YEARNING AFTER TYRANNY

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 681, 26 March 1903, Page 20

YEARNING AFTER TYRANNY

An act, which in all its contemptible aspects it would be harl to equal, was committed a few days ago by a self-con-stituted coterie calling itself the Prohibition League. This body—which is literally such, for it has no soul —had heard from some of its members a cock-end-bull story about a keg of beer and the distribution of anti-teetotal cards at the Costley Home, and immediately jumped to the joyous conclusion that the manager of that institution was in league with the brewers, and the devil, and all the other powers of darkness, for the purpose of destroying the welfare of the inmates here and hereafter An indignant letter was sent to the Auckland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, in which the charge B were formulated in detail. The manager was accused of having, previous to the last local option poll, permitted a person to distribute alcoholic liquor to the inmates, caused the brewers’ ticket as to how to vote to be laid alongside of each inmate, and allowed a big poster upon the same lines to be displayed in the Home. The letter on receipt had been handed to Mr Skynner, the manager of the Home, whose simple and circumstantial reply not only proved that, the complaint was utterly baseless, but demonstrated that if the League had had the courtesy to make the simplest inquiry the impotent storm need not have been raised at all. Mr Skynner’s report stated that no alcoholic liquor had been presented to inmates with the exception of a ten gallon cask of ale, given by Mr Moss Davis on the 9th of November, in order that the inmates might drink I the King’s health. That was distribut ed among the inmates in the presence of Dr. King, and he had the pleasure of stating that no single case of drunkenness resulted. Mr Skynner denied having distributed the brewers’ card of instructions how to vote, and stated if it was done it would be entirely without his wish or knowledge. He admitted that copies of the prohibition ticket were forwarded by post to inmates, and were handed to them. He had also given the prohibitionists permission to address the inmates, which they did, while the liquor party never had such permission. Mr Skynner also gave his most emphatic denial to the statement that a large poster of the brewers’ was placed in the Home. The members of the Board, without exception, were extremely disgusted that their time should be taken up with such frivolous twaddle, and some of the members did not hesitate to express their feelings in forcible language There was, however, no real occasion for surprise. The action of the Prohibition League in this instance is a part of the programme deliberately adopted by the party, which is to use any and every means to throw dirt at those who do not subscribe to their heresies, in the hope that some of it will stick. We have seen that no form of slander or abuse has been neglected by this delectable organisation, and that the reputation of no man is safe in its hands. How long we are, as a community, going to put up with the fanatical advocates of a system that has been utterly discredited wherever it has been given a fair trial, we do not know, but the strain upon the good nature of the public is becoming rather too heavy to bear. With the action of the Prohibition party in respect of our electoral machinery it is too early to deal, but the inquiry, proceeding promises to provide some rich material for consideration and reflection.