PROHIBITION CAMPAIGN.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 1209, 26 November 1919, Page 5

PROHIBITION CAMPAIGN.

MEETING AT ALEXANDRA

A public'/meeting was held iu the Alexandra Town Hall on Monday, 17th hist., to hear addresses from Messrs Chas. Todd 'and J. B. Shacklock, of ! Dunedin, who took $s their subject " That the World's Crisis Demands the Abolition of Alcohol." The Mayor (Mr W. Black) presided over a fair gathering. Apology intimated from liev. J. Standriug. In introducing the speakers, the chairman said that both were keen business men able to bring .business ability to bear on the question of national prohibition. Both had taken prominent parts in the civic aud social life of their own town and he welcomed ■ them to Alexandra and asked for them a fair hearing.

Mr J. B. Shacklock said this was his first appearance in Alexandra. He came as a member of the Efficiency League. Propose to deal in a business man's fashion. We do not attempt any emotionalism or heroics. We do not claim to have any special ability to speak but we have seen the effects of the liquor trade and are of the opinion that the Dominion would be much better without it. '

Prohibition when carried will come into force right away. It is no longer required to allow four and a half years to elapse before prohibition operates. Six o'clock closing is now permanent, anil the effect-has been good. No one suggests going "baek to the old practice.

In the event of prohibition being tried and not found a success, we have no objection to another vote being taken atthe end of throe years, for the people to again express their desires on the mailer.

The issues to be submitted on election day are three—(l) National Continuance; (2) State-Purchase and Control ; (3) National Prohibition without Compensation. Two issues must be struck out. If only one is struck out, or no one struck out, then the vote is invalid. The million of revenue received from the traffic is more than used up by the extra expense caused to the Dominion from the effects of the liquor. And this doe* not take into account the better health and happiness in the community without the liquor traffic The cost to the Dominion of the liquor trauic is estimated at £2,300,000.

The wealth of the country is made by the producer.'}. The liquor traftic Joes not produce any wealth. It destroys good food. It is said that portions of Europe are faced with a food famine. That being so it is all the more essential to conserve all possible food .stuffs from all parts of the Empire. The saving of sixpence a day at compound interest for 13 years would amount to £1450- Small savings are uot to be despised.

Tho war debt of United States is five thousand million less than Groat Britain, and the first thing this country did on entering the war was to cut out the liquor trallie. Whether we like it or not, this is what we are up against in the struggle for commercial supremacy. We must look at the question from an Empire viewpoint.

The chairman of the Dtmedin Chamber of Commerce in speaking on the necessity of a hydro-electric scheme for Otago. To articulate the Dominion for electric energy would cost £13,000,000. To buy out the liquor traiue is estimated to eost £15,000,000. You can have either one or the other but this Dominion cannot afiord to have both. Which will you have 'i All improvements cause upset for a time with certain- labour. The money diverted into productive channels will give greater demand for labour. Mr Chas. Todd.—Europe is practically bankrupt. New Zealand is in a more fortunate position but even so we must cut out all unprofitable.burdens.

Carolina tried State Control and by a rote of the people they cut it out.

There whs no better result obtained in Carlisle under State Control than what was obtained in other towns in England under the same restrictions. It was the reduced hours and the reduced strength of the liquor which.caused the change for the better. The Moderate League is in the pay of the liquor trailie. Their revenue comes from the liquor traffic. It is not the persons so much, who sell the liquor, that is at fault, it is the liquor itself we condemn. The difference of control will make no vital difference.

Don't be surprised at the arrival of these faked cables from America. The liquor party have ajnau in America now. employed to send Cables per medium of the press association. This gives these faked cables an omeiaHook.

Give us prohibitum for 3 years and we will never want State Control or .Continuance any more.

The prohibitionist* aris.ju.st as keen as the liquor tratlic to give oar boys who fought fur u< a fair deal. The liquor trade spread lies to our boy's on active service, and that conduct is going to act as a boomerang against the trade now, and rightly so. All lft«s divine and hit inn are against the liberty of the individual, to preserve the liberty of the community. What about the liberty of the nun and women in jiilas the-result of iiululgene in liquor. Mr Todd dealt very Fully with the question of Catholics and tile Catholic Church and prohibition: Catholics were tree i<> vote for .prohibition if they so desired. The speaker quoted many [ eminent Catholic clergymen as working for and supporting, prohibition of tie liquor trallic-. " Prohibition is a-Chrisi.iau priuoipl.'. Those who advocate prohibition are of Peace and Patriotism, and are * fighting a bloodless battle for humanity '' the Catholic Bishop of Great Falls, Montana. •:,_ Cardinal Manning, Archbishop of Westminster, England : " The < : drink trallic is a public, permanent and übiquitous agency of: degradation. The drink trade is our shanie, scandal" and sin, and unless brought • under by the will of the people; it will be our downfall. Do you know how you will holp to break up the unholy partnership between the Grovernincut and the greatest I fraud of the age ? Vote against it."

Archbishop Ireland, of St. Paul, Minu : " The claim of saloonkeepers to freedom in their traffic is tho claim to spread disease, sin aud pauperism. Would Grod placo in my hand a wand with .which to dispel tho evil of. in> temperance, I would strike the door of every saloon, of every distillery, of every brewery, until tho accursed traffic should be wiped from the face of the earth."

Father Gborge Zurchar, president of the Catholic Clergy Prohibition League : " Instead of being licensed, the alcoholic business, like any other pestilence, o ght to be quarantined. Entrenched behind appetite, tradition, habit and law, this great fraud of the ages has dared to proclaim itself the guardian of personal liberty, but the mask no longer conceals this cruel vampire which has sucked every moral issue from our politics municipal, state and national.' Father P. J. Murphy of Dalhart, Tex., in July. 1918, wrote to Father G. Zurcher concerning those Catholics who claimed that Prohibition in Oklahoma would make the celebration of Vlass as difliicult as in the time of Nero : ••' Threo of the missions in my charge arc in Oklahoma. Three times each month I bring altar wine into that state, and there seems to be.no danger of prosecution or persecution. We have not started yet to build any catacombs. Of course dry Oklahoma is a cause of spiritual anguish to some sanctimonious rascals who make whiskey in Baltimore, or sell it iu New York. They arc the real martyrs. They are crooks who try to hide behind the Church of Jesus Christ in defending the meanest enemy that ever damned men's souls." Bishop Cleary's paper 'The Month' published in the Auckland district is out unreservedly for prohibition. In one recent issue appeared these words—- "' The electors arc amply justified in ending a traffic, tho dire evils of which lie beyond their power of mending." A few years ago Mr C: C. Copelaud of Illinois, U.S., wrote to His Holiness the Pope at Home as to whether it was right for him as a Catholic to vote for prohibition. He received the answer that if iu his opinion prohibition was the remed}' for the evil, it was not only his Bight, but his duty to vote for prohibition. Dealing with the subject from the labour point of view, Mr Todd asserted that the groat leaders.of labour throughout the world were iu favour of prohibition.

I'n concluding his address, the speaker asked his hearers, w hen deciding how to vote to reflect on the responsibility attaching io the decision. Could they vote to keep the alcoholic monster iu existence, with all the attendant crime and evil effects. For the sake of the young generation, from whom the future victims of the traffic must be recruited he appealed. Weigh tho matter well, giving this aspect serious consideration, then cast your vote as conscience dictates.

Questions were invited but none forthcoming.

On the motion of 3ir .\. U. Luwry. a vote of thanks was accorded the speakers. A similar compliment was paid to the chair.