THE FIRST SHOT

Evening Star, Issue 15481, 1 May 1914, Page 4

THE FIRST SHOT

OP NO-LICENSE CAMPAIGNThe opening shot in th* No-license campaign, bo far as ihe jsabajfbs an J?° n ~ cerued, commenced in *h* South Dunedin Town Hall last waanißß, whan asiccwsaful meeting under the auspices of the Sooth Danedia Temperance C&iawil took place. The attendance was rather disappointing, bat t&e enthnsiasßi of thee© present waa sufficient competuatkm. Mi T. H. Dalton Branded, and introduced the j speakers—Mr H. D. Bedford and the j Rev. J. Dawson, of Wellington. In opening, Mr Bedford, who was «*orded a particularly enthusiastic Mception, xrferred to his association, with sad consequent affection fpr South Iran- \ edin, where he made his mrst jwfcihc utterances and had been waimly raceived. ilr Dawson had a capital story to tell them, and h* (the speaker) would therefore not eay much. They were beginning the biggest and most important campaign in the interests of No-license ever fought in Dunedin. He was satisfied that the reJ enlta would be greater than ever in the ?"'■' past. (Applause.) He did not remember a time when those engaged » the move-1 * menfc displaved so rnseh determined activity and'lwpie, #nfl «ue *ra«f sorely going to he the year of emancipation ior this Dominion. (Apptease.) ta finance - the No-license party this time had a wide and strong fold. One of the objects u» starting tiba •eaanpsagn early was to publish and promulgate facts which coald not he gainsaid. They were not going to wait till a few days before the election, but ■were starting straight away to tell the emphatic truth and to give the trade every opportunity of carefully testing and refuting their arguments, facts, and policy, if it could. He intended to deal briefly with the physiological effects of alcohol that evening," contrary to his usual practice of dealing with the economical phase. He did not profess to be a. doctor, but his views apon the physical barm wrought by alcohol -.vere unhesitatingly endorsed by the medical profession. If any of the public schools were entered they would find there hung upon the walls placards and scrolls concerning the influence of drink upon the body. These placards were placed there at the instance of the ; Government, and the speaker said it could : scarcely be inferred that the statements I on these placards were untrue. The .trade had not attempted in any way to prevent the distribution of them, and it had not refuted or challenged the accuracy of them, for the very simple reason that-it could not conscientiously do so. The speaker had never said that alcohol was a poison: he left that to the factors. However, he wanted to just examine the effects of strong drink on the bojry by looking at the matter from a scientific point of view. In the human blood were what were known as white and red corpuscles. Zl The fcrrmer acted as sentinels in challeng'"inc disease eerms which attae&ed the Body. It was stated that if these corpuscles were, (Strong and healthy the_ body was disesse-Tesista.it, while if languid the body was unprotected. These placards in the "schools and medical men agreed that when the sentinels got languid, slept, or died, the body tffcs p-rone to any disease. because it xcos fended. Then the Government, by'these placards, further taught that diseases more readily attack the drinker than they do the abstainer. . The function of the red corpuscles v.-as to suppy and convey oxygen to the '.': flifferept tarts of the body where ;* reqaired- H« went on to show that drugging . the body with alcohol ruined the system. When alcohol got into the blood it suddenly heated it, and the pcre* opened. On the same principle, it isras dangerous to go out into the cold air-after having a hot bath. This opening of the pores was really perspiration representing evaporation. Consequently alcohol was dangerous if the recipient did not co to bed. and that was how " hot toddy " going to bed came about. A'cohol also paralysed and wee Waned the muscles and power of the pores. Thus it was (hat acholic drinkers suffered from cold? apd other troubles as tho result of weakened, unclosed pores. This was the N scientific explanation of the red nose of tihe "toper." It looked highly colored.-be-cause the pores were open, and'the blood «culd therefore be seen close to the skin . surface. That was because the porp? did ■ got tiehtly close, and it was on this principle that afchol was treated by tiolaT explorers as a deadlv enemy. Many ex- > pjorers had declared that alcohol ?avp a sndden rush of warmth, which was difficult to preserve in those regions. Pome people took it to warm them and others to ex>ol them. (Laughter.) In fact, at one time alcohol was accented as a panacea tor all ailments, and w-»s believed to work contradictory euros. Then again tropica] explorers all declared aeainst alcohol, and so onlv in temperate Teeions could we live opon it. (Laughter.) A"* l it was making heavy demands on our bodies »nd on the resources of this country. The speaker asked his audience just to imagine a drink which conld so degrade a man that he had to lie for aetoe'lbcrars until the system could throw off some of the poison and gradually assist in the body's animation. 3>ud applause.) The Rev. Mr Dawson confined himself *o ntil-'sing a verar favorable article from a Christchurch : tilsper, which, inter alia., stated that the-, prospects - for the No-t-rense party were never brighter. That w»s true, and they were approaching the -*'e*id of the trade." (Applause.) Twenty.'...tbree years ago, whea he Mt the Old _; Co«ntrv, he (the speaker) believed in the ;':,abttlition of alcohol, and be believed it istfll more te-day. At the first poll on this ' troublesome question—and one that was Jikely to be more so, if not settled one way ox another—No-license voters numbered 49,000, and at last election they had increased to 234,000. With the machinery provided by the legislature, the vote on - the national i*rce wae no lee* than 259,953. Tb» party had been ia _ inajoxity since. I§o£, and -were etifl mow ejectors voted on Ji«ti%nal Prohibition than the total vote* accorded all the meri> hew of P*rlia*wnt. Be referred to Mr Massey's assurance to Win (the «peakerb not th'ree weeks ago, that a Bill reducing the handicap from 60 per eeat. to 55 pftr ce©t. waa to be introduced. The Prime Minister made a declaration that the Bill be dealt with early next session. . * (Afrpfetra*'} 3?ow» was thw Bill going to •■ njeet thejjr Sfo4icen*e party'f demands? On» thiftg they demanded was fair play at the ballot box, and the equality of the v»tjiig powers. The rev. gentleman quoted nwaerons «tati»tios, and gave instance* of No-licen«* 6ucc**s> pusctnated with d#aeripti<ms d[ unlr.erous ftumOrtua «speri. enoee. Tfe« trade talked of the nnmbeF of uceronloyed N«'lioens© would create, a«4 be thought six months' grace after th» people** vote for Prohibition, was six HKjsths too for the trade. In America Ijsy ftruehed up within a few days of the jeopleV verdict The speaker appealed fat co-operative and individual a?dor in the suppression of a trade which was msn*s ais the pattern's gteateet enrse. Jt w*B to be the year of victory, of emaneipatian. (Lond applause.) fIU. the motior. of the Rev. "R. Fairm«i4 voi« e* thanks (fe»4 * successful rneet-