PROHIBITION METHODS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 3440, 23 May 1898, Page 4

PROHIBITION METHODS.

, • TO THE ElilTOB. : ■ • ■ l! > S£&;—l surprised at the mildiaßSs'of'Hr Judkins’ reply. That.be should charge lyepnly^noe.with,falsehood comes altpgetherihort oE ray expectation?, knowing the party he represents, usually pout: upon' the heads of those who’- hate the temerity to dare question- or eteu remark upon their' ways. Though *' Mr ' Judkins, in the course of .our ’ Conversation, - more than once charged Mr vValker witli falsehood, I should: be loth to say that in his letter he is intentionally false, but must say,he is mistaken.:' In the first ; plaoe, , it .was my-intentiod to;inteN view him before the meeting at night, and hence used the opportunity' when T saw him earlier in the day. ' ' - We were not introduced, is we had previously metin Feildingand spent some while • together in the house where Mr Judkins lodged. Again Sip: Judkins did promise to call a meeting of members after the public meeting, and he well knows had ; I notpaidmy subscription I should have had no seat-in-'the meeting] Reference was made to /Slr Sqddoh in a manner which showed his own, position, and inusC'&yetinjuredpur cause in the eyes of Government I oon■jsuJered it a matter of honour to send my last letter to the city Sir -Judkins honours, by his residence,; tis these statements were made byme'at the ThymSSj and - it-seemed unfair not'td" giro him an opportunity to explain. ;If h'p stafes'it slipped his'me-nory. itfist hc r meeting,,after hayiiig; asked . me- not to ask my, question in public, : I; j nnust, accept h: it, j or • -holda very undesirable opinion of him; hilt; its:didiseem tto-me- a ; most persisAent attempt?tb' balt : ;inqUiry « a proceed*' ing which hadibharaotorised the Whole ,of’ this disgrabefifibufeiness of the “ capture.* Mr Judkius laments,tbat l have brought the matter to the' public press.,, f. The “ truth need not fear the light," and, unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that if one wants to have a fair correspondence on-temperance matters it must be in the public'press.-' I believe; sir,-» Targe per cent. Of those •who voted with the temperance party are not represented by this stump oratory and fjthese abusive methods; that|onr need is a temperance organisation Where thoss who havenoiaith in strong language,.but in find- a- homed Wel'have only' to go into any league meeting to „

find how few, and how one-sided are those who attend. Few care to place themselves in this position of having the wrath of Mr Judkins and his employers upon their beads j but r I have been surprised to find how many agree with my contention and would like less abusive tactics used. The public do not know the petty tyranny this party try to use against any minister who dare oppose them. They have driven from our ranks and from the colony a man like Mr Walker (who, I suppose, is in possession of more temperance frets than any other man we have), in order to put in a young man like Mr Judkins who will be amenable to tbeir commands, and the man who headed the “ capture of the Alliance, ** on hearing that a brother minister who advocated the “Gothenburg i systembad been invited to ft church whose officials he knew, letters and even a wire were sent to prevent the appointment. This kind of thing may give satisfaction to the persons using such weapons, but the cause is losing and not gaining ground by such scandals. The last ©lection should show us that unless we change our tactics the next election will prove us to be in even a worse position. . The speaker must “ have been intoxicated with the exuberance of his own verbosity ” to imagine the barracks crowded, for the seats occupied by the Array soldiers on Sundays, where over 100 could easily sit, were entirely unoccupied. —I am, &c., Fred. W. Bots. Thames, May 14th, 189 S.