The Catholic and Temperance Votes

Southland Times, Issue 13386, 24 February 1896, Page 4

The Catholic and Temperance Votes

Writing to the O.D. Times, a correspon" dent says :— In the intense feeling of relief which all really patriotic New Zealanders feel at the crushing defeat of tbe Ministry at the Christchurch election, it must not be forgotten that that defeat was really due to the , Temperance party, just as the success of the Ministry at the last general election was due to them, and the weight they threw into the Government scales — a weight made ' decisive by the recent acquisition of the woman vote. What I desire to point out to tbe Nationalist party — whom I hope I may also style the pai ty of [order, honest finance, and honest administration— ia that they cannot expect the Temperance party to sacrifice themselves at the general election as they have at Christchurch. There are two mi- . nority organisations, each complete and powerful, acting on every constituency and bargaining with either or both of the twp chief political parties for their block vote. The one is the Roman Catholic Church, the other tbe Temperance party. Both these parties avowedly put aside ail regard whatever for the qualifications— moral, social, or political— of the candidate. Their one question is, " Will you pledge yourtelf to obey the order of our organisation in all matters relating to its particular objects?" This may seem a strong statement, but no man can run over the roll of the present House and honestly dispute it. What the Nationalist party have to do is to see how far they can honestly go with both or either of these two, and how far they can bring them to subordinate the most extravagant of their demands to the first consideration of all government and legislation — "the good of the people"; to consider what they can do to induce these two minorities to see that the interest of all is the greatest of all interests, and that it is nothing short of treason to the people, nothing short of a most criminal sacrifice of the welfare aud happiness of the great mass of the men, rromen and children of this colony if, for tbe sake of a traitorous pledge from an ignorant or unprincipled candidate, they put in such an one to make out laws, or give their support to measures ruinous to our finance, destructive of our commercial character, and demoralising to all the best qualtities of industry and energy in the people, and to Ministers, who, under pretence of being the people's friends, prove themselves their woist enemies, who neglect all those solid reforms which" would give health, co*nfort and enjoyment of life to the workers in town and country, who degrade the'whole civil service; disorganise the police, and wreck the finances of the colony. It is doubtful if a man exists in New Zealand with the ability, courage, aud with the power of explaining and advocating the measures, drastic and far-reaching as they must be, absolutely necessary to such v a fair adjustment of taxation and reform of the whole system of finance as shall at once relieve the burdened taxpayer, lighten the springs of industry, and restore courage aid confidence to trade and enterprise. But such a rcan never will be placed in power until the interests of fictions and parties are subordinated to the public good. The Temperance party above all ought to recognise the paramount importance of a complete reorganisation of the police force. jSotbing short' of a wholesale and drastic change in a large part of the personnel of the whole force, .beginning at the very top, will serve the cause of order and efficiency. The police' constable instead of being the servant of the people has become their master. The constable takes the crown of the road and the citizen has to move to the kerb. but the police are only a single instance cited because they are 60 prominently before us, and because no single department ac&s for good or evil so directly, and if for evil, so dangerously on the working class. It is unquestionable that the evil leaven is permeating all the Civil Service, which is rapid ;y being demoralised. Let the Nationalist party reckon thus with these two organisations, and endeavour to. bring them to a better mind, for herein lies the welibeing of this colony.