THE LIQUOR QUESTION.

Grey River Argus, 22 December 1893, Page 3

THE LIQUOR QUESTION.

Apropos of liquor and lacgaags, Lord Salisbury, speaking in London recently, referred to the " fad of making eober people thirsty in order that drunken people might be kept sober." I pass thta by, however, («aya a London correspondent) in order to point out that on the same occasion the ex-Premier practically gave in his adherence to the referendum principle. His words are worth quoting: " I am a strong believer in the necessity of a second chamber, and yet I doubt whether the whole of the stress of relating ' the great constitutional attack ought to be thrown upon such a Chamber." By the "great constitutional attack" Lord Salisbury, of comse, means the Home Bale Bill. He proceeds : "I think we ought 10 have aome power of appealing to a far mightier tribunal— namelyt to the opinion of tha nation ifaalf i That power exists In almoßt every

other constitutional Government in the world. It exists in Switzerland, in Ffance, in America, in Sweden; Norway, Holland, Belgium, • :and.; . in Greece. Wherever the f oundationa of the country itself are t j be dealt v wifc!), .and attack is intended upon them in one form of machinery or another, ihe' nation is directly called into coancil upon this isauf^'-'and this issue only, and asked whether it will have it bo." Coming fronvjihe leader of .the Conservative party, thia is certainly an important declaration. • ■' j