TEMPERANCE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 878, 28 December 1888, Page 7

TEMPERANCE.

JOTTINGS. Axel Gustafson, speaking of. his wife, said, ‘She is my inspiration and benediction.’ A drinking woman instead, is her husband’s irritation aud malediction. So Bay J. Permissive Bills were nt one time the order of the day, but now we speak of Total Dismissive Drink Bills. Viotoria is the only nation that has agreed to give compensation to the drink traffic. In conservative England the proposal was scouted this year and doomed for ever. The national prohibition Axe(l) wielder had not seen our process of ringbarking a tree. - A half-loaf (local option) is better than a whole loaf (national prohibition) when the latter is new and doughy. Queensland has the beat legislative scheme for the suppression of the drink traffic in all tbe colonies, and not until they have sought the co-operation of the Queen of motive power— woman—will it prove a blessing to the colony. It will then be a <2«ee?wland, and no longer a Droneland, ia the drink question. The United Kingdom Alliance of Great Britain is a Bachelor institution of years’ standing. When it is married to tho Women’s Christian Temperanco Union, that co-opera-tion will be an inspiration and a benediction to that noble band of temperance workers. PROHIBITION IN RHODE ISLAND. We every now and then meet with extracts from American papers stating that Prohibition in Rhode Island is a failure, and that there is more drinking there now than before the Prohibitory constitutional amendment was carried by the people. We knew well enough that there was another side to the case, bub one rarely sees that stated iu the secular press. Strange that so many papers so thoroughly ignore everything that tells for Prohibition, while they repeat everything they see which seems to discredit prohibitory legislation. One would, think these journals held briefs on behalf of the liquor trade. A statement made by-the correspondent of one of the New York papers to the disadvantage of Prohibition ia Rhode Island, and stating the probability of an effort being made for the repeal of the law, was copied into many of the journals of this Colony. We wonder how many of them will take a line from the following statement made by the Hon. Henry H. Metcalf, of Pawtucket, R.I. This is a gentleman as likely to be familiar with the facts, and as worthy of trust for a fair statement of them, as any unknown newspaper correspondent. Aftor stating the difficulties which stood in the way of the administration of the law, and the strong opposition it met with from interested parties, the hon. gentleman went on to say : ‘ This is one side of tho aspect; what is the other ? Is there anything to be grateful for ? Yes ! Very much ! ‘ The demaad for enforcement of law has become a power. Law is more or less evaded, but is no longer defied. ‘ Raids, arrests, and oonviotions are numerous, although every legal impediment is used to delay final punishment, but the Courts are zealous and faithful. ' * ‘The new Governor (Taft) i 3 showing a decided interest in the enforcement of law, notably by volunteer action in excess of routine duty, especially by advice, aid, and encouragement to the Chief of State Police. ‘ The now Attorney-General is faithful and bravo in the performance of his duty, even beyond the promise of his best friends. ‘ The defections from tho Prohibition ranks are few and unimportant, and the places thus vacated have been more than made good by the quality of the new accessions of active men. Classification of loyalty and disloyalty is becoming more accurate than heretofore. Semi-loyal men are going over to tho enemy, greatly to the advantage of tho loyal forces, and timid men are bracing up for duty. Most of us make some mistakes, but.all of us understand our work muoh better than wo did two years ago. ‘A considerable number of Protestant clergymen voted against Prohibition, including several with whom I am personally acquainted. Ido not know of one of them that I behove would to-day vote for its repeal. ‘ And finally, while I fully admit an enormous amount of violation of prohibitory law, tho law’s grip is clearly intensifying ; the law-breakers have given up their arrogance, and study now only to avoid detection in their iniquity. The status of morality ancl of that class of prosperity which depends upon good order, has clearly been more improved during the last two years than during any similar term since tho war of the Rebellion, ‘And yet there remains for the friends of law and order a Herculean work whioh I see no indication of an inclination to evade, although just now we. are doing rather more of scolding each other than I think to be profitable. ‘ Kindly tell our friends that there is not, as yet, any probability that Rhode Island will trail her banner in the duet, or fail in her duty toward the Christian sentiment of the nation.’