NO-LICENSE NONSENSE.

NZ Truth, Issue 104, 15 June 1907, Page 6

NO-LICENSE NONSENSE.

Slandering an Absent Man, j

Oae, at least,, of the delegates to the No-License Conference, held recently, has forgotten the rhyme he learned m the days of his kidhood— "If you your lips would keep from slips, Five things observe with, care : Of whom you speak, ; to whom you speak, 'And how,, and when, and where."' He was expatiating on the exhilarating manner m which the devil's foundations 'had been shattered m Invercargill ; or, to speak intelligibly, ho was doing a gloat over the closing of the pubs there as the result of the last poll., We refer to the concluding assembly of the convention— the social- At it a number of fanatics performed, and . one enthusiastic married couple deprived itself of a duet parodying "Where is my Wandering Boy To-night 1" It was a shocking composition, and, incidentally, shockingly sung. Two of the lines accused the said wandering boy Of . . •: "Listening to the harlot's foul song, Down m "bhe licensed house." Is. it then a matter for surprise that m a meeting such as this tire atmosphere became blue with other most offensive and uncalled-for allusions ? Mr J. S. Baxter, an^ ln vcrcargill representative, spoke thus of a respectable Duneddn citizen, the Rev. Win. Thoanacn : "I have never met Mr' Thomson, but if I did I should 'have to tell -him toe is false to his profession, to his conscience, to his Bible, and to 'his God." He could not be . much worse, if all this were true atrout him. Now, these are ittoe exact werds used by a. no-license . supporter, of Tiwercrgill. Christian, people, the prohibitionists! The Rev. Mr Thomson, as everybody knows, is employed by the; Licensed Victuallers' Association to do all he can m th!e interests of the 'hotelkeepers. _He recently paid a visit to Invercargill, and it was toe audacity he displayed by lecturing; there ■ that made Baxter wrath. Because the Rev. Thomson is not a ra-ving teetotaller, because he battles for the puhdicans, and, more especially, . because he was originally a pillar of the church, he is not now recognised 'by his good clerical comrades. No, he is a degenerate m their eyes, Tout -do they pray for him '? Tliore are no flies <• about ihc Reverend Bill, and if he were here now, there is little doubt that he would make the Baxter bloke climb down pretty slick. However, Mr Thomson is away on a holiday trip m America, and consequently Baxter and anybody else can talk' about ivim with I'ibeUous Hps without fear.. But •wait..