PEERS’ POTHOUSE IDEAL.

Evening Star, Issue 14036, 17 April 1909, Page 9

PEERS’ POTHOUSE IDEAL.

Sir Victor Horsley advocates the taxation of the licensed trade. The trade, be says, should be taxed for the purpose of recovering money which, he declares, had been stolen from the people, and thus cut off at its source the greatest cause of crime, disease, poverty, and rice. The Poor Law Commission had nailed down “the trade” one© and for all “as the most potent and universal factor in bringing about pauperism. The House of Lords’ ideal for the State was the pothouse ideal, and it was ih© duty of that union (Cheshire Band of Hope) to abolish these detestable, degrading views of social life. Mr T. C. Horsfall, speaking at the same meeting, which was held in Manchester, declared that with regard to drink there was no town in England in a more stupid condition than Manchester. Their infirmaries and hospitals were practically bankrupt, and they would have to go on the rates directly. A large proportion of the patients were there as the result of drink. The King was coming this year to open the Royal Infirmary, and in the sain© year Manchester had a brewer for the second time as Lord Mayor, and was tolerating a Lord Bishop, the only other person with tlie title of Lord in the city, who was only an ally of the drink trade. He never denounced the murder of the people by drink, but directly the Government tried to pass a fair measure dealing with th© trade he protested against dishonesty.