NO-LICENSE QUESTION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume L, Issue 8918, 6 November 1905, Page 2

NO-LICENSE QUESTION.

(Published by Arrangement.)

"A little ere the mightiest Julius fell, The graves stood tenantless, and the sheeted dead Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets."

Three years ago a speaker on the nolicense question quoted the above lines. He said the fall of the mighty liquor traffic was drawing near, there were uncanny happenings after the fashion of those recorded by Shakespeare. The squeaking, gibbering ghosts were those of dead and buried arguments in defence of the liquor traffic. They squeaked and gibbered in private, on the platform, and m the press. A leaflet with reasons for voting for continuance of licenses, was issued by the trade. The writer stated he was almost moved to tears as he wrote. The interference with the liberty of the subject stirred his righteous sou]. That was three years ago. What about the liberty of the subject to-day? Where are now the arguments for the continuance of the liquor traffic? The open bar cannot put forward a single worthy reason for its existence. Even the squeaking, gibbering spooks have returned to the land of shades.