Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1886. Sir William Fox in Trouble

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1809, 19 March 1886, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1886. Sir William Fox in Trouble

While we have always given earnest snpport to the temperance oanse and to the efforts of those who by means of “ moral suasion ” have tried to advance it, we at the same . time view with regret that resort to extreme courses which is adopted by some leading teetotallers. Sir William Fox, as the political head of the advanced total abstinence party in this colony, carries ent his mission in so fierce and uncompromising a fashion as to alienate the support which many men of moderate views would otherwise give to bim. Possessed of a fair share of ability, and being a fluent speaker and writer, Sir William Fox—if he could only moderate his over- , flowing zeal a little—might do far more good as a temperance reformer than he has hitherto been able to accomplish. Unfortunately, when Sir William gets [on the platform or takes pen in hand, he never fails to speak or write in terms of violence and bitterness about those persons who do not altogether accept bis views with respect to teetotalism and the total prohibition of the liquor traffic. Sir William accordingly lashes out all round, and like the pugnacious Hibernian, “ hits wherever he sees a head." This metaphorical “ punching ” process is rather unpleasant to those who are bit, and unfortunately it sometimes happens that Sir William Fox either bits the wrong man or somebody who is altogether innocent of wrong doing and not deserving to be hit at all. An instance of this sort recently occurred in WVi ington Sit William had been writing sour very strong letters to the New Zealand dimes, denouncing hotels and hotelkeepers. In particular, he denounced one Wellington house—which quite plainly was the Pier Hotel—whereof the landlord is Mr 8. 8. Downes, an old Wellington citizen, and an hotel keeper for some twenty four years past. Sir William Fox described this hotel “ as being a gambling hell, the proprietor of which was in the habit of cheating people by the employment of false dice and cards.” He furthermore referred to the proprietor of the hotel as “ enacting the part of first robber,” and generally of making large sums of money by fleecing victims by means of false dice and cards. The publication of these gross charges created no little sensation in Wei* lington. Every old Wellington man knew perfectly well that the charges were made against the Pier Hotel, kept by Mr Downes, and Sir William Fox had placed the reference beyond doubt by asserting that the hotel referred to had been mentioned before a Parliamentary Committee as a place iu which a police official used to drink and gamble. The actual facts are that some years back Inspector Atobeson, the head of the Wellington police, used occasionally to indulge in a friendly game of cards at the hotel in question, sometimes in company with Sergeant Monaghan. There was no gambling in the real sense of the word, and people used to look on this friendly game of cards as simply an innocent relaxation on the part of Inspector Atobeson, who in every respect executed bis official duties in a thoroughly able and satisfactory manner. The whole story about" false dice and cards” and the hotel being " a gambling hell,” was simply false. By end bye, Sir William Fox was told by a friend that he had made altogether unfounded statements, and so ha tried to get out of the matter by writing a letter to the Times in which he admits that his previous statements were made in error, and that in fact he had got hold of the wrong hotel altogether when stigmatising the bouse kept by Mr Downes as ” a gambling bell." Now, even a hotel keeper possesses some feelings, and so Mr Downes, who had been held up to public opprobrium as a card and dies suarper, gambling cheat and “ first robber," went to his lawyers and directed ' them to take legal proceedings against Sir William Fox for libel. It is understood that 1 a writ has been served upon Sir William 1 fox at tb« ioitauoe of Mr Downes, and that 1

the amount of damages claimed will be £SOOO. Sir William Fox will therefore probably have the opportunity of trying to justify his statements in a court of law. Whether his novel plea that when calling a man “ a gambling cheat ” and his house “ a gambling bell,” be did not mean that man or bouse, but a different person and place altogether, will prove satisfactory to a jury, remains to be seen, fiat it mast be said that to make so gross an attack upon an honorable and straightforward man like Mr Downes,-was a most unwarrantable and unjustifiable proceeding. Ur Downes is a Wellington citizen of some twenty eight years standing, during most of which time he has kept the Pier Hotel. He is an honest, kindly man, and his hotel has been so well conducted that he never bad a single charge of breaking the law made against him during the quarter century of his career. ‘lt seems monstrous that a man of that kind should be suddenly, without cause, ‘gilietted as a scoundrel and cheat, by Sir William Fox in his intemperate advocacy of temperance. Such a proceeding on the part of Sir William Fox will do much harm to the cause which he advocates, and keep back many men of just and moderate views from supporting him. Meantime, Sir William Fox has got into serious trouble and may have to pay heavily for his intemperance “in writing from memory ’’ and slandering decent people without any cause whatever.