are all these to be ignored 1 Is the character of a candidate, his knowledge oi politics, and his ability, to be thought nothing of unless he becomes a prohibitionist ? Is it patriotic to think nothing of the country and its many interests, but fix one's thought on alcohol alone 1