The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1894

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 235, 2 October 1894, Page 4

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1894

Faf'th? cause tint lada asai3taD« f ffor tt» ■wTonff tiat needsreflzstajicc, Tor the future in the duitoca. And the good first we can da.

iWe should think that thelapse of the meeting called at.the Wesley Hall last night under the auspices of the Auckland Prohibition and :KTernpe!rance League will be an eye:opener totftose extremists who so loudly assert that a large section of. out fellow citizens ; favour the total ~suppressjojni of r the liquor traffic by law. Ifhas fallen to our lot-to refer-rather frequently to this' subject: We have. stated' that actions speak louder than words, and that the conduct of total abstainers in Auckland proves conclusively eitnesr that they are entirely - apathetic •in regard to .the drink-.question, or that as i; a Dbdy they, haye very, little syrppatby with the coercive roeasures. advocated by Mr Isitf'^and other ihculcators of prohibitiouist doctrines.' ;" It-cannot 6e said that the Aur^landcold water party have lacked mean 3 to stir up.their pure minds by way 0/ remembrance. Last year the Rev. Mr Isitt gave a series of impassioned addresses in the City Hall, in which the drink question in its various phases was dealt with. A few weeks after, the Alcoholic Liquors Sale Control Act—a measure of immense importance from the temperance standpoint—was before Parliament. When the fate of the Bill was trembling m the balance, a publiC|raeeting was "called to protest against some of of its provisions, but so little interest was shown that only some 30 or 40 persous rolled up. There was a good deal of hysterical screamiug against the Government on the part.of two or three speakers, who had apparently not evi?n taken the trouble---to rnasver the provisioßs and scope of tHe Bill, and then the whole thing fizzled out. When the licensing/ elections came the Auckland temperance people were so Un'dffferent • that theyr. oppc^ients "were simply allowed a walk\>Qver. While little towns and hamlets in the South were fighting tooth and nail to get their candidates on the Committee, our local temperance folks .looked on apathetically, with the exception of a few who varied proceedings by showering abuse on the Premier, and, in fact, attributing their failure to everybody rather than to themselves,

■Last night's meeting shows that no improvement has been made. , The Auckland teetotallers, from a prohibitionist standpoint, seem past praying for. We imagine Mr Isitt must feel heartily disgusted ,wiih such 'alliei;. During hjs recent ~ visit, it was announced that the leaven of prohibition was steadily spreading, that hundreds of people were being enrolled, and Jhat shortly there.would be," a thunderbolt out of a clear sky." Wtiat are the facts? A Licensing.. Bill containing amendments of a mostKmpcTtant character has been introduced iinto Parliament. The Premier has stated that he is anxious to pass it, Sir Robyrt Stout is ready to do his part, and there is a strong tenoperance following in the House. A meeting was duly called at the Wesley Hall yesterday evening in connection with the Licensing .Bill. There was no want of publicity, for it was announced in the daily papers; The Rev. Mr Walker, of the New Zealand Alliance,- was prepared to explain the proyisßons of the Bill. One might have expected that at any rate a small building-Hike Wesley Hall vrould be crowded. O tpn^orq.'! ,0. indres ! At 8.15 a" crowd of 15_. piersons had "assembled H The intending speakers looked blankly in each other's^ faces.- What was to be dons. The Rev. Mr Walker was'crammed with facts -and .figures, but

■what v was-^be good lof .Mischarging them at empty benches; The Key. Mr Isitt ? didv,,not, put in an.appearance} but he was said | to be hovering in the- precincts of-the bjuiidrng'like^ troubiea'gho'sr: Then the Chairman opened ..his mouth and said-^—But our feelings overcome iis.i The meeting lapsed! The 15 persons interested in; the Licensing Bill, dis-, persed amidst a chorus of sighs. Tell it not in Gath! The fact -speaks volumes. A meeting of' temperance advocates was • called, in one of the most populous cities of the, colony to discuss an important licensing measure/ and after. announcement in pulpit and press, 15 persons attended. ' '

We should be sbrry if this apathy indicated any loss of interest in the cause of temperance and sobriety. It would bode do good to the community if that were the case;- We'are much friore disposed to. think that the, true explanation will be found in1 a revul^ \ sionoi feeling against, the . extrer/ie j measures and- spirit of : intolerance' which have of .lately ears dominated* the! party. While moral, suasion appealed! to the best elements in the whole community, and the influence of temperance teaching and principles worked like a powerful leaven?upon'the public sentiment, tending to" the creation of a people who are sober, not from compulsion, but from voluntary resistance 0/ excess, the.attempt to apply coercion has alienated those -who believe that the essence of manly. virtue is, resistance, of tertptation, and that a people .depriyed t of all liberty can* at best attain/but a poorstandard of morality/ Co. ercidn-has also.depriyedihe movement of the active support of many who, while distinctly on the temperance side, honestly believe: that the compulsory suppression- of. the traffic would ,be followed by the tenfold worse evils of an illicit trade. -That this was so at Mildura, a prohibitionist settlement in • Victoria,', the 'following extract from " The Spectator," th£:.^ad intemperance organ in Victoria, bt the '14th of September, dearly shows:,—"' ■"■■""./■ /.~|'

AJildura, the prohibition settlement, as our readers will know, ia an irrigation colony on the banks of the Murray, started by MesirH Chaffey Bros, in 1387. a clause being inserted in ,our Licensing Act prdhi!HtiDg the.1 public sale of alcoholic liquors there.- .. The experience of this.Bottletnenb has been the old story of the traffic which always defies and, evades the, law, and unfortunately the Acb which gate prohibition does not provide effieienb , machinery for,' enforcing it, 'as" the 'police have no' power to interfere, . and cannot enter' houses■ suspected of ely grog-selling, kail the^ prosecutions, having to be upder'tiiEeitfby tlie Customs authorities, have naturally been fitful and, infrequent. Grown bold by,their 'comparative immunity from de toe tibn .and punish men f, sly grog -selling : tyecamo almost "open ,grog-'sellihg, t ;and jijafcters w*l"©.Bo n?t^ri9,us'Y bad,ibftt ajevy rbQfitha' 'agp'a ;raid: wWmade ."upon'theee law breaker*,- 'with ,' the resulb that on one day there .were fifteen-per: gona convicted out of twenty- fivoprosebU; : Eiota«i*''fSfleS>?Bind> *coSts 'tfi^lh*^amottnli I'^? £697 were inflicted,, and, in default,"terms of imprieqnnaent extending in the aggregate others whq' leffc tho sottleinenli. J'* t ,*' ..,.,;. •f he efflqefe of ( the- con : tin'»a|. and £lmps6 dpi&n 'diefianW^o'rthe ipefeb .demoralising- effect' upon .the com? ■ iriunity, for respectable citizens" were nob ashamed to speak.;; of these sly grog^ellers üß.;^' honourablemeh " in, every other'rptpect except in ihe breaking of-this' particular law; [ and 'even teetotallers were led to advocate fche;JhtrQduotion:bf'fiome,legaliaed form of traffic, adopting; the. dangerp,us doctrine tbafc if an evil cannot be auppfessed- ife ?s better to legalist it., Mr .Semmens,; President of the. shire .conncil, a teetotaller, being the loader of the party in favour of the Gothenburg system. No wonder prohibit tion sentiment weakened! It is only right to add thab many sincere toctotallere and moderate drinkers who wquld prefer prohibition,'have acquiesced in the movement to localise the .traffic from sheer' desperation at the. present shameful, state of affairs in the settlement. - ~ . < : •:

On July '31st the poll for a distillery took place, and.; resulted in a crushing defeat of the temperance party, .the jiumbera being "85 for, and only 89 against,, thexlistillery. An informal poll takoh bn^lie ?ame day, »b to the' introductipn of the traffic on' a legal basis (although, the temperance party decided to hold aloof), revealed a surprising sentiment in favour of the traffic, the votes beiri? :—ln favour of present system;, only 9; in favour of ordinary hotels, 77; in favour of the .Gothenburg system, 283; in favour of total prohibition, only 9. ; ; -. !■ :

It should be added wuh regard to Mildura that, the '.^Spectator," in the artisle-frorji which the above extract is ei»jlkd-,^pl&tm,S; that through.a mission carried, out .by Mr E. Tennyson Smith, there has been a great revulsion in public sentiment.at Mildura. After several meetings, attended by a good deal of excitement, the culmination of "the mission is thus described by the 11 Spectator." t A crowded meeting was held, at which the relative merits ( of prohibition and the Gothenburg system of State control were discussed :—

A, resolution condemning the Gotkenburtc eystem was amoved and seconded, and was immediately met by an. amendment in Its favour and advocating its adoption in Victoria. On a show of hands ib was impossible to decide which side had won, and the excitement grew more and more intense as, tellers having been. appointed, the counting commenced, and when ihe announcement was made thai; tiieprohibitionists had won by a majority of seven, the rfaouts of victory from thab b side were deafening. This might seem ..to be but a barren victory, the resolution being carried by £0 email a majority, bub when it is considered how great a number had at the informal poll, voted for tho Gothenburg system, the evident change of opinion wrought will be appreciated, and it became apparent that tbe tide was turning. The culminating point, however, was reached on the following evening, when Mr Tennyson Smith, in his lecture, " Cannonading all along the line," brought his most powerful artillery to bear on the liquor traffic and aroused in the minds of his audience a feeling of indignation at) the tactics of the trade. A resolution to the effect that prohibition is the only correct solution of the drink problem was to be submitted, but after a brief consultation with Mr W. B. Christie, who bad* been ' the"foremost in securing the petition for the repeal of the prohibition clause, but who, under .tho influence of Mr Smith's addresses, had publicly signed the pledge, a lue of agreement was promptly concluded, an 4 the proposed motion withdrawn, in favoHf of the following resolution, which-was proposed by Mr Christie, and seconded by the Rev. A. E. Albiaton {one of the leaders of the prohibition party): •« That in view of the allegations of the temperance organisation*, that the 176 th clause Of tbe Liceosing Act) bis fftilgg i^<

ecus* no working pro? Uiont k&ro been proTided for carrying eat the reitrtclin principle of that clause, thia mMttß^%tip opinion tbab * ake^i ehonld ke': tiieS- to' ■'■ obtain con broiling mtfehinory with regw^ . to it,' pending the introduction of thi Gothenburg or.anyotber Bjatem of. Ucan. sing 'tha retail aale of spirituous Hotiet »t ; Mildwra." • ;'f The Mildara experience as de«,r - scribed by the Victorian temperance organ, tfery fairly exemplifies" the experience of. other .prohibitionist districts, la.' some parts of the United States^ and Canada,- districts • have revertgd /to regulation after trying prohibition. • We < note with pleasure that the /' Spectator,'' unlike some prcn hibitionfst champions, is fair eDough to credit ■' teetotallers . who'voted for the abandonment, of prohibition with ,an .honest : conviction that the cause of -public morality would be better promoted by regula^ ti.dn: We do not doubt the sincerity ( and honesty of prohibitionists, and. but j for iheiintemperance with which iheir cause is sometimes advocated and their' wild denunciations of those who differ from ;theru; as dishonest . «nd .selfj,interested, rascals, they would.,make ;raore-headway. We see no reason at 'all to regard the failure of the meeting af Wesley Hall last night as1 an ' evidence "of decline in the. strength, ■ ,of> the temperance sentiment, and if: the l.iqaor trade were unwise enoagh to. accept it as an indication that they could carry on their business l«ss scrupulously, and in defiance of the law, they would very speedily find out ttieir mistake. The failure of'last night's meeting notwithstanding, ,the. great weight'oorfr public opinion is on the side of t'erope:rancr, thoughiot of' prohibition. . " ,' ' ■ ; . •■ t -':"' ■■'■ •■■ ■ . : ' ' ' • ' '■ ■■-'■- i ■ • . v - —;-. .... ;