"NEW ZEALAND DRY"

NZ Truth, Issue 725, 10 May 1919, Page 5

"NEW ZEALAND DRY"

Canadian Carpet-Bagger's ' Forecast SIMPSON POSES AS PROHIBITION PROPHET. And is "Out m the 'Wet." "Never prophesy until you know," is a "saw" that contains the essence of mother-wit and horse-sense. It is -one to be iheard oftenest from the lips of our friends and foes alike, no matter what our opinions or professions, political, parasitical, or pharaeitical may be. Yet it is one that is more honored m the breach than m the observance. The latest illustration of this last is provided by one of our dear Canadian peripatetic spouters, who, throughout the most of last year, peregrinated God's Own pouring forth their per- i fervid periods m praise of Prohibition for the purpose or making perverts of the freedom-loving 1 New Zealanders. A few of these paid spouters for the Prohlba., taken by and large, their fanaticism apart, were comparatively respectable persona. Mora than one of them were not. At least one of them confessed privately and before witnesses to the writer of these presents that he was "m the game for what he could get out of it." He wasn't a prohibitionist himself — not even a personal abstainer. Indeed, we have occasionally very much the reverse. Jamie Simpson, with whose relations with the Labor and Socialist movement of Canada we had reason to deal extensively while he sojourned for a time here among us, however, was not a bad sort of a — prohibitionist. In examining into his industrial movement record "Truth" had some pertinent things to say to Jamie, and it said them straight and frankly, nothing extenuated nor aught set down m. malice. Jamie Simpson replied. That is, he sent m several sapient end specious screeds, which he considered such, but which "Truth" and "Truth's" readers were of opinion did more harm to his cause than if he had remained silent. Some of Jamie's versions of things that had happened m the Canadian Labor movement we found it impossible to accept as accurate; and even where the facts related squared with these as we knew them, the bias that was given them by the judicious i Jamie robbed them of their true sig- { nificance. If this was so when the Prohlb. spouter Simpson was writing or talking of events which had actually occurred, it was not to be expected that he would make any better shift when he set himself out to describe things that were yet to be consummated. When Jamie got back to that Cold Country where men are so weak that they cannot be trusted with liquor — for which they must pay before possessing — near them; he began to tell of the wonderful effect of 'his eloquence, aided by the logic of his peripatetic pals or the folks m Maoriland. Under the anticipatory headline NEW ZEALAND DRY what Mr. Simpson said on reaching Victoria, British Columbia, is given m a Canadian' exchange thus: When the referendum is taken m April, it is my conviction that Prohibition will be carried In New Zealand. "Truth" trusts the Prohibitionists of New Zealand have cabled the results of that referendum, to the sanguine Jamie. Tf so, he will not know that he is as unreliable as a prophet as he is "dicky" as an historian. Prophet Jamie has "Truth's" commiseration.