PROHIBITION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIX, Issue 9540, 4 March 1919, Page 3

PROHIBITION.

FATHER CRONIN'S ADDRESS.

The Theatre Royal housed a large audience last evening to hear the Rev. Father Cronin's address on the liquor question. The Mayor (Mr R. Galbraith) presided.

in introducing the speaker the Mayor stated that he was certain that neither Ashburton or Invercargill had gone back imder No-license, tie was certain that more money would be iv circulation in the Dominion if liquor were abolished.

.Father Cronin stated that he was delighted to find himself standing before such a large audience. He had heard. Ashburton quoted, at the other end of the world, and it had become famous on account of No-license. He congratulated the Mayor on being a wise man. because when he left one prohibition town he took fine care to come to \ another one. (Laughter.) The speaker then went on to state that he did not know exactly what the' term Moderate League meant, but he knew the meaning of both words, and knew who the league were in league with. (Applause.) He then went on .to; refer jocularly to these gentlemen, and stated' that if they ;happened to be of the same religious belief as.."himself and received a moderate egg or a moderate, fish, on Fridays—(laughter)—he would not guarantee that their arguments would be so consistent for moderation. He contended that a lawyer would always manage to make the best out of the rottenest ' case possible. (Laughter.)' He had listened to the Moderate League representatives, and was not very greatly impressed with their addresses. . They left the drink side of. the question entirely alone, and devoted their whole time to the condemnation of the prohiß-tionists. They did not say anything against . drink, so the public could draw their own conclusions. The speaker next referred 'to ' the. opinions of some of the most eminent men in the world, who were all unanimous in denouncing the drink traffic. Having read these opinions, the speaker stated that they knew, his calling and what he was, and he was not standing alone in these opinions. (Applause.) He contended that Ireland was by no means) a drunken nation, and no man could belong to the Sinn Fein organisation unless he was an abstainer from alcohol. The world had been shaken in its foundations -during the past few years, and we were now living in a new age. That being the case, we should move with the times and revise our ideas. No idea required so much' revision as the drink traffic, and the public should analyse the question and see where they stood. He denied that prohibition was anti-Catholic, and emoted authorities in substantiation of his statements. The legislation in England regarding the drink question, he stated, was only, surface legislation. He had seen enough evils of drink with his own eves in the slums of England to make him a prohibitionist.. He did not only refer to the poor people, but to the rich also. The' speaker referred to the work of Father Matthew,«one of the greatest temperance reformers who ever lived, and who worked all over Britain and then America and gave the pledge to 5. million people. Father Matthew did not care who helped him to promote temperance, or what religion he was. After 20 years' hard J work in the temperance movement, Father Matthew concluded that prohibition was the only real remedy. (Applause.) The speaker contended that' when they looked to Canada and the United States they had something i to learn in regard to progress. We ; would all have to face social construe- j tion. and the sooner we opened our j eves to this matter tho better. The j drink traffic'■ would have to be swept j away to allow the people tc go on with the job. (Applause.) Father Cronin then gave an analysis of the progress of abolition of the liquir in Canada and America. A trial in those countries showed that the moderation movement had failed,, and more stringent methods were necessary in order to abolish drunkenness. The liquor enslaved men, and very few could get out of the habits of drinking. The Moderates of to-day would he the drunkards of to-morrow. To talk about moderation and liberty in regard, to drink was a mockery. England was not a free country now because she could not get away from the slavery of drink —she was not strong enough. If New Zealand wanted to get rid of tho drinktraffic she would have to get rid of it in time nnd not wait till the vested interests got too strong, the same as they had in the Old Country. Ho admitted it was hard to give tip a habit whether it was smoking, or drinking. He contended that the Catholics were going ! +-o assist the 'Protestants to carry prohibition on April 10. There was only one thing that'would present him from voting prohibition, and that wn» if the use of wine was prohibited for sacramental purposes. In the past Catholics had abstained from voting prohibition for that reason, but now there was no j further doubt on that question, as the Act distinctly made provision for sacramental wine. Touching on the loss of revenue, the speaker said he had no doubt on the financial question at.all, and it was a' very simple matter to counteract the loss. No one would convince him that the Efficiency Board, made up of Bound business men. would recommend against their own interests to ruin the country financially.' (Apl plause.) The stupendous amount that j the war had cost them showed that no man dare say what could'be doiie in financial matters. To fa Ik now about H millions merely looked like 4_d. (Laughter.) if there was no other method of paying the money out except in hard cash, it would be the best money ever sprmt. Without going into economics at all, he believed that the general improvement without drink would result in a profit at the end of the year. (Applause.) Seeing they had been throwing millions of money away for destruction in war, .would tl'icv not be very inconsistent if they did" not spend a trifle in trying to save the lives of millions iv the generations, yet to come ? (Applause.) They need make no mistake that alcohol would be prohibited for medicinal use. Whatever alcohol was, there- was one thing it was not. and that was a food. Alcohol was not found in the natural human body. That was a strong argument that alcohol was not necessary for the natural . human body. .Alcohol was a. stimulant, and that was why ko many liked it. Alcohol was followed by a reaction in the form of partial paralysis. It was a. deadly poison, and in its pure state. no man could drink it. All poisons were.,kept in. safe-.places, and that wa« where alcohol should be-kept-. Tfc had taken away nio.ro.lives than all other poisons put together, and the only <.-.'afc place for it was. .in the chemist's shop. Tho speaker claimed that wherever State Control had been tried, it had' failed. The proposition of State Control was too ridiculous to be euter- _ tamed. It was used now as a red herring in New Zealand. The advo-