The No-Liceuse Campaign.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume xxii, Issue 6657, 25 August 1905, Page 2

The No-Liceuse Campaign.

MR J. G. WOOLLEY'S ADDRESS,

Tho O-.Mfellow rt ' Hall was well filled last ovenim? on tho ojcrs'ou of na adirjss by Mr J. G. "Woolloy, the t'ar-Famad American temrei-mvo orator, Mr Woolley pyoke for uairly two hoiw, a-p.l hold (In do c attention <f l.is nudienco by Irs Hna rhetorical troahnoat of facts concerning tho liquor qups'.ioo, blondod liore and there with co-incidrjnc ar.ecd<>te ov apt si tnilo, and he was frttqu'intlp applauded during an address, which was freo from airy prwifUge and hyperbole. His Worship the Mayor (Mr H. Davis) occupied the chair. Ou the platform wore also theKevs. A. Peters, W. L. Salter, and G. B. Inglip, an.l Mr W. Harding. Processings were comaioncei with a prayer by the Bsv. W.

L .-'alfcur.

In intioluclng Me Wool'oy, tho Mayor sai 1 that ho Irid gi>f*n an addross in the town bsf ra the adoption of no-license in the district, and doubtless many of them ha<l listaned to his remarks on that occasion. Those who had not scon the le turer before had assuredly reid or heard of him. and ho thought it w;is hardly necessary for him to ask an Ashburton audience to give the speaker a fair hearing.—(Applause).

Mr Woolley, who was loudly applauded on coming forward, said that first of all he must express how sincerely and profoundly grateful he was for being able to come safely to these shores again. Night after night when away his thoughts had

wandered to earnest, faithful, and patriotic New Zenland He must confess that be did not feel himself a stranger ia a strange land—rather as a kinsman on a visit. Four years ago, tired out by long campaigning and in miserable health, he had come to the colony to get well, and in search of health, and on that occasion he had made friendships thal: would endure for ever.— (Applause). The hospitality of New Zealand had then been such that he had never to seek pleasure in a public place. He had visited many land?, but had never fallen in love with a whole people at sight as he had in New Zealand.—(Applause). Thus had he become an advertiser of the colony in the United States, 1 holding that it was the most up to-dato and successful democracy on the face of the eartb. He loved hia own country, and he was not flattering them when he said this. He might do some eloquent talking in regard to America, which by reason of its enorrooas resources was in constant peril. " Dollarism" was rampant, and the demagogue reignod, and only rarely did the Amsricm people realise their latent power. In fifty years New, Zealand had set going a real Government of the people, for the people, and by the people. (A.pp!ause). They had mistakes in legislation here, and they had also demagogues in the colony, and these would be stron^or if it were not that the majority of the electors wore Christians, The various public problems were, comp iratively speaking, small and easy ot solution, which wa3 due to a habit of respect and obedience for the liw in New Zealand and a coherent and intelligent public conscience. The splendid legislative object lessons in this colony had made it the leading country in this respeot in the world, and well bad he named it on the occasion of his previous visit—" The eagle's nest of great reforms." (Applause). They were doing a great work colonially, but in the United States they had not been idle, and since he had visited them three years ago, no license had been voted over more territory than the whole area of this colony, and the tide was plainly rising against the lioensed drink shops in the State?, and even yet the verdict was not by any means complete in respect to the doctrine they had been advocating for many years. The Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack would yeb patrol this planet in the united interests of peace and sobriety. (Applause). He had not come, however, to talk on general politio?. There was no geography about the liquor traffic— no boundary lines between the sailing and the harm that came out of the sale of liquor. Drink was debauching New Zeilanders in American saloons that night a3 New Zealand saloons were making many heartaches in American homes ab the came t'ina. Ha made no apology for being here to take a hind in the fight against the deadliest

eneuy of mankind. He desirod especially to spe\k to the churches—nofc because thoy had a large proportion of intelligence or of piety, but because they undertook the salvation, of meu. The churche3 were pledge 1 to go to war agiinst the liquor traffij. He did rot want to urge members to be loyal to their King or true to their boui93 and their churches, nor was it necessary to suggest to them not to loss sight of their many ties, but th t it was .in the hands of the church to wiu their aim ia a clear fight. He believed that, if Labour took the cause up, it could defeat Liquor. How many strikes for meritorious cause 3 had been lost through the vicious curse of the drink shop? Firmly wis he of opinion that Labour or Capital off its own hook could^win this fight in due time on the mere ground of efficiency.—(A.ppKuso). It was the right of the church, however, to lead in such crusades and it pleased him to find on his tour through this colony how they were building up the spiritual life of the church, and he wanted to prophesy that, when the last public house closed in New Zealand, the greatest revival of spiritual power was coming upon the church that had even been dreamt o? ia the colony. - (Applause). Ravertin^ to the financial 'aspect of the question, Mr Woolley said that every 12 months ,£3,500,000 went to the drink bill of the colony. That was a lot of money. He knew this was a prosperous colony and perhips they could afford to pour that much good money down that kind of a rat hole. He left them with the question of knowing what to do with their own money.

The total circulation in the United States

was 1,200,000,000 dollars, and every nickel of that sum went into the Union's drink

bill in twelve months. Statistics showed that in the Unite! Kingdom 2,500 bihies

were killed almost every year through drunken fathers and mothers overlaying them in bed. Two-thirds of such fatalities occurred on Saturday nights. Week

by week, were the cries of helpless babes for life, life, met with nothing else but a drunken snore. Every year 800 to 1,900 lives were lost in this colony to the drink traffic. Thit of course did not count the ca-^es of ruined prospect?, heads bowed with shame, and other forms of alcohol's unhappy and vicious work. The colony had only a population of 900,000, and so a thousand each year seemed a large percentage to shuffle off in this way. Perhaps they could also afford that, but that was " their funeral." The whol-3 appeal cune to the highest argument and must be nailed up against conscience. Did they not respect themselves ? Then oust the scourge of God and mankind alike. (Applause). Ashburton, the lecturer want on to say, | was one of tho pi ices in the colony whose virtue wts not for sale. (Applause) There were still men here who suld whisky—in his own country such was so aJso in prohibited areas—and there would for a time continue to be so, as the winning of a community was a slow business, however enthusiastic the advocates. It was slow to get the law and slow work t■> get enforcement of the law, and perhaps many a day and many a year would pass before it bacame impossible for tho man who wanted drink to find it in forbive bar and cellar or some fellow's boot leg. There had bsen a gr^at waste of energy aud time in coaip'aining of their political LraJers and laying blame on them. Perhaps they wo-Q not as good as they might be, but logically they were as good as tha constituencies which sent them. "If they had a bad man in office it was the kiu-1 of man they had sent and the kind of man that suited them best as perhaps a clean man would Is a misfit." \i they didn't like f.uch offiuialp, they could get better ones, as they had the machinery and knew what to do. (Applause). In fighting for no license tliay should fight for clean politics all round. Failure experienced in America had been because they had put good laws into bad ban Is. Ano licens3 law in the hands of a iel-nosod policeman was in bad hands. (Applause). Mr Woolloy went on to siy that the tho main aigumont u;ed nguin-.t the no license movement in New Zealand was

'"' the failure in America," and ho could deny that in one word. American prohibition had not been the success they could have wished he would tell them why. At one time 18 States had adopted no license, but six. 6en had gone back on the experiment. But his explanation would take the teath out of the bite. In 1840 a temperance movement was started in Biitimore, and as a result thereof the demijohn commenced to disappear from the harvest field and the decanter from the various custouary celebrations, and the total abstinence movement; gained r strong foothold. There were, however, pome too weak to remain firm in tleir pledge, aud others 100 wicked, aud the need for a prohibitory luw arose. la 1851 General Neil a

D:>w, ft gifted man with money and in- ] fluonco, keaniy interested himself, and a ' prohibition law, which was very well enforced in tho ruaVdistriets, was carried by a lavgo majority.— (Applause). Th«a<itata'.ion srreai'through the Union, aai in lSot, e:gh f:eers Stnts3 wora undo- no lieonsa from ono en 3 to tho cbhor. Then the slavery question sprang w'uh a leap in'o pr:iriiinani M — the SjuMi for shv-ry and the North against it. Qui.:kly it on<ros:-ol ths whole attention i>f the pfoiile, and s ) s>tro?u»!y did feeling rio that tho greatest civ 1 war the world has kuown wa3 the nubiome, sVnub a million urn on either eido taring part. Th"y aH knew what n. j?reat doruora'i-^r war was—New ZtuUnd h<id had a littlo experiorca rrtcjonfcly— and total übstitiDers bocatnfi drunkfliids whil^, a.? the Army ""in fl-joded with alcohol, oilier^ c juircd iib; jr-il notions of drink. In 1835, ac the close of tlw w.ir. 8,00 ',0 0 slaves wore turned loess au'l given tho sufficago. With the payment of the war deht the fatal secret wa3 laarnt that the liquor trains contributed greaily to tho revenue for the privilege of protoct;on and an air of re-'pQotability to the businas', and at the end of tha war a third of tha expenses of running the whole Government of the States came from thß blood money of the liquor traffic, and there they were, and 16 States went back to the licensing sy^tetu. Maine r<.ininel the law and his done so to this day.—(Applause.) There prohibition had been fairly wall enforced, except on the seaboard. English people who had travelled to "look them over " did not journey into tho interior, and thus got a bad impression, and said there was failure in Maine. Thero had never, he maintained, been failure in M>une, bub tho law was disappointing in the seaboard towns. New measures had recently been adopted for the better enforeem <nt in thab State, aud the prohibition law is as well enforced thore to-day as the laws against larceny and murder, and nobody talked about abolishing those Irws. A fellow cou'd got a drink in Maine that night, but he would hive to go dowu a back alleyway to do so. Local option laws were recognised a3 tho com • plefcesfc way by States o? the Union, and under such laws the States had now prohibitive areas and better enforcement. State prohibition had been given up in many cases because it caused a lot of trouble in party politics, and, as they knew, America was a party ridden country. It taught New Zealand that colonial prohibition would not be a good way at the present time. Ea'-h place should work out if-s owo destiny—bhat was along tha line* of least resistance.

Mr Woolley th?n showed how everything in New Zealand was favourable to prohibition as compare! with the stats of affairs in the Sfabe3. Ta^y had nob the enormous prollims to deal with here or the general lawlessness, and, even if prohibition was a failure in the States, they could still win ia New Z9alaud. If Christian manhood and womanhood w>.s ns good stuff as he thought, it was certain to win. The people of this colony were the real rulers of it— that was his text. It was not; necessary for his purpose to call anybody hard nimes. They could conduct a hard fight and still Bhow re3peot to the other side. Ha did not think it necessary, nor was ho inclined, to open the acid bottle nowadays. Once it was usual to scalp somebody. There was no need for violence in words —besides it did not lie in the mouths of them to complain of the liquor seller and the public house so much as the law which allowed their existence. Let them go into a public h®use with him ia their minds—;n their minda he said as that was the only safe way. Outside the bar was the drinker. Many people thought the di inker whs the only sinner in the community. Drunkenness was not the only sin. It hail it 3 gre it disadvantages in that it fidvertisa-i itself in so many ways—red nose*, pimply skin, and reeling bodies. If stinginess, gossiping, backbiting, and unfair cii/zanship shewed up in people's noses, thoy would not, perhaps, be the besb looking crowd in the world, (Laughter). Bar traffic wis a dead !o« to everybody but the man who takes dowa t\vi bottle and sooure3 the sixpence. The drinker wa<? not to bVi'e-he w.-js a victim of environment som?tiinas, and occafioaa'ly cf wrongful advice. Perhaps ha was. told l>y his doctor to use drink a? a servant, and it had become his mis tor. If puuii-hment was the business of that meeting, they should let th 9 Wrinker go—ho was ortainly getting his punishment as ho wont along through lift). Ia these days of keen competition the oleirest eye was not too clear, the steadiest hand not too steady, and given two men— drinker and abitainor—the drinker was not ia the same class as the other. (Applause.)

The lecturer then spoke of the temperance movement and the work of various associations to grapple with thn .drink evil. But where there was one man or woman saved fro'ii the burning, there were, doubtles?, twelve others starting on the down grade. However, many forces were combining to help the drunkard. Modicil science was coming to their aid rapidly, and nowadays no up to date medico was fre9 or careless in the use of alcohol in his prescriptions. The King's surgeon, Sir Frederick Troves, had said that alcohol was always harmful as a medicine and unnecessary as abe rorago. In America, the Lind of big trunk railways, no man who drank was employed in the operating department, and on his admission that he was a drinker an applicant for work was at once shown the door. The, drink shops have been driven out of, the Capitol of Washington, and that it had also been driven out of the Army and Navy was not peculiar to America. The Austrian Government was educating the people of that country by the wholesale posting in the streets of large placards pointing out the deleterious effects of alcohol. (Apolause.) The speaker then dealt with the aiany coarse fibred men in the trade who " doctorpd " their liquors and in their greed for piling up money were heedless of the cry of injured women and children. They had, however, taught the publican that the sale of drink was a necessity, so they might let the drink seller alone in the way of punishment, as there could be no pride in his trade—he could not get out of bed in the morning with a good taste in his month that he was going tc do good for somebody that day. It was indeed a punishment for a man nob to be proud of his job. (Applause) Back of the drink seller they found his barrels and bottles, every one etamped and signed with the sovereignty of the Government—the Government—think of it. Back of the barrels in a frame they could see the pub'ican's diploma, signed by the licensing committee a warrantry and deed to spread vice, insanity, poverty, and crime for twelve months, and directing him to do it. Back of the licensing committee — what ? The people. So after all the study became one of the analysis of individual chuncter. There wera 300,000 voters in this colony. When a man went into a polling booth he should not consider majorities or minorities—how the election would go, but how his own integrity would go.—(Applause). He should speak through the b*l!ot box into the e»-r of his country. H w could they win a no-licen-e law for th s country ? By aggregates! man's vote for man's vote, and woman's vote for woman's vote. In the matter of the three-* fifths majority the prohibitionists had no thought of forcing an unfavourable Jaw whtre a majority the other way prevailed. Hufcthay oould go into the ballot box, and a? a metaphorical wash basin wash their * ands of complicity with murder and vice. As they put the liquor traffic into the catalogue of crimes they must start by cleaning their own hands. Could not something good be said for the liquor traffic ? Yes! Someone might sppak out —Revenue. In the United States for every dollar they got. from liquor they paid sixteen away for the upkeep of policemen, hospitals, etc., so that balance was on the wronsr side of the lodger. Suppose the balanc9 was on the right side of the ledger by reason of selling licenses to publicans, they had the sot-off of happiness destroyed, so that account would not do, as it; came from the world of crime. It was equivalent to what the pickpocket had said when he took their pocket book—"there's money in it." So with tho legal countenance of these vices—there was money in it. Tho Now Zealand Government was exactly o--; this basis, and it said th 9 £40 for each license was want.nl for roads, bridges, etc.

The practical question, Mr Woolley declared, was to get rid of the liquor traffic. They could not pray it down, preach it it down, or drown it with tears. He instanced how the saloons continued to win, dirty politician* to exist, while the church languished and graphically illustrated the reasons. The country could never be fayed or clean-ed by preachers or teachers ?o much as saved by the small fidelities of religious and Christian living. The liquor traffic ought to die for every reason th>\t a man ought to be brave and chivalrous; for tha reason that every woman ought to bo h'ppy, and every boy and girl have a chance in life— to that the liquor traffip ought to die. The real problem of the oospel of the future was the democratic government of the people. He

mu3t congratulate Asttburtou on her magnificent fight, and she should teach her neighbours to follow in the same way. (Applause). Us liorol tho fcimo was not far distant whsn from the North Cape to ttoo Huff thorn would n;jt ba a giu-ruill to 'Jafile m m'nud and d'jhaujh the wommhood of thi-j country. (Ap\>!uisa.) Mr Harding moved a vote of thanb? to Woo'ley. In doiwr so, he su4 there had besn n good <?pal of tali: about sly grogS'l ing in Ashburton, but iv hu opinion there must ha very lir(L», and tho amount sold ve-.-y small, or els? tho liquor must bo non-iutoxiwing. There h?A, however, beon no drink tragedy in A-:hburton during tho past; two years, and that was iadeed a tfoocl record. Verily w?re they on the rising ti<le of prohibition.-(Applause.) Tho was carried by acoliitnation. Rev. G-. B. Iru'lis proposed a vote of thanks to the' Mayor for- presiding. This was carried amil hearty applause. Tne Mayor rep'io'J, and Mr Woolley said he had beon amply thanked by the kind attention they had given him. It was a privilege to be in New Zealand at the present time and have a hand in their fight. —(Applause.)

Tfle gathering dispersed after the singing of the National Anthem.