THE DIRECT VETO.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8483, 15 May 1893, Page 6

THE DIRECT VETO.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir, —I have read and heard a good deal about the above subject, and it occurs to mc that it savours of the days of barbarism rather than of the nineteenth century. It would be just as reasonable for the large numbers of freethinkers to say you shall have no Christian churches and no Bible as for the Prohibitionists to say you shall have no intoxicants. The Freethinker says Christianity and the Bible have caused more strife, war and bitterness in the world than anything else. Tne Prohibitionist says that drink causes more disease, death, lunacy antl crime than anything el_e.

Still who ever dreams that Christianity is going to be vetoed out of existence by freethinkers.

Any sensible man knows that Christianity will exist as long as the world goes round, and everyone knows that the human race will take intoxicants as long as the world goes round. The advent of the freethinker has made Christians more toleraut. The prohibitionist should strive to make the publican, the brewer and the distiller more tolerant.

At the same time he should educate the people against the abuse of strong drink aud work for the better regulation of the drink traffic. Calling names—saying that brewers, publicans, and all engaged iv the traffic are scoundrels, liars and fiends in human form — is not calculated to bring aßout a good result.

If, instead of this, a conference were held between the two parties to discuss the better regulation of public hous.s with a \iew of lessening drunkenness, I am sure much good would com* of it, more especially if the members of such conference were willing to give and take and treat one another as reasonable beings

My own idea is that much good would be done by greatly lessening the number of hotels in the towns and granting restaurant licenses to many of those houses holding hotel licenses and closing others altogether. Houses holding hotel licenses should be large, centrally situated, with plenty of sitting room accommodation and no bar.

All drinks to be served in a large public room.

Restaurant licenses should be granted where required to men of good character for the supply of refreshments, both eatables and drinkables.

Good large sitting rooms necessary, but no bedrooms or bar.

A beer license should be granted to respectable storekeepers in the suburban districts, but on no account should drink be consumed on the premises.

The abolition of bars would, I am sure, do away with many of the present evils, especially the drinkiug and the supply to women and children.

By limiting the number of hotel licenses these houses would be larger, better, and more private.

By substituting restaurant licenses for many of the small hotel licenses you would do away with the worst class of pot houses. By granting beer licenses to storekeepers you do away with mauy suburban pot houses.

Apologising for the length of this letter,— Yours, &c,

Temperate Reformer.