NO-LICENSE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIV, Issue 13934, 16 December 1905, Page 6

NO-LICENSE.

THE REGENT POLL. A CHRISTCHURCH DEMONSTRATION. A no-iiccnso demonstration, which was announced in the newspapers as “ a celebration of victory,” was held in Canterbury Hall last evening. The demonstration was of the same character as those that were held before the poll was taken. The large hall was again filled in all parts. The speakers were again received with signs of warm feeling, and the enthusiasm throughout was of. a specially demonstrative nature, exceeding that which was displayed at the meetings held before December 6. The Rev R. S. Gray presided, and among those on the platform wore the Revs T. N. Griffin, S. Lawry and W. Ready, and Messrs T. E. Taylor, H. G. Ell, M.H.R., H. F. Tcogood, and T. Clarkson. The chairman could not speak at fmst, owing to the applause that greeted him. He Said that some people thought that the prohibitionists were so badly whipped _ that they would never be seen again. But those people did not belong to the Prohibitionist Party. The Prohibitionist Party had not been whipped.’ Even if it had been whipped, it would still be hero. (Applause.) The Liquor Party had been cackling over its victory like an old hen cackling over its first egg. Only now had the public been shown the strength of the two parties. In Christchurch the trade could nob have polled - another fifty votes; but if the prohibitionists had had the cabs that the other party had, they would'have had a majority of the 4000 voters in the city who did not record their votes. ' The figures for the whole colony showed that the prohibitionists had made an advance of about 42,000. The sentiment of the colony had set in, for no-license. Ho was delighted that the Liquor Party had come out into the open, and had shown its full strength. The liquor vote was 178.244, and the nolicense vote was 193,747, leaving a majority . for ,no-license of 15,503. Besides that, the no-license party had a number of no-liceneo districts. The party had forty-three electorates in the colony where a majority of the people wanted no-liconso. .The Liquor Party had only thirty-two electorates in which the people were in favour of license. Yet, the Liquor Party was trying to make the public believe that it was victorious, and that the prohibitionists were defeated. The Liquor Party said that publicans were ,now respectable. It was the fear of hell, and the, fear of extermination, that made them’ tidy and respectable. Since December 8 there had been thirty-two cases in the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court of drunkenness, Or crimes due to drunkenness. That was the trade that swore to be respectable after fhe awful spree on election night. How dare people say that ho told_ untruths or that he was misrepresenting the, position, as some irresponsible scribblers did? Hundreds"* of people saw dozens of young men and lads so drunk on that night that thqy could hardly walk. (A'voice: Quite true). That was the trade’s method of celebrating its victory. Had ' the prohibitionists carried no-license in those electorates in wliioh , they expected to do 60, what would they have done? They would have met in that hall and the first note would have been “ Prais© God, from whom all blessings flow.” That was the prohibitionists’ method. Of the 32 oases Id were firatoffenders; two were technical first offenders; but there were 14 that could safely be placed in that class. He paid a high compliment to tho women workers at. the recent election. (Applause). The Rev AY. Ready, in beginning his address, referred to Mr T. B. Taylor, but was. interrupted by a member of the audience, who stated that tho meeting was in connection noth no-licenso; Mr Ready continued his reference to Mr Taylor, who, he said, was the embodiment of the no-license movement, and cheers wore given for Mr Taylor. “We want Air Taylor,” were the cries that came from the audience when Mr Ready concluded. “ Well, you’ll have Air Taylor,” Air Gray said. “ As Air Ready has referred to hie defeat,” he’ continued, “I should like,to say, as president of the League, that the result of the election in Christchurch North is a calamity to the city and to the colony. I am speaking principally of the moral aspect of tho question. This colony cannot afford to bo without men in its legislature of the stamp of Air Taylor. I am perfectly sure that the city and the constituency will swing back to sanity, and will recognise tbe truth of the position.”

When Mr Taylor stepped forward, and while he was being loudly cheered, the audience rising simultaneously and waving hats and handkerchiefs, a young lady came on to the platform and presented him with a bouquet of pure white flowers. He said that he had hoped that there would bo no reference to him personally, but ho thanked both the speakers and the audience for their kindly feelings. There was no personal disappointment in hie defeat. He had succeeded altogether in eliminating the personal element from his public life. He would say to them generally that no political disappointment or defeat could damage a man with a clean life and character, and no political success could make a man of unclean life or cunning anything but what . he was. He had always tried to do the straight thing, and there were tens of thousands of people who believed it. There was no need to strike a despondent, not© in regard to the licensing poll. The advance of the party had been absolutely phenomenal. The party’s opponents knew that - as well as anyone. Publicans wore going to be respectable now. They had that on the word of_ systematic liars. Those were not his own words, but the words used by Mr Richmond Beetham on' the Magisterial Bench in Christchurch. He hoped that the reporters would take note of the fact that he quoted Mr Beetham, who declared that perjury was invariably an accompaniment of cases connected with licenses and horse-racing. The party had reason to be absolutely proud of its majority of 14,000. The party required only a two-third advance on the past three years during the next throe years, and there would bo a three-fifth poll over the whole colony, from * the North Capo to the Bluff. The chairman had asked him to make a correction. The chairman had forgotten that the city electorates were combined for licensing purposes. Consequently, there were forty-four electorates with a majority for no-license and only twenty-four with a_ majority for continuance. He maintained that the prohibitionists bad no reason to feel surprised at what had happened at Ashburton. The Prohibitionists were surprised when Ashburton carried nolicense in 1902. The club question operated largely there. It was with the Prohibitionists in 1902, hut against them in 1905. In 1902 the Prohibitionists had plucked Ashburton from the trade, and in 1905 the trade had failed to pluck it back again. As to the future, the party must adopt some of the methods of the other party. It must, for instance, have more money, and must get down to the most effective ■ methods that could he adopted. He had never been in favour of a threefifths majority. If the party had had a bare majority, it could have had fortyfour electorates, and would have lest only one. , The three-fifths majority was against democratic principles. 1 The trade, in crying . out that

there Was a “set-back,” was like the boy bn tho, dark night, who whistled to give himself Dutch courage. There had been no “set back” to* the Prohibitionists/ In conclusion, he said that in three years, or six years at the outside, the liquor trade, as it existed at, present, would be a thing of the past, and an institution that civilisation utterly condemned. (Applause). Tho Rev S. Lawry said that the meeting was far from being a “tangi,” and the Prohibitionists were not in sackcloth and ashes. Similar advances would give thorn 236,000 votes in 1903, The Rev L. SI. Isitt devoted a considerable part of his speech to a eulogy of Mr Taylor, and maintained that it was only a question of time before tho trade would be completely defeated. At Ashburton the chib vote had been with the Prohibitionists in 1902, but was dead against them in 1905. The operations of the Farmers’ Co-cporativo Association had led to the belief that less business was done in Ashburton among tradespeople. The Prohibitionists must make up their mind to adopt more detail work and organisation. There would be a monster no-license bazaar in each of tho no-liesuse districts, and he believed that £IO,OOO would be raised. , (Applause). It was realised that the party was bound to win, because its cause was the cause of the people and of God. In spite of prejudice and rancour, the party had won its way, and would gain further victories. (Applause). Tho meeting was brought to a. close by the singing of the doxology.