ARCHBISHOP KELLY AND NO LICENSE.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12129, 27 February 1905, Page 9

ARCHBISHOP KELLY AND NO LICENSE.

;y A..', ,*o inn xnixon or ran raise. fcjSr;i-__ft«r reading the remarks of Archbishop Kelly i must confess that I ir« astonished that he summed up •gainst no license. Perhaps you will Wow m« to point out a few points in *luch the A-*chbi-hop_ agree* with no license advocates. He is jtivery had thing for a man to keep a publiohouse, and any man that is doing »nad beat change hia-occupation." That is . what we affirm and remain logical to onr statement, for we say " we ■■-fill vote no license, and thus render it Mneoessary for anyone to do this had W»g." If continuance is voted it simply »Hns at once that 1500 people will »ycertain to go on doing that bad Pug, for there are 1600 lioenses issued wit-New/ Zealand every year. The archbishop further said:—"lt was, a crime for a Stat* to increase- ita revenue r_f?m drink." We sayjumilarly it is a for any municipality, for the sake •>f.;the revenue they get from it, to Wense places to sell drink, and thus in|reite -their revenue at the expense of the moral and spiritual welfare of their K#pi«. the Archbishop said:—"Total mfanence was a thousand times the W> and those who wore total ab-Wp-era should remain so," or word* to •hati; effect. Very well, in this we aro Wl ;«act accord. " if a tierJfr/Mt he must have a drink, let him drink it quietly at home, and not set a |>Mh«xample, M etc. ; Why, this is just what the no license sayl This quiet drink at home w not attached, nor is it likely to be. In .Maine, where they hare had proJtibition for over. 40 years, the right of the individual to import liquor for hi* gTO use has never been attacked, nor has there been any assault unon nooking or other luxurious indulgencies. Archbi_hop Kelly says "that the intemneranco disease waa a pathological problem"; the disease lay in the will of the people." That is a truism. The -joestion is "What is the cure?" a The temperance party say, like Father Haihew, of illustrous memory, you cangat people excited and get them to take Jhe pledge, but you cannot be always oy their side to help and encourage them to keep it. The temptation, if wo allow »to be So, is always at their elbow, and' also (while the State or the people allow it), indulgence in alcohol remains both &AA"43"■ .'- ;' 4:' ■ ;.'■'

fashionable and usual. It is only the exceptionally strong-minded that can stand long against that which is both fashionable , and nsnal. Hence the well-meaning pledge-taker in very many cases falls away, and in any case only a small minority of the drinkers take the pledge. Even in Wales it is probable that the pqblichouse business will be back to the normal again in, say, five years. Why ' should the i selfish and shortsighted class, i.e.. the drinkers, always havo special legislation passed to enable them to continually and conveniently indulge their vicious appetite, when the majority of the careful and far-seeing—ergo—the best citizens, see that such opportunity to indulge is bad for the nation ?—Yours, etc., ANGLICAN.