Original Correspondence.

Clutha Leader, Volume XX, Issue 1027, 30 March 1894, Page 6

Original Correspondence.

.» THE BRUCE VOTE ON THE LICENSES.

TO THE EDITOH. Sir,— The temperance war with the drink is over for the present, and Bruce has fallen low, very low in the conflict. It may be instructive to consider some of the causes which have tended to this result. First and principally we have among us a large number of that class who had their photographs taken by Christ above 1800 years ago. Matthew has hung them up on the sth verse of his 22nd chapter, and they may be seen there at any time. Their place in history will correspond with the place occupied by the men of Meros in the history of the great battle when Deborah and Barak led the armies of Israel against the Canaanites. I do not know that the angel of the Lord will look upon them with any more favour. Then we have among us a class of silly fellows of various types, some of whom have been known to bow at the beck of the landlord, and get their names pined on the roll .that they may haug there as a dead weight against the reformers. A man went to the booth*to record his vote and returned without doing so. When asked why, he answered, " Oh, ' I saw nobody but Mr Chisholm nnd a few women, and I thought it was not worthwhile." Another man said to me that prohibition would be a very bad thing because there were some men who could not want drink, and if they could not get it in Milton they would go where it was whatever the distance. This man is not a simpleton, j 7 et he did not see that men in that condition are completely thy slaves of drink, and the fact that there are so many such constitutes a very strong argument why the monster that has such power to enslave should be destroyed at once. Another man said to hie "It is the women's battle ; they are said to he the snffeiers ; let them tight it out." And yet another, an old man supported by the funds of the Benevolent Institution, and who, by his own account and that of others, might have been independent, but for the drink, — yet this man would not move a finger against it, f.nd having exhausted the stock-in-trade arguments concluded by saying that the Devi] had got more service from teetotalism than ever he got from drink. Thfse are a sample of the noble army who stand forth in defence of the "trade." They walk the earth having the appearance of men in physical structure, but have very little appearance of true manliness in their mental and moral constitutions. There is another drawback which is peculiar to Bruce, and may he regarded more as an accident than the fault of any one. There having been no recent contested licensing electum the roll has not been purged, and there are names on it of persons who are dead, and others who have been out of the place for years. There are are probably between 200 and 300 of thesq, and had they been struck off the vote for reduction, perhaps, might have been carried, but in my judgment it is better as it is. Three yrara will givo the aiulioritipn time tn purge the roll, the apathetic worldlings to think shame, ami the publicans time to make ready. When posterity reads the record of the 2Jsfc they will read with admiration the action of their heroic mothers, but when they come to the fathers they will close the book. — I am, &c, William M'Caiv. Glenore, March 27.