The Liquor Question.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8123, 21 October 1905, Page 5

The Liquor Question.

(To the Edito*)

§Ik,< —As the disenssions in the pu'Wic press relating to questions concerning the use and licensed sale of liquors ar f> for the most part carried; on by persons holding strong or,intere»ted views on one side or the other" I propose to ask you to grant a little space in wMck to state the views of those who- might be termed the temperate section of the community. I would not seek publicity for these views if they were merely the expression of individual opinions, but from an interchange of ideas with many people in various stations of life at sundry times, and in various parts of the colony, I have come to the conclusion that, as far as they go, they fairly express the views held by a large proportion of the people of this colony, many of whom in the past have not taken advantage of the opportunities given them for expressing their opinions through the medium of the polling booths. As regards the use of 1 quors by those who chose to use them, and are able to do so without injury to themselves and without detriment to their fellow men, it must be admitted by all reasonable men that the State ' has no right to deprive such people of what is to them a legitimate pleasure, and in |some cases' a necessity. To seek to do so is a direct interference with the personal liberty of the individual, which in a British community will not be submitted to, and any legislation in such a direction is foredoomed to failure. It appears to those -who are able to partake of intoxicants without being led into excess, unjust and unreasonable to interfere with their personal liberty with the object of benefitng a very small proportion of their fellow-beings, who from an inherent weakness of their natures are led into excesses. If legitimate access to intoxicants was cut off from these weak ones they would obtain them in an illicit manner, or indulge in the use of drugs to their greater hurt. If those who have the cause of temperance truly at heart would seek to advance it in a practical wa,y, they can do so by attacking the cause of intemperance at its roots. This can be done by teaching the wives and daughters how to make their homes attractive. When the home is comfortable the husbands and sons will not seek in hotels and clubs the attractions which the home should furnish. The modem tendency of females to seek employment in factories, shops, and offices produces a class of women who are quite unfit to undertake the duties ofi wives and mothers. It is more noticeable in the larger cities, but even in a small town like this it is painful to see the number of narrow-chested, small-waisted, over-dressed girls and women, who for the sake of the greater liberty (which in their case is only harmful) choose to work in shops and factories instead of learning household duties at home or in the service of others. Look at the men witk wives who have been trained in good homes — you do not find them in public houses. Those who go to the public houses after their day's work is done, are the men who have married women who fromlack of previous training are un, able to keep a home in order, to cook, or to care intelligently for the children In a recent number of the Nineteenth Century there is an article written by a woman entitled " Housekeeping and the Nation," which shows the risk our nation as a whole is running from the above cause. This article contains only a passing reference to the drink question, and is written to point out that the decadence of the nation is largely due to the ignorance and carelessness of the women. I commend it to the perusal of all who have the temperance cause at heart. There are other points I wished to touch upon, but having already run to some length, I will conclude for the present.—l am. etc.,

Nemo,