Reason Before Prejudice.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 323, 11 July 1889, Page 3

Reason Before Prejudice.

[TO THE BDTTOR. | Sin,—“ Onlooker ” is worrying himself very much about something which seems to concern him a great deal-*-that is, the Royal Oak Hotel at Matawhero. He is lu fear and trembling of the powers that be, but he does not hesitate to insinuate that those powers have become Intoxicated with their importance, with the inevitable result that their heads have been “ turned ” ; and he even imputes that there has been a deliberate attempt “ the best attempt ever made ” —to ruin an honest man. Now, Ido like this sort of thing—that is, your correspondent’s style—not because I think that it is just and fair, but because it shows the class of people who are prepared to rush in and make all kinds of accusations because their own petty ideas have not been carried out to the letter. However, •• Onlooker's " letter Ought to be valuable to those who take a moderate view of things and work for the general interestjust let me take a few of his points. He says the Polios (!—laughter) and Committee did wrong in granting the license to Mr Evineon. Therefore the Police (laughter again) and the Committee are fools, partisans, and knaves—according to “Onlooker,” of course. The County’ Council he omits to notice, except that they ought to coddle the landlord under their protecting wings. Well, I will supply a continuity to the reasoning. The grasping disposition of the Council, harassed as that body is by unfortunate ratepayers, to have this road and that made like a park track, wanted the ■ otherwise the fee would be lost to them, but having broken the law just a “ leetle bit ” why should they not go the whole hog, buy Over the pub, and put Captain Warren in charge of the commissariat department, while the Councillors could take it turn about in washing the tumblers and polishing off the bad whisky ? It would beat the co-operative farming all to pieces, and such a fortune would soon be made for the ratepayers that they could discontinue all rating, abandon the town Council office and its rent and towny flavor, and have the country for the country people. We could boycott the Gisborne whisky dispensers, form a compact with Whitmore and Ormond, shuffle our share of the harbor rate on to the townspeople, and generally have a g«y old time—a regular Eden without having to discard the breeches like Mikky Davitt had to do. Bat speaking seriously, Mr Editor, “ Onlooker ” ought to prove to ths country people how foolish they have been in so long tolerating such a state of things. He acknowledges that the conduct of the hotel hss not been what some sensible people would like; his main point seems to be that the landlord should not ba made to suffer loss for circumstances for which he is directly accountable. I need not attempt to refute such a preposterous assumption. What I should like to particularly call the attention of my fallow settlers to is the appeal that " Onlooker ” makes to our selfishness—that in taking the action they did they were deteriorating the value of their own property. Ah I those, then, are the sort of men that I like to shake hands With and give a jolly slap on tfae back—men who are not afraid to sacrifice their own profits for the sake of all that is honest and upright; men who have the courage to put a stop to a damning traffic. Matawhero people may not object to a glass of beer or anyone who drinks moderately, but they are not beer swiggera and whisky cranks and certainly don't want to encourage about the place those who are, If even some of the best of us give to our wives and- children some of the sixpences which an open house and the insane custom of “ shouting” tempts us to part with, how much better and more comfortable would •we all be ? I believe in speaking straight, without any oant, We don’t went tha pub open, nor do we wish to be hard on any owner of property, but no explanation whatever is required when it is remembered the way things have gone, and the landlord is really the responsible party. I hearthat the County Council meet specially to consider the matter, Well I hope that in doing so the interests of a large body of ratepayers, their wives and families, will be considered as of more importance than the monetary interests of an insignificant minority.—l am, &0., Matawhebo.