THE DRINK PROBLEM.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2729, 25 March 1916, Page 14

THE DRINK PROBLEM.

Sir,—l am very pleased indeed to see that my 'humble epistle has been read, and % a so-called Moderate. And I would respectfully ask other readers to place his letter and mine together, bearing in mind the old saying, "When you have no case abuse the other side." Ho has. to resort to calling names _ and abuse, while at misconstruction ho is an artist. Notieo his prominent—very prominent—use of the word awful—a word which does not occur once in my letter. By doing this he is implicitly abusing our brave men in a far worse manner than ho meanly alleges others do. He does not, and cannot, deny the facts, as his advocacy of the wet, canteen proves. His quotation of the cable from Sydney is no answer or argument whatever. I'wo wrongs never mado a right, avid never will

Like the rest of his associates, tho wordfe such as "wowser" are the kind of Billingsgate they delight in. It pleases them and hurts 110 one. But I ask your readers to look at tho 0110 great name I quoted —tho Bishop of London — who is beloved by all tho workers in his diocese, and also by tho mon in tho trenches, and ask those who read if sue'h men are "wowsers" —if they would not rathor be with them than with "Moderate." If following such leaders, who have the truest welfare of the men at heart, is being «. "wowser," one can stand any amount of slang and vituperation from all the "Moderates" in our City. • Ho complains 'that the temperanco advocates are denying the men privi-. leges as citizens, etc., and tries to represent, or rather misrepresent, in tho . worst possible light what has been said by myself in this connection. I mil satisfied that the generosity and common sense of your readers will seo below tho surface, and as ho appears to Do incapable of fair play, that thoy trill judge rightly. His devices are too thin to pass muster, especially .with tho boys and their mothers. Ha shows.the worst possible taste in his sneering allusion to tho proper uso of self-denial, and the assertion that if would lie no self-deii'i'l to thoss who do not drink evades the truth mid the deep moral factors contained in the actual practice by one and all. In conclusion, I affirm that so far from casting any slur upon our splendid men, or wishing to curtail their jirivileges in any way, my letter was written in tlieiv ; interests, and if in any way it seems mistaken—and mistakes will oo- ■

our in even kindly-meant efforts—l can only say, in sincerity, whatever "Moderato" thinks, that I do not blame them olio iota, but thoso who, liko "Moderate," help to support what ho must know to he wrong. I am anxiously waiting to hear the Moderate League's decision —I °, to -' TBUE TEMPERANCE.