AN ELOQUENT ADVOCATE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 247, 21 November 1914, Page 13

AN ELOQUENT ADVOCATE.

PROHIBITION CHAMPION. MB PHILIP SNOWDEN. When the No-license Party invited Mr Philip Snowden, M.P;, and Mrs Snowden to assist in their campaign, the party made a w T ise selection from an oratorical viewpoint. The member for Blackburn in the mother of Parliaments has a calm, logical manner of speech that irresistibly compels attention, and carries with it conviction. In eloquent language that is little short of oratory, he submitted to the large audience in the Choral Hall last night his reasons for assisting in the temperance movement, reasons strong enough to find support of the whole of the Labour members in the British House of Commons.

AVliile-Air Snowden supplies the hard facts that, convince the man who requires logical arguments, Mrs Snowclen appeals to the emotions—the motive power of any movement. Gifted with a remarkable flow 5 of language for a woman, she has a bright, pleasant presence that makes her at home at once on the lecturing platform. Essentially a woman * ; s woman, Mrs Snowden places the woman's side of the temperance question before her audience in a manner that few women have done hitherto in tlie Dominion. She deals exclusively from the woman's point of v!sw, her argument being that if the liquor traffic, constitutes a danger to children and the sex that bears and rears them, it is sufficient argument for its abolition.

The Choral Hall was well filled, there being among the audience a strong sprinkling representative of Labour. At times some of'the men of that ilk scarce forebore to cheer, so heartily -in accord did they appear to be w 7 ith the sentiments expressed. On the platform were a number of prominent citizens, the chair being taken by Mr J. H. Blackwell, who apologised for the unavoid-able-absence of the Mayor (Mr H. Holland). Before proceedings, commenced a motion lamenting the death of Lord Roberts was passed, in which w ? as contained an appreciation of the w T ork he did in promoting the temperance' movement in the Army. On rising to speak, Mr Snowden was greeted with cheers and applause. After acknowledging the warmth of his reception, he admitted that he had not always taken the interest in temperance reform that he now took, it being his association with industrial and social reform which had made him an ardent advocate of temperance. He had ever found that industrial or social problems were aggravated by the drink evil. Twenty years ago the people of Great Britain did not recognise the existence of what now recognised as a great social problem. Public opinion at that time thought that if a man was in an unfortunate position it was through his own fault, while, the temperance party had been of the opinion that with the abolition of the liquor traffic poverty would be done away with. The social problem in New Zealand could scarcely bear comparison with the social problem of England. The average wage of the grown-up male workers of Great Britain did not amount to 25/- a week. (A Voice: Britons never, never, never shall be slaves!) Not only in Great Britain, but also in New Zealand, there would be trouble as long as there was a system of private land monopoly enabling the individual landowner to crowd 1000 people on to one acre of land in order that his economic rent for that lzrnd might be increased. The change in the attitude of the Temperance Party and trades unions had brought about a very friendly feeling between them. At a conference of the British Labour Party a strongly-worded resolution had been" carried in regard to the obtaining of Government legislation which would enable the people themselves to deal with the liquor question. The resolution was to the effect that the drink traffic was responsible for the aggravation of poverty, crime, murder, suicide, insanity, economic want, misery, and ruin, and after having made that appalling indictment of the liquor traffic it went on to demand that the Government should introduce legislation to deal radically and drastically with that traffic. Every trades-union organiser in Or»r.f R.ifoln V?a.H «Of«'eP''' *"-hf>t tll« l»10>it

difficult man to get into a trades union was the man who spent his money in drink, and those men were always a dangerous element in an industrial dispute. / Continuing, the speaker said that three times he had been returned to present Blackburn—returned, not by the liqnor vote but by the'vote of the sober working .man. The working man who drank had visions of the aristocracy and the plutocracy, and therefore invariably voted for the Tory candidate, while the Labour vote was from the sober, thinking section. He never flattered • the working man of his.intelligence, and instead of declaiming on their right he believed rather in reminding them of their faults and shortcomings. Working men had not yet realised their duties and responsibilities. If they had, we should not now have grave industrial and social troubles. If social conditions were ever going to be established where justice would be done ! to Labour—where for a fair day's work a man should have abundant harvest —it would have to be brought about by the action of clear thinking men - and women. Qf the 40 Labour members of the House of Commons all were ardent temperance reformers. Mr Snowden went on to say that last year in New Zealand there were 11,000 convictions for drunkenness. Scotland, with four times the population of New Zealand, had 100,000 convictions, but then, of course, the Scotch had always been noted for two things, strong temperance sentiments and a capacity for an enormous consumption of In England and Wales the convictions totalled 200,000., The heads of lunatic asylums in the Old Land stated .that in! the cases of 20 per cent, of the inmates insanity was due to drink. In England there was a society for the prevention of cruelty to children as. the result of which 2,000,000 cases had been brought into the courts. Of these 96 per cent. Avere stated to be due to the fact that one or other of the parents was addicted to drink.

"Be warned in time," said Mr Snowden as he approached the conclusion of his address. You have the- opportunity and the power to- banish the liquor traffic from this fair land of yours. When that is done, great problems will still face you, but you will be able to deal with them. It is for you such an easy step. It can "be:done-by marking time, and I appeal to mj Labour and Socialist friends to help me. They have in the liquor traffic one of the most dangerous monopolies,'.-and--they, should Vlo all they can to abplish it." After a telling reference to the late Mr T. E. Taylor, Mr Snowden closed his address with a final appeal: "Will you pass away at noon-tide, or will you retire in the majesty of old age? I ask you, you young men and. women in the strength and beauty of youth, and I ask you men that are called upon to cease this mortal strife. May you have done something to bring universal righteousness and peace." (Prolonged applause.) Mrs Snowden, who spoke for a short time, was very warmly received. She said she had to deal with the British woman's view, and she could speak with the authority of the 160,000 members of" the British Women's Temperance Association. Her appeal from beginning to end was "for the sake of the children," and so she closes: Strike out the top line on both papers. Insufficient as No-License is, it is something to reduce the expenditure in liquor, and you will do something to bring about a better condition of things and make the world a' better and purer place for little children to be born into. (Applause.) Questions were asked for, but none of any importance were forthcoming. One old gentleman was evidently anxious about Mr Snowden's welfare in the world to come. He wished to know if the lecturer would "have one" there, although he didn't hold with such' proceedings down below. As he pointed out: "It is written, I will drink no more of the vine till I drink it in my father's kingdom." Would Mr Snowden consent to drink it there?

Mr Snowden was of the opinion that heaven would be "no license."