PROHIBITION.-REPLY TO MR CHASWATT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11524, 9 September 1899, Page 6

PROHIBITION.-REPLY TO MR CHASWATT.

.'•'■'., '.TO THij EDITOR. •• . ->

Sibj—Whatever may be the gifts, natural or acquired; possessed by your correspondent Olias.' -Watt,':an over4o\y of courtesy towards

,those,wlio differ horn him is certainly.not among them;.' or he would not have presumed to ask .thej impertinent question: "Who on earth is, this E. S.'Mantz?" Had the writer not- admitted that -"this over-zealous champibn* of the 'publicans" hail the courage of his opinions.and .the temerity.to " stand out in, the open aiidhit fair," we might /suppose tliat he was si -mythological personage, .or, v.'orsa still,-some turbulent spirit, hurled like Milton's fallen Satan from the- empyreal heights of heaven to the earthly hell beneath .'to'throw obstacles in the way of the prohiJ:ifcionistn. Nothing of the kiiid! —the only difference-between him and them* is 'this: They profess;-but do not practice, while' he professes not, but resorts, to other more effective methods for lessening the evils of which ''.both realise the- gravity. He fights with' his I own hand, .and .accepts .the full responsibility of-his position, and while firmly devoted to ,-lhe'"temperance...causej he positively objects to the prohibitionists riding, their hobby horse at the expense of, the licensed victuallers. " E. S. M." 'only claims to be what lie is—a man who beganlife at the lowest rung of the' ladder, without; friend, patron, or interest to aid him,- and .worked his way through all stages to the top of his profession; and, after 50 years of hard, labour in connection with the political, social, and trades unions movem&i)ts of. two'*generations, he deems it fit to retire to the :' god-neglected- district of Morniiigtdn ". (start' not, reader, the phrase is Fish's), where" he modestly dwells, iike the cynic in liis: tub, smoking his pipe of con-' tertment, in--'perfect independence, undisturbed' by the reviling factions of. the world ouCsicle, and snapping his fingers with contempt at those who dare to intrude upon the ■sanctity, of jxis. domain. So far.from.having bean asieep for the last 20 years, ho has 'never slumbered except-with his weather-eye open,' and though he may now- feel the weight of age stealing- upon him—dimness of visijn, ieebleness of limb, and occasional ill-health.— hois still a living force, unimpaired in intellect, and full of hope for the'attainment of those great principles with which he identified himself in the vigour of his manhood.: He may not be able- to mount the public plit-■foim/-as it was once his wont, but he nan even yet wield.the pen, and know that he is ■thoroughly awake to every progressive work of the age, and;ever ready to take up arms whein insolent.injustice dares to. crush its victims with the' iron heel of tyranny. ' His career-began long before Chas. Watt wa's a 'suckling, imbibing the nectar of nourishment from .the,, maternal breast, and if his record falls short of the record of "C. W.," he is obntent-to take:a back seat,'and give the placi of■ .honour to his.too inquisitive friend. So nunih for personal matters, and now for a few paragraphs.relating to the subject under discussion.'/. '■:■'. ' ■ .-.'■'

. Ta,king ." C. W;!s " last sentence first, Fam curious to lervrn what is his opinion of the "real issue,"'for'if he arid his fellow, pro-

hibitionists understand • it', they'= persistently ignore it,in all their.discourses and 'writings, and seem totally unable to lead others to'comprehend it/and co^tent.tlemselyes with deal, ing with policerecords, abusing .the p,uh)icans, pitying the driinkard, and /bringing ■forth imaginary creations of the brain which really have but. a subordinate relation to ■■ the subject' of. the controversy. I .amiHot;'just '[now concerned .with the status of: the* butcher and baker—though Xam epared;-tb deal with bolh when r'the: necessity, arises. What I want at this moment is to get a'fcjthe principle of prohibition, and as these, srentlemen cannot or.will not enlighten' in, •! will display my -ignorance by: instructing, them how to word the fundamental question.yJTt' should be'thus: Does an excessive indulgence in alcoholic beverages on the part of a small fraction of the community justify the Legislature or any local authority to pass a law of total prohibition against the large majority ■who; only partake of them in moderation? •This really is the only issue we heed.touch upon, and if Gh'as. Watt will confine-him-self to this one question he will;be»obiiging outsiders and giving some-help-to the members of his own party. No doubtit is.yery ■sad to see men and women parading;the streets in an intoxicateu condition,.to behold clever writers paying their',devotions tp.vthe. shrine of Bacchus, to hear legislators denoune-' ing drink in public and winking-at'it in "their own homes, to witness the ministers of Christ, and the.attendants of churches, going to their respective places of worship, "dodging in and put the livelong day," for their small potations of the liquor they inveigh against; no doubt all tliif is very pitiful; sad, and hypocritical, and more sad to feel >as;,the bitionists sing to us in their doggrel versej:^The drunkards will never die out— :-,\'/■'•:■ ' I'll tell you the reason why: ■'•; ■■ '■ .:'. ■," The boys, the girls grow up' 4 .-'/". * "-■' _' \ !.'..' . Asfast as'old drunkards die..T . ,'\>7 If these; lines are intended to convey atruism, we might cease to advocate temperance altogether, for we are nlacedin the.midst '.of, .'a perpetual stream, which hurries^lie drunkard out of. existence' at one end: and feeds sself with fresh recruits at the other; and' "so humanity is -.doomed to : perdition "for ever. I have, however, a holier faith in the destiriy. of man. .'"I see; especially-iß:this colony,,;a vast improvement in the habits of the people. The younger. generation are more .temperate than their fathers; and as education proceeds to the very lowest strata, of society, as the demand for labour becomes more".general, and the wagtes ruled by a higher scale, we shall see virtue takjng the.place, of vice-—women/re-fining the jsassiohs of man,' and youth seeking;' its pleasure in cricket, football, >and .athletic exercises, instead of Wasting their .energies in disgusting debaucheries. I. invite' Chas. Watt's attention to. these signs, of: the; timesj and think he might direct his efforts to more profitable movements than tbat of ■ prohibi-: tion, which will end in smoke; as. it corbmehced in vapour.—l am, etc., .■ ■ ! . -~'.-., '■ E.;S..Mant2. Mornington, September 5. ■'.-_. / . :■■-■. ;