The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1887, 20 January 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1875.

CoNSiDSEABtB attention Las lately been drawn to the liquor traffic, and the efforts of Good Templars to suppress the trads or counteract its effects. So much might be said against this movement, as conducted,that we shall not attempt any strictures thereon, but merely refer to two prominent men who have lately delirered themselves on the subject. In Auckland and at the Thames the Hon. Si D. Hastings, delegate from the American Grand Lodge of Good, Templars, has announced himself as an uncompromising opponent of the liquor traffic and the drinking habits of society in every shape and form. He has spoken of His determination to be satisfied with no half measures, and invited his fellow workers not to rest content until they have attained legislative prohibition of the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors—entire prohibition, in fact. Now, it is apparent that any man, or any body of nun, or society, proclaiming this as their platform, set themselves in antagonism to the feelings and interests of a large majority of their fellow citizens. How soon the positions may be reversed remains to be sren ; but when such.ft state of things has been arrived at, then—-»nd not til then—will entire prohibition of the liquor traffic by legislation be attained; but even then entire prohibition of drinking will not follow. ■We can so far fympatliise with Good Templars and other organizations with tyndred objects as to say that they •hould undoubtedly have a roice in

the administration of the Licensing Laws. If Good Templars preponderate in a ward of a Borough, in any Tillage or settlement, and they wish to prevent the granting of a license, we contend that they have a perfect right to be heard, and to.a ! legal means of making themselves heard. In matters political minorities hare to give way to majorities. If the majority is comprised of Good Templars their influehee must tell. JSo far we are in accord with the Good Templars; but when their leaders are found advocating entire prohibition, we cannot follow them; moreover we consider their ideas Quixotic and visionary. But we have not far to go to find that all the apostles of Temperance or Total Abstinence do not go the length, of Mr Hastings. The Hon. Mr Fox, who has been looted, upon as a leader in the cause of Total Abstinence—on the platform", and in the* Assembly—has recently been lecturing in Dunedin on his favorite theme. This is the second instance we proposed to refer to. As might be expected Mr Fox found a portion of the Press to dissent from his views. The Otago Guardian asserted that Mr Fox would interfere with the " sacred ark of personal freedom," and made some other charges against the hon. lecturer, which the latter considered worthy of a reply. From this reply it would appear that Mr Fox is not prepared — indeed he says " we," which indicates that Good Templars generally are not prepared—to go the " whole hog" with the Hon. Hastings. In his letter to the Guardian Mr Fox says :— All that we ask is that, in the simple matter of selling, the law should be slightly altered, and that the licenses now given or withheld by the will of three Justices of the Peace, or Licensing Officers, should be given or withheld by the people themselves whose interests and welfare are to be affected by thern^ Your "sacred ark of personal freedom " would be no more interfered with under the law we propose than under the law as it is now. Indeed, far less so, for now the personal liberty of a vast majority of inhabitants who niay object to a publichouse pair be infringed by the verdict of three Justices. Under the law which we propose nothing of the sort could be done. We have not time to pursue the subject further in our present issue, but we may say that if what Mr Fox "say be true, that all that is wanted is an alteration of the law " in the simple matter of selling," the Good Templars in their work will have the support of the Press and sympathy ;of the people—or, at least, such of the people as would rejoice to see the crime of drunkenness eradicated from society ; while the demands of such as the Hon. Mr Hastings will continue to be disregarded except by the few who are, like himself, mere enthusiasts.