Let the People Vote.

Evening Star, Issue 7428, 25 January 1888, Page 4

Let the People Vote.

«, A Parliamentary Commission on the drink traffic lias recently been taking evidence from some of the leading men of New South Wales, from which the following extracts are culled : IIKV. J. I). LANOLKY, ST. I'lllUP's, SYDNEY. You stated to the president that you are a Prohibitionist ?—Yes. You are therefore p Local Optionist?— Yes. Believing absolute prohibition to be impracticable, yon are willing that it should obtain where the community by a majority vote in favor of it?— That is exactly my view. The president asked me what view I held as to the most perfect system in connection with this question, and I was bound to answer Prohibition. 1 do not think that the community in which we live is ripe for Prohibition. 1 do not think that Prohibition would lie possible just now ; therefore I think that the Local Option system is the very best system that can be adopted under the circumstances. That is the Prohibitionist's compromise, prohibit where the people say they are ready by their voices?— Exactly so. Provided this law was passed and put into force, and the public-'nouacs were shut up,would you compensate the publicans?—[ do not consider that they would be entitled to compensation ; but if it were necessary to compensate, rather than have the state of things as it is, I should rather do so than that the state of things should go on. But I cannot see any ground why they should be compensated. The trade is supposed to be for the convenience of the public; and if it is not proved to be for the convenience of the public, and the public say so, why should a man be compensated for the taking away cf his license. If so, then the publi can ought to pay to the community something handsome for being allowed to carry on the trade, if the trade in itself is so profitable. .Mil c:. n. ci.ai:k, en >;., cool) tkmpi.ai::-!. You t.iy you are a Prohibitionist who accepts local option as a form of carrying out Prohibition ?—As a method by which Prohibition will be secured. Presumably because you think that the community is not ripe for a Maine liquor law?— Our position is simply this: Recognising the evils which result from the liquor tfiiflio, we liolil that it in a.ll unwise imlic-y to legalise it. Our order has two cardinal principles : Total abstinence for the individual and Prohibition for the State. Although we do not bind ourseiveß as to the methods which wo will use to bring about Prohibition, we say that the traffic being morally wrong ought not to be legally right. At this point, however, we are met by our opponents, who argue that the country is not ripe for Prohibition, aiid that for legislation to be effective it must carry with it the assent of at least a majority of the people. We

meet our opponents on these grounds, and make our concession. We say let the Colonv be divided into districts or areas, and let the people vote, not upon each application for a license, but on the broad question as to whether licensing should or should not be maintained in their localities. Of course if the people vote in favor of licenses, we will submit to it, but continue working with a view and in the hope of educating a better public feeling. On the other hand, we contend that if the people say no by a decisive majority, no licenses should be issued in that locality. Local Option is a concession on the part of Good Templars. KEV. I'. li. WIV/iK, ST. I\ini/.S, SYHN'KV. Your idea, iu short, is to delegate to a certain hcotian of the community the legislative l'unvtion which is purfuruiuil by the representative of thu people?— Our idea is to give people the same power which tin y have in England under the Borough Funds Act, by which all matters of taxation are direi-lly placed before the people. You have fully recognised the difficulty, Tp csum", which travellers and wayfarer would introdiuc in any settlement of the question ?—Yes ; but my experience is that the accommodation of travellers would be very much better if it were disassociated with the sale of intoxicating drinks. I find that in the Melbourne Coffee I'aluce everything is done in the most happy way without the sale of intoxicating drinks. In a large number of cases the tea-rooms in Sydn y—l mean the most frequented ones—are conducted without any intoxicating drinks being sold. Do you know how they deal in countries where they have established Local Option legislation with the question of compensation for interests that may be destroyed ? Compensation has never been allowed so far as I am aware in any place where Local Option prevails.