The Carmarthen Weekly Reporter

CARMARTHEN UNDER THE SEARCH-LIGHT. Come, coaie, and Hit you down you shall not budge You shall not go, till I t,et you up a glaaa Vvnere you may tee the inmost part of you." SHAKESPEARE. Capt. Harries told the Bench on Saturday that stray donkeys were a regular nuisance at Llanstephan. So they are at Carmarthen but it would cause a regular revolution to interfere witb them all. 0 A common feature of many of the sermons which have been delivered from Dissenting pulpits during the recent Jubileo craze has been a tribute of thankfulness for the manner in which every form ot worship is tolerated in Her Majesty's Dominions. Such lemarlts bear too much the impress of minds which have not yet been thoroughly emanci- pated. Nobody ever thinks of being thankful that they don't have their heads chopped off by the Queen. People are alover thankful for being allowed to enjoy their inalienable rights. To acknowledge ttianko lor anything is to .how that you regard it a. a favour. o. it is illogical to be thankful for religious liberty. I am nut in the least degree grateful to "tho powors that be" for it; if Providence suffers me to flounder along in my heterodoxy, it is not for the civil power to undertake the work of the Almighty. And there is another thing to lemember in this connection; religious freedom has not been granted during the present century on principle. It was forced out of tho hands of grudgiug bigots, who simply "caved in lost a worst thing should befall them. There arc people in the country who would steal our religious liberty to-morrow if they thought the experiment a sale one. We have indeed nobody to be thankful to except our dead aiicestors,who had more hack bone than we have. When folks begin to whine out their thanks for toleration, lti.^a sign 9 that they are unworthy of freedom. Mere toleration is an insult to any self-respecting person. Our duty is to insist on the fullest and most perfect equality—on the State, in fact, ignoring a man's religion altogether. And when wo get this, we are not to be thankful for it" anv more than we should be thankful for being allowed to breathe the pure air of Heaven. We ought to consider that we should never have been deprived of our rights. Some time ago the County- magistrates decided that they would allow no moro occasional licenses to houses in which weddings are being celebrated. This resolution however does not seem to have been taken seriously; for on Saturday an applicant came up quite confidently to apply for such a license. It is satisfactory to find that the magistrates had sufficient mental stamina to adhere to their original resolution. But the fact of an application being made at all shows that the public do not regard magisterial utterances as possessing any degree of finality. >I< The peculiar l'eatine of the (lags which have been flying about town all last week is tho fact that so many of them represent nothing in particular. We have had the Union Jack in its various forms of the white, blue, and red onsigna; we have had the Royal Standards; English leopards; Scottish lions Irish harps Welsh dragmis lhench tncolors; ^d^Yalikeu stars llä stripes. But many of the flags represent no Power either in this world or in the next. They are the result of tho aesthetic—or unaesthetic-stmlies of the inventors. It is comforting to know that we can show originality in something—even if it be only in the designing of flags. The Reporter scored, as a matter of coui'se, over tho Jubilee but we havo got so used to this that we don't go into fits over it. Only one thing is wanted to conipleto our satis- faction. This is an anonymous letter in another of the Carmarthen papers—which is declared to be a cowiiieiat by one of the outside public (!)—attempting to find fault with our report. We know that noth- ing could be a greater testimony in our favour than this. Z There is a seat in the Shire Hall which is very near the spot sacred to the Chairman of Petty Sessions. The Carmarthen Press- men are seriously considering the advisa- bility of having a sign painted for it bearing the following legend:- C) This Seat may be Used BY Grocers, Tailors, Publicans, Drapers, Ironmongers, Funeral Undertakers, 'I Dolls'oyes-makeio, Cobblers and Tinkers, Tramps, Loungers, and Loafers; Anybody who likes to come, in fact, As long as he is not connected with the Press. God Save the Queen (And their.NVorships on the Bench.) if This represents the actual state of affairs Th-i seat next tho magistrates may be occupied by—anybody except the reporters. Some people may not understand the reason for such an extraordinary instance of magisterial puerility. But wo all under- stand it very well ourselves. Meanwhile tho public need not be alarmed that the magistrates' doings are not going to be recorded. Those who read their Reporter attentively wont lose much of the proceedings of our local Solons. If the county magistrates have issued their order with the view of having their proceedings more minutely recorded than they ever were before, then I must say that their stratagem was a very happy one. The jobbery of the Jubilee Committee which I—partly—exposed a fortnight ago has opened the eyes of the public to the manner in which the oracle is worked in the Ancient Borough. Considering the readiness with which certain estimable persons can use the literary tomahawk on occasions, the dead silence maintained on tho subject speaks volumes. If I had said that some of the work was gweu out of town, or that half the members were drunk at some of the meotings, I should never have heard the last of it-for such statements would have bObn falsehoods. But what I did say was perfectly true. The unwarrantable liberties which have been during this Jubilee season takon with 0 our fine old anthem, God Save the Queen," are worthy of the severest reprobation. 1 prefer the good old verse- 0 Lord, our Goi, arise, Scatter her enemies, And make them fall. Confound their politics, Frustrate their knavish tricks, On her our hopes wo fix, God Save the Queen." These are healthy able-bodied sentiments but the new verse has too much of a Peace Society flavour about it, "Make war to cease," etc., etc. The surest possible way in which we can make war to cease is to prove to our enemies that if they lift a linger against us thovJll got the best hiding ö ö ö 0 ever they had since the days of Adam. If we go about pleadiug for peace, other nations will get it into their heads that we are afraid of fighting. l;ut there is one consolation in the fact that all tho members of the Peace Society whom we ever come across are mere theorists. I should like to EO;) a burglar breaking into the house of a member of the l'eaco Society, aud when he was discovered carry- ing off the cash box, turning round and asking that the matter bo reforred to arbitration. I believe there is not a single member of the Peace Society who would not say, "Drop that cash-box, or I'll knock your brains out with this poker." To submit to arbitration is to admit that you are not yourself suio that you are right. t The list of Jubilee honours has been issued, and the only distinction which appears to have come to Wales is tho knighthood to the Tory gentleman who contested tho Carnarvon Boroughs at the last election, fn spite of tho very plain hint which I tIn-ew out to those in authority, I regret to find that Johnny Bogus' name has not been mentioned in the list. How- ever, Johnny treated the affair throughout with the utmost cynicism he never expected anything, and ho is consequently one of those blessed people who are not dis- appointed. JLJaere is one honour which might have been distributed lavishly in Carmarthen with considerable benefit to tho community. This is the most exalted order of the Bath, for which there are many deserving candidates to be found at every street corncr. Radical as I am, I consider this order as one which can not be too widely distributed. The disorder in the Market which prevented the Promenade Concert being carried out as arranged is the latest evidence of the manner in which the Carmarthen public allow themselves to be trampled on by the impudent ruffians who turn every public assembly—when they arc allowed free license—into a perfect pandemonium. The proper way in which to encourage this blackguardism is to affect to ignore it. There is no cause to bo afraid those who indulge in this foul and perennial horseplay carry on as if they were a gang of dare-devil fire-oating pirates. They are nothing of the sort, however; they aro the most cowardly little children going when they find they have to deal with peoplo who won't take any of their nonsense. It is no use taking half-measures with vermin of this description. AVo must either keep them under or they will keep us under. If at a conceit, five or six errand boys begin to got disorderly, let thorn be thrown out at once—and that in no gentle manner. The proceedings will be conducted in dead silence after that. If, on the other hand, the fivo or six are allowed a free hand, they will soon have five or six score supporters. There are a number of cigarette-smoking noncompoops who go about like roaring lions seeking whom they 0 y may try their antics on. And when they fiud a lot of softs they make the most of their opportunity. The fact that there are so many soft easy-going people here, who don't like to make a fuss, accounts for the fact that Carmarthen audiences are often more disorderly than those of the much- I tL L-" • fint 19uett lZlc.ùt1'ti ValHJ.Y.' The Queen has issued tj medal to provincial mayors. This is a species of Royal shabbiness which it would be hard to beat. It would only have been the hand- some thing to have made every mayor a knight; aud every Lord Mayor a Duke. The rule in distributing honours seems to be to do that which is not expected. To be sure, the medals will be worth something intrinsically—perhaps as much as 7s 6d; and a knighthood has no value apart from sentiment. But sentiment is a far more substantial entity than most of us realise. There is only one thing to be said against a wholesale distribution of honours; and that is that their wholesale distribution would deprive them of any value as distinctions. If peoplo knocked up against a knight wherever they turned, thoy would soon cease to regard a handle to the namo as possessing any value whatever—a consummation devoutly to be wished from a Radical point of view. It is the same with the pinchbeck decoration, J.P." the time was when it was used to reward good old county gentlemen who had dono good service to the Tory cause Now, however, both parties—Liberal as well as Tory- outvie each other in placing on the bench men whose solo qualification is that they have done the party good service. It is, therefore, a distinction now-a-days to boast that vou arc not a J.P. v When Liberals have seen the Tories pack tho bonches with their partisans, they have said, Well we can't stop this; we had better as soon as wo get into power put on as many of our own men as we can. By that means we can equalise matters." So both parties go on, each doing its lovel best to bring the amateur magistracy into contompt. It never seems to enter the head of the average easy-going Liberal that the real curo for this state of things is to sweep the Great Unpaid out of existence. The more one studies it, the more one becomes disgusted with the present system of administering justice at Petty Sessions. At times it is impossible to got a quorum when some particularly exciting case is being dealt with, magistrates who have not been seen for months turn up to adjudicate. This is, of course, not due to canvassing; but it gives evil-minded people a chance of imagining that the ends of justice may be forwarded by means of a little judicious wire-pulling. The thing is right enough in itself; but is advisable to avoid the very appearance of evil. Then the people who may, or who may not, sit on the bench at times is the greatest farce ever seen off tho theatrical boards A publican may not act in any case involving a breach of the licensing laws; but the owners of public-house property, or share- holders in a brewery may—and at times do- act on such cases. This is straining at the gnat and swallowing tho camel-brought up to date. f, uur worthy Mayor returned to Carmarthen on Friday afternoon, looking nothing the worse of his association with royalty and aristocracy. A number of men about town had a carriage provided in which they intended to draw his worship to the Grange. The Mayor, however, while expressing his appreciation of these attentions, drove homo in a hansom. To be drawn in a carriage by a crowd is very flattering but it is not good for the liver. < The fishing during this June has been the worst on record. June is usually considered worth the rest of the season put together. The corresponding month last year was bad enough in all conscience; but it was four times as productive as the month which is just finished. There seems every probability, as things go, that the Towy fisheries will scon become numbered amongst the things that were. kD An interesting slate of things came before the Guardians on Saturday. It appears that the overseers of St. Peter's Without" that parochial abortion—have not paid in their contribution amounting to some C3 or 14. The Clerk to the Guardians (Mr Rowland Browne) has, therefore, been instructed to take legal proceedings if the money is nut paid by Saturday next. The parishioners, on the other hand, are so disgusted with the autonomy which has been forced upon them—bongrc malgré-that it is possible they will decline to pay the jates. The overseers will not in that case be able to lind the money and the result of the Local Government muddle may be that Mr John Evans ("Caxton'rj and Mr John Thomas, the worthy occupier of Paris House, will have their goods sold under a distress on the complaint of Mr Rowland Browne. Great are the consolations of overseers! The fact of the Reporter Ollice showing a Union Jack need not distress anyone. \Ve are quite at; Radical as ever-in fact,lwtI are going more and more that way every day. The Union Jack is not a party emblem and the Tories should not be allowed for one moment to claim it as their own. The good old Hag is no more the colours of one party of Britcns than the Bible is the exclusive property of one sect of Christians. Quite as many Liberals-at any rate-as Tories have contributed to uphold the dignity of the flag. Nelson's signal was, I England expects every man to do his duty "-not every Tory." This abuso of the flag has arisen from the efforts of the Tories to deceive the public into the belief that Home Rule meant the "disintegration of the Empire." In supporting Home Rule we believed that it would bind the Empire closer together. But the antics of the Irish electorate will make us very chary in future as to how we push forward their cause to the detriment of our own. Home Rule is as excellent a principle now as ever it was but the Irish themselves voted against the Home Rule Party to get 4s a year per head towards the education of their children. >\< This means that an Irish voter with five children at school—which is a pretty good average even for Irish people—turned his back on his principles for one Saxon sovereign in the twelvemonth. When people have so little patriotism that they sell their own principles for less even than thirty pieces of silver, they cannot expect others to make much sacrifice on their account. We arc as much convinced as ever of the utility of Home Rule but I think—with all due respect to our leaders in the House of Commons—that we, who won't sell our principles at such a moderate figure, have a claim to the first place. In order to save trouble to a number of misguided but well-meaning friends, we may say once for all that it is no good point- ing out to us what anybody else is doing. We each conduct our business on the lines we consider most suitable. Even if we intended to adopt a certain feature, the more fact of anybody else doing the same would dissuade us from our policy. There are some who are in a frantic state lest they should not lavishly copy everything we lu we feel duly gratified, of course- for "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery "-but we have not yet come so low tnat we cannot when^ n«cessaiy op^Tvata. e few ideas of our own. We never enquire what anybody else is up to; neither do we caro. We have long ago acquired sufficient confidence in our ability to please the public and the attempts which are made to imitate us are not the least gratifying tribute to our success. :II A CO MEIJ V OF THE LATE MILITIA BALL ACT I. Scene A cabstand. Time 4.30 p.m. Military Llfa pt Now, remember, call for the lady at 10 p.m. at take her up to the Barracks. See now and don't make a mistake, and take her to the Asylum. Cab-driver: Right you are, sir ACT II. Scene A street in Carmarthen. Time, 0 30 p.m. Driver This is the cab the gentleman ordered, ma'am. Lady All right. I'll be out in a minute. (Puts on wraps over evening dress.) Driver (to himself) It's a precious long drive up to the Asylum. Wish they'd shift it a bit lower down when they're having balls there. ACT III. Scenc Front gate of the Asylum. Time, 10.1 p.m. Lady (ringing bell); Queer the Barrack folks sl.ould have their doors shut on a night like this. (To porter, who now appears) Here you are this is my invitation card to the ball. Porter All right, ma'am just you go into that side room. (To himself) This is a nice quiet way of getting a patient in. Wish the folks behind with the papers would hurry up and not keep us waiting. Cab drives off. ACT IV. Scene The waiting-room of the Asylum. Time, 10.5 p.m. Lady I say, what am I kept waiting here for ? Porter (loftily): Oh it's all right, ma'am. The doctor's busy just now but he'll be down to see you in a couple of minutes. Don't you bother, ma'am; you'll bo all right. (To himself) Best to talk civil to a patient who's so quiet and genteel. Great pity, indeed poor thing! Lady Doctor, indeed What's the doctor got to do with it ? Is this the way you treat people in this part when they come to a military bait f Porter (gasping) Military ball, ma'am. You're -er-.in-the-the- Lady What ? Porter THE JOIST COUNTIES ASYLUM. Lady O-o-o-o-h I TcÛ.Jleatt !-DriveJ;. is re-called with much difficulty; and lady is deposited at Barracks at 10.25 pro. much amused with her adventure. All's well that ends well." It would be interesting to know if the Jubilee Celebration Committee intend publishing their accounts. Various state- ments may be made as to what was paid for various purposes and it would, therefore be only in the interest of the committee to publish a statement of the various amounts paid, aDd to whom—small sums could, of course, be lumped as "sundries." It is, of course, possible to publish a balance sheet so lumped that folks are as wise as before and it is also possible to treat the demand lor a balance sheet with t silent contempt." There is a growing conviction on the part of some Carmarthen people-far more influential than this little committee-that the public is a mere milch cow from which to draw the money required to pay the piper on various occasions. The great soft-headed Carmarthen public must be treated like the baby it is it must ask no questions. « You find the money; we do the rest." It is no reflection on the honesty of tho various members of the committee to ask for a balance sheet. The Borough Treasurer is an honest man; but we have his accounts audited, and a detailed statement of the expenditure put into the hands of every rate- payer. Moreover, any ratepayer who I wanted further information could easily have it. The Jubilee Committee have not even been loyal to one auothor. One liwlliber who worked hard for the cause and sub- scribed to the funds, did not get a half- penny's worth of work out of it. It happens that there are six other membeis of the committee interested in a company which carries on the same business as does this gentleman. I do not for a moment imply that this is cause and effect; but it is a peculiar coincidence all the same- It has been decided that thu Jubilee dinner to the aged poor shall bo postponed Ulltll next Tuesday. It would be well if the committee could see their way to allow those who prefer it to take the dinners home with them. To give people ovor 60 years of ago 0 —many of them with bad teeth and all with poor appetites—a chance of eating as much I as they like at the Market would be more or less of a farce. Lot the people have the dinner by all means; but give it to them and be done with it. It is nobody else's business if they prefer to consume it on the instalment plan. Among the successful candidates for the License in Divinity at >St. David's College, Lampeter, last week, it is gratifying to find Mr D. J. Thomas, son of Mr Thomas Thomas, mason, (Southern-terrace, Pensarn, heading the first division. Some time ago sanguine remarks were made in connection with his matriculation, which, it is pleasing to observe, are now satisfactorily fulfilled. The three little girls-Oissie Phillips (7) and Ceridwen Phillips (8), of the North British Stores, together with Annie Spurry (8)-who undertook the work of collecting, raised £ 1 for Dr Barnardo's Homes on Saturday. The district secretary from Haverfordwest had also a collecting-box at the Market. 'r A notice has been issued to the effect that the oflices of the Town Clerk have been removed, and are now opposite the Market Gate." This is slightly inaccurate it should be opposite the Brewery premises." At the Swallsea. Dog Show on Jubilee Day Mr T. Smith, King-street, obtained a third prize in the open bitch class for Lady Paith." The Stock-keeper, in commenting on the adjudication, says:—"Our choice for second place would have been the third." Such praise coming from a recognised authority like the Stock-keeper is indeed satisfactory to the exhibitor. ALETHEIA.