NO-LICENSE RALLY.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 174, 10 July 1911, Page 11

NO-LICENSE RALLY.

MRS. BARTON IN NAPIER

Mrs. Barton, the No-License advocate, who is on a visit to New Zealand for organising purposes, opened her campaign in Napier on Saturday evening with a street meeting. She spoke from an express in Emerson street, opposite Kirkealdies and a large crowd soon collected. The speaker was evidently in her element. There was no feminine timidity about her. _ She did not flush and tremble at interruptions arid her quick . forcible repartee thoroughly aroused the people. Her voice is remarkably powerful for a woman and she adopts an aggressive style of oratory that is decidedly novel in women speakers. She did not deal to any extent with figures and practically confined herself to an indictment of tlie liquor traffic as it ’affected the moral and physical welbeirig of the people. At e were, she declared, wasting our best asset in the liquor bars. M e had got the land here and wanted men to work it. If we were wasting our manhood in the liquor bars we were wasting our best asset. We called for immigrants, yet we wasted our | own people. The finished article of the liquor bar was a wasted man. I They could look in the windows of the tailor’s or millinery shop and

they would see the finished article there- - something that was artistic, something that was beautiful—-but the hotelkeeper was ashamed of his finished article. Speaking of wliat she had seen in New Zealand, Mrs. Barton declared that 80 per

cent, of the men who hung around the liquor bars were young men. men under 30. The people were degraded by the liquor traffic. There had been talk of taking away the inherent right of the individual, but she condemned this as unsound and what about taking away 7 tne inherent right of the little children to a sound body and a healthy mind. No man or woman should vote against Dominion prohibition. “Don’t,” she appealed, “'go back on your womanhood, your manhood, your town, and your country-’' Those who were born in New Zealand had a great heritage whicli they should be proud of and they should vote out the liquor tragic. The eyes of the Old Country were upon us. Instead of spending fotii millions a year on drink the nn.mc.v should he spent on roads ami bridges. Tho license was fhc ;»’ ■ pie’s and not the publicans, and o a man. paid £5OOO for an J * was a gamble with the in Jim' spoke in strong terms oi the Bri tish Government failing to prewic children being taken by then mothers where drink could be obtained. She concluded with a strong appeal and declared that when the people were awakened to their power they 7 would wipe out the liquor traffic. A vote of thanks was moved hy the Rev. McNaughton and seconded bv Mr. Venables and carried with

, applause. i A bibulous convert also spoke and I swore solemnly that henceforth he I would never again touch liquor.