A MANIFESTO

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7928, 11 October 1911, Page 8

A MANIFESTO

THE LIBERTYDEFENCE LEAGUE MODERATE MEN AND WOMEN . WARNED. The Liberty Defence League was formed to defend the peoples' rights and liberties—religious, social and personal—against the tyrannical encroachments of those who in the sacred name of God and religion would destroy these liberties. .The Prohibitionists claim that theirs is a just and a righteous cause. This is, however, a fictitious claim, as will be shown, and a pbarasaical trick to catch the weak and deceive the unwary, and is as mean as it is unworthy of all honest

men and women. 'Many, indeed most, truly religious persons, and certainly all lovers of temperance—which is moderation, not total abstinence—license, not no-license—temper-’ anee, not prohibition—are opposed to compulsory tcetotalism; and it is to oppose this illiberal and tyrannical poli-tico-quasi-religious preoedure that sane men and women have banded themselves together to work strenuously for the overthrow of this ill-begotten species of terrorism. The moderate men and women, who use alcoholic beverages without abusing them, are to be degraded to the level of the weaklings who are incapable of self-con-trol. The Prohibitionists are eager for the power to compel all moderate men and women to do without wine or beer or spirits. Paul says, “Let no man judge you in meat or in drink," but the prohibition ministers —which term is synonymous with the intemperate extremist clergymen—are working upon the women and the weak of their congregations to induce them to judge their neighbours and deprive them, even of the same church, of the right to make or purchase alcoholic beverages. This is not only a violation of a Scriptural injunction, but a form of. trickery that is alike mean and despicable. It is degrading the pulpit, the ■ profession' of religion and religion itself. It is alone in his religious fervour that the “unspeakable" Turk stands among the nations as conspicuous for similar conduct.

“A WELLINGTON DIVINE." “A Wellington divine," sixteen years ago (July 12th, 1895) said that alcohol was not a poison, although there was much cheap science talked by prohibitionists on that point, "for if it' were a poison," he added, "there would be no sacrifice in abstaining from it." This same "Wellington divine” writing on October 3rd, in a letter to the "Dominion." said: “I STILL BELIEVE 'THAT NOLICENSE, EVEN IF ENTIRELY TRIUMPHANT. WILL NOT BEING IN THE MILLENNIUM, NOR EVEN FURNISH A PERMANENT SETTLEMENT OF THE LIQUOR PROBLEM." Vide “Dominion" October 6th, 1911. Of course all xirohibition ministers despair of the Gospel when it comes to temperance (?) and fall Back upon the law and the police, but “ a Wellington divine” would fain halt between two opinions.

WHAT HAS MAINE DONE? After fifty years’ experience of prohibition the honest people there have risen in their wrath and thrown the vile thing known as prohibition with all its inherent abominations virtually into the sea. Thby have cast out this evil thing from their state, while its advocates in New Zealand are working so strenuously to engraft it upon the Dominion. While prohibitionists would force their panacea, so-called, upon New Zealand, the good people of Maine have determined to institute clean, respectable license, such as as we have in New Zealand. When licensing was abolished and prohibition started in Maine, it led to “the abandonment of the business by persons who wished to stand well in the community as honest men"—Vide “Evening Post, October 7th, 1911); and—mark this —against the repeal of prohibition, the sly-grog seller, the smuggler,. the prohibition clergyman, the illicit, dishonest trader,* and all persons of that class, were found fighting hand in hand for the retensiou of the law that enabled them to carry on their nefarious , avocations. To such a deplorable condition socially, religiously, morally, politically had the State of Maine, under no-licimse and prohibition, been degraded to, that, at last, after two generations’ experience of this deep seated iniquity, honest and respectable men and women in sufficient numbers in Maine have had courage, despite their villification by prohibitionist clergymen, intriguing sly-grog sellers and others, to Vise in their righteous indignation and cast the vile thing out. Mainc.after fifty years, has determined to resort to license and re-establish the business into the hands of honest men. SAVE THE DOMINION,

. The Defence League in New Zealand honestly and sincerely desires, to save this fair Dominion from undergoing the deplorable degradation Maine has undergone in her prohibition experience; and the league feels emboldened to call upon all fair-minded, self-respecting men and women to preserve New Zealand from that domination of iniquity and tyranny that No-License and FVohibition has so long imposed, upon the now emancipated State of Maine.

Remember “a Wellington divine” says: “NO-LICENSE WILL NOT BRING IN THE MILLENNIUM,” and wo know from Maine’s experience what it does bring in. It has made a return to clean licensing in that state .possible. Why go to a worse condition? i Therefore, if-you desire to save New Zealand from the slavery of prohibition, from the iniquitous sly-grog shop prohibition breeds and fosters, you will strike out the bottom lines in your ballot papers on Election Day, and secure to this Dominion that freedom those liberties its people now enjoy. • *