THE RARE MAJORITY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15824, 24 July 1913, Page 3

THE RARE MAJORITY.

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER. (Per favour of the Otago Daily Times.) Deak Mb Massey,—-I am taking the liberty of writing you oil one of eeverai questions that are exercising tho mind ot the public at the present time—that ot the Bare Majority. As everybody is aware, the leaders oi the prohibition movement have opened a new campaign with the object of securing the election of candidates pledged on this question. The method adopieu is tnat of getting as many as poss'.ble ot the electors to give a 6igned pledge " not to vote for any candidate for Parliament who will not undertake, it elccted, to do his utmost to remove, or at Hie leafit very substantially reduce, the present unfair handicap on botn the lio-lioense and national prohibition."

To anyone who kno\V6 the history of the three fifths majority the argument commonly used in favour of its retention sounds simply ludicrous, for, as you are probably well aware, this departure irom the ordinary rule of the 'bare majority was introduced as a concession'to "the trade" by the astutest of your predecessors, Mr Seddon. One docs not require to be a prohibitionist to understand the impatience and even indignation of the enthusiasts of the cause when they find that which was nothing better than a mere political device being erected into a great principle to form u barrier in the way of what is undoubtedly tho one absolutely unselfish movement in our politics. _ Is it any wonder that the leaders of this social reform should regard it as an intolerable injustice that, alter about 20 years of the most devoted labour and uninterrupted progress, they should iind themselves face to face with a barrier of such a kind? Personally I am of opinion that the handicap is decidedly unfair, and that it ought to be removed altogether; and although I do not approve of ,-he pledge method adopted in this campaign 1 venture to suggest to you that, as there is absolutely no principle. involved in the three-filths majoyou should favourably consider the question of at.least reducing the required majority to 55. As I am not in tho confidence of the leaders and am acting entirely of my own motion I am not in a position to say whether or not such a concession would satisfy them, but i infer from the wording of the pledge that it would; but, however that may bo, I 'hink the concession should be made.—Yojrs truly, J. MacGbegob. Dunedin, July 16.