The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1889-05-07
OUR LONDON LETTER.


question of the legality of the court.
Quite bomb was thrown into the
ranks Of the Tcetotallers Ivy no less
parsonage than Mr.. Justice Gran
than. During the Glamorganshire
Assizes, the Justice in touching up
on the drink traffic, expressed sur
prise that after two hundred years
of legislation on the subject, no So
luton had been arrived at. In in
structing the Grand Jury, he took
the occasion to say, that the drink
question can never be settled by
policy of extremes. 1t is the al
most unanimous conclusion of states
men, magistrates, and other per-
sons most competent 10 judge, that
public opinion must be the great
regulating force in this matter, and
not legislative enactments. 1t is
far better to control drinking by
wise measures than to attempt its
suppression, If repressive legisla-
ton could be carried, it would be
Immediately followed by strong
agitation for its repeal. Moral
force, example, and persuasion are
more potent reforming agents than
penal statutes, against which the
sense Of the people rebels; and the
only settlement of the liquor ques-
tion that has chance of becoming
permanent is one based upon these
lines. Force" as Mr.. Bright said
in relation TO another question, is
certainly "no remedy" for moderate
drinking; and the present contro-
versy can never be set at rest eX-
cept by those temperate measures
which do not brand moderate drink
ing as crime.
These are good, solid nuggets of
wisdom for the rabid prohibitionist
to consider. Coming rs it does
from so distinguished and capable a
source it will carry considerable
weight, in the efforts to do away
with the now prevailing insane de-
mands of those who set themselves
up as apostles of temperance.
Reports concerning the proposed
coal syndicate, with capital oi
1000, ,000t., go to show that the
project is not regarded with any
great amount of enthusiasm. The
subject has been privately before
the coalowners for some time past
and has been inquired into and re-
ported upon; hut it is regarded q;
extremely unlikely that the scheme
as shadowed out can ever come into
practical operation. Sometime since
4 certain number of the South York.
shire colliery proprietors gave g
kind of qualified assent to the pro.
posal on the condition that the in
terests of coalowners, lessees, and
workmen were all provided for in
the scheme, which has been done,
and any plan which would result in
a greater economy of management,
and an Improvement in the market
price, would be gladly acquiesced
in; but these proprietors seemed
now convinced of the impracticabil
ity Of the scheme, and it was pro
nounced on Wednesday by quail
fed authority to be 'as dead as :
doornail." And thus ends anothe
of those gigantic combinations q
trusts, who, under the cloak of cor
porate legal authority, seek to dt
that which sound governmental pol
icy forbids.
There was quite little breeZ
raised IN the House of Commons OIL
Thursday last, over the question o
the voting of f3, 100000 on accoun
of the civil service. The "row" be
gan with speech by Mr.J. Morley
who in rather violent harangue, sad
died upon the government the re
sponsibility of the "Times" case il
the Parnell commission. On tn
subsiding of the noise occasioned b.
this, Mr.. Arthur Balfour, continue
the debate, and after stating tia
Houston was the accomplice of Pi
gott, the Chimes" was the accom-
, plice of Houston, and the govern
. | lIcub liC aSCOiupliCSo VI Iuc lliDCS
said: A more shocking, q NOR
scandalous, and more unfounde,
libel was never uttered; and that b
persons who were engaged at the yer
moment in protesting that no Grim
was so shocking as that of libellin
> your political opponents. Why
those gentlemen revelled in 1.-The
Libel was their daily bread. Tha
5 Sir w. Harcourt could not go to
: public meeting without making thes
charges, and, for not even the NEAR
est of which was there shadow {
proof 1t would have been more i
t accordance with courtesy and usag
= if members had refrained from mai
ing these comments upon the pro
cedure of the Commission while th
!, Commission was sitting, and h
could only attribute their action
} a desire TO discredit the evidence {
} the witnesses whose evidence the
. were unable to shake in court {
law, or whose evidence they did nj
at least attempt to shake.
On the conclusion of Mr.. Ba
: four's remarks, Sir j. Gorst cor
G tended that these remarks wei
s made only for the purpose of crea
inn nolitical oanitaI and throwin