THE PROHIBITION CONTROVERSY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15301, 15 November 1911, Page 9

THE PROHIBITION CONTROVERSY.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib —I read with astonishment tho remark mado by tho Uov. T. 11. B. Wool-! loxnll, of Adbburton, at a no-liconso meeting in Duneditv, whcu.he »td: llicAshburton vote lad been partly spoiled Ihreo yoars ago by tho inclusion of Geroldine, and now another district that hid about 600 votes for no-lkxsieo to 200 for uccnso had boon takon away. This would probably further roduco tho tonjperanco vote. X wish to say that the speaker intentionally, or throusrh <>gnornnco of tho facts, misled tho Dunklin jiublic, becaurw the figures now in front of me show that tho places which have been taken away from Ashburton recorded 315 voire for restoration and 406 lor noivtcetoration. It will therefore bo scm that through tho taking away of tlicee nlaocs the no-liconso roople low onlv 91 \xjtcn. Now, Sir, Mr Woo'.losall, being tho secretary of tho Ashburton No'.iconfo Covevcil, eltould havo known perfectly well that the figures ho wm quoting were wrong. ' As a further proof of the unreliability of Mr Woolloxalls statements. 1 may refer to his assertion in Dunedin that "tho Mayor of Afhburton (Mr Davis), an exnublkan. had jivst travelled tho North island looking for n to settle in and bring up his family if nny appealed to him moto than Ashburtonj but when 1returned he stated publicly that he saw no placo ,to equal Ashbtirton, and had nvup bis mind tosottk* there." Mr Davis hffi a large family, oil married with tho exception of ono' son. That nlone will suffico to show tho length somo people will go to to iimko a good case out for themselves, but lam ewtain tho public will not tolerate such questionable ineth«li. —I am, cto., AsnnDRTOK RESIDENT. November 8, 1911. ,

Slit,—So bewildering: and conflicting are the published statements stout llio liquor traffic that 0110 is forced to the conclusion of llit* Ikroelitish monarch who raid in his htwto that all inon woro liars. In snito of my leaning towards moderation and sympathy with ovcry effort to minimise tho evil," I cannot sco how coercion is to bringabout tho deiired rwult. Tho objcct lesson provided by tho State of Mtuno is no longer capablo of boincr used as an argument in favour of prohibition. Now, if tiny mcasuro is founded on sound princ.ipkw like truth, tho Iravcii which leavoneth tho lump will grow end in tlio end prevail, 50 when any section with a fanatical zeal endeavours to coorco tlieir fellow ttion by imposing restraint on rational liberty, the unroa»M.«b*oneM of tho act will defeat itBcir—ami riprhtlv so,—wlicn they seek to restrain peopln who are capable of enjoying in a rational way tho pleasure* of "life. The continued exposure of isolated cafes of oxcoss in support of prohibition arc so pall»blv exaggerated tlrat ono is almost, forced into conflict wilh won whoso profession t>houM rnmmaml respect. I havo tried In follow Mr Adams in his reply to Dr Saltiiond, but 1 maintain that, although his lcjml reasoning may swi-m lo«rionl to thn ordinary layman, it is fouride<l on a most l*rnii'!cus aMimpticn—viz.. that it 1* ripht i>i c.nfucnte your neighbour's pro|>crty. Tliii is a violation of justice and equity, and subversive of the fundamental principles of any Onvi'rnnwht—the protection of life and property, Whon ono thinks of tho jxist historv o! the world and of tin* men who contributed to tho olotating and civilising of tho raoo, noarlv everyone of whom drank the wino which mokoth glad the Iwirt of num. it cannot bo Urged that tho us? of wire has done much to retard human prt gross, whatever may bo said against the use of spirituous liquor. The advocates of prohibition have lost siffht of tho clement of equity in their well-meaning, if ntwprnided, effort to stamp out the evil, and they would do well to consider tho equitable and logical opinoin of Mr Joseph Chamberlain, who says: "I think that, when a man ha* sunk his saving* in a publichcmfo, recognising that it is not nn unlawful trade, if that house i< closed [or no irisconduot on tho purt of tho man. but timply on tho ground that it ia not

supposed to I>© require*}, that man is on* titled to compensation." So thought 80 per ccnt. of tho members of tho > British House of Commons whon tho Lioenaing Hill wm before it a few years ago.—l am, cto., G. C. C.

Slit,—l have not troubled jeni before on tho above question, but would now oravo | space for short replica to somo of the numerous points that havo been raised by I Dr Salmond. First, as to tho need for temptation in order to stimulate and dorolop a healthy and robust manhood: I am now considerably over throo woro years, andhavo mot and conversed with men of various kinds and crcods and liavo touched upon tliat inner warfaro which every right-minded man is waring fiercely (though often secretly and silently) against moral evil, and L havo not yet met with one mm who complained that his temptations to ovil woro fower and feobler than ho desired. Has Dr Salmond over met any man or woman bewailing tho lack of temptation! Most men who desire to lead a noble and pure life find that tboy uiually havo as much as thoy can bottle agairat. Dr Salmond may be assured that while wo aro in a world with sin around us, and while wo carry about a world of sin within us, wo shall iwvor require to mourn the lack of temptation. Bui is ha quito sinouro when ho prrochw this doctrino? Would h« put it into practico? Aiouming ho had a young son about to feUlo in a strango city far from iioiflo and homo inductions, would ho rook out low quarters with a low moral environment for his boy to s&ttlo in, or would ho seek to placo him under tho very best and purest moral influences ho could nnd ? There is but ono answer to this question. Dr Salmond knows it,, and so does ovcry cloccnt and worthy fatnor in tho Dominion. If wo pray, " Lord, lead us not into temptation, but deliver Us from evil," can wo consistently, with that prayer upon our lips, placo boforo our fellowmcn ono of tno most subtlo, most powerful, and most _ wicked sourewt of temptatiou to bo met with in tho world —civilisod or heathen/

Secondly: Dr Salmond would fain havo US boliovo that tho craving for alcohol is as natural to mankind as hunger or thirst. Bui this is ontirely at varianco with truth; for thoio are millions of num. womon, and children in tlw world who havo novor tasted spirituous liquors and havo no dosiro to do so.

Thirdly: "Prohibition doos not and will not prohibit," Docs Dr Salmond know of anv law which doos prohibit! There i« a law against sly grog-selling. Doos that prohibit? Kvory conviction obtained against tho law shows that it does not. Tho snmo applies to other laws. Thcro is a law under which a milkman is punished for putting evon dean water into tho inilk ho sells to tho public. Would Dr Salmond abrogate these and similar enactments and complacently drink his watered milk and "sigh and look up to heaven" trusting to tho power of "moral reason" (o produce hon«t milkmen,' if not in our generation, perhaps in tho noxt or somo moro distant one?

Fourthly :Dr Salmond sot-mi very angry, that tho no-lioonso advocates should show such bittor hostility to tho iiso of wine, and should "go ou constantly affirming that tho ivino is uccursod "-though 1 have ncvor heard this said. Ia this a fair way to put tho c<«o? • Docs Dr Salmond really beliovo that, if no intoxicants • but gpod puro wino wcro sold and tho conviction.', fox drunkennoss wcro reduced to' about a dozen, eay, in a town liko Duncdin, for 12 months, that prohibitionists would anywhere carry no-licenso in a thousand ycaw? > Docs not ho liimcolf onumerato tho different kinds of liquor, with their deadly adulterations, which causo tho ruin, misery, and moral degradation to be seen on ovory hand wherovor the per-, nicious stuff is sold? To eolecf wino m tho target at which' tho no-liconso people aro aiming is about as fair as it would'bo to select half a dozen sound bananas from 20 oondomnod ctnos and exhibit them as proof of the inspector's unfair and arbitrary method or discharging his duty. Fifthly: Dr Salmond would minimis® iho crimo attributed to_ tho drink habit by referring to tho criminal condition of countries wlioso i pcoplo ito tempo rate; and ho cites Spain as an instanop. Ho is better nblo than I tun to givo rcaeoja for tho ignorahoo and inunorality prevailing in tnat country. Crime in a comparatively fobor country docs not annul tho fact that drink is tho cawso of nwut of ti» crimes and moral ruin in intemperate communities. Dr Sablond no doubt reads tho daily papers. That bsing so, ho will bo ablo to find in vour iauo of yesterday nnd to-day a record of some happenings illustrating tho benefits of alcohol, which may stimulate him ■ to further and more strenuous efforts to frustrate tho purposes of tlioco misguided fanatics who wisn to stop tho ealo of intoxicating liquors.—l am, etc., A.

Sin,—l liavo been perusing with intenso interest tho latest production of that veteran soientut, Dr Alfrwl Russell Wallace. "Tho Workl of Life." Chapter XVI of this marvellous work is devoted to n consider-' lion of the vegetable kingdom in ita spccinl relation to man, from which tho followin'f aro two short extracts:—"But, even with the wholo vegctablo world in its outward ospeet and mcclmuicul properties exactly as it is now, there are still a thousand ways in which it ministoiß to tho needs of our over-growing civilisation, which havo littlo or no relation to tho animal world which grew up in dcpendonco on it : . . Of foods and,' drinks not teed by. tho lower animals, fie arrowroot, tapioca,sago, sugar, wino, beer, tea, ccffco, and cocoa, tho last sixi when used in moderation, boinpr among; 1 tho choicest gito of nature." My object in writing is to point .out that among these "choicest ({ills of nature" tho illustrious author, with tho cxpcrienco of a lifetime of over 80 years, includes wino and beer. What then would ho think of a country which deliberately proposes to jirohibit tho consumption within its borders of thuo two ehoioest gifts of nature boeauro, forsooth, they happen to. be not used in moderation by a fow weaklings ami degenerates!—l am, etc., November 9. Mohebatr.

Sre,—l am sorry that your correspondent Truo Bluo is under tho impression that I am sailing under false colours. Allow me to inform him that I am not awaro of having used any of the liquor stock phrases, neither havo I uwd "faked" principles or propositions. I am not tho only ono advocating prohibition who knows perfectly weJI that thoro will lie a loss of revenuo if prohibition is carried. And in order to make tho .loss good for tho timo being I suggostcd a duty of Is per lh nn tea and an extra 6d on tobacco. A shilling per pound is neithor hero nor thoro; quito possibly less might <k>. I muoh profor to seo Is per lb on tea than 14s per gallon thrown awav on whisky. Thoro is no necessity for mo to send my namo to tho Temperance Reform Council, as I am well enough known to somo of its members.—l am. etc.. Natiosm. rnomnrnox No. 2. November 8. [Tho comspondenco on tho subject discuesod in tho abovo letter is closed.— Eii. O.D.T.]

Sin,—ln yesterday's paper tbcro worn three dreadful drink tragedies, and in cach instanco innocent parties mtfTorcd through lite drinking of tho guilty parties. These throo tragedies prove that it is not truo to sav "If you loaw tho drinlt alono it will leave you nlono." The fact that all thwo tragedies ore chronicled in ono day'j iesuo of your paper will surely cause many to think seriously whether we nro not in duty bound to destroy tho drink traffic, however pleasant drink may bo to some.—l am, etc., Logic.

Sir,—l nm not a constant reader of your 1 prohibition correspondcnoc, as after 17 j years' very intimate acquaintanco with it j in all its plwsts I can easily too that thn testirnoniaU of the whole lot are exactly of the same value os those attaohed to any other muck medicino. Prohibition would no doubt bo all very well if it opvratod aicordm? to specification. I am afraid,; howovcr. that I cannot give it a certificate.! Ono patient tries it and is cured, or thinks ho is cured, which may not be tho euno , thing. Half a <tozw» or moro otheis pro-; fessing the siny> symptoms nr<- en- ' couraged to try the remedy, and bcconio wo mo, or pornaps died. I am not concerned to say what is wrong with tho prescription, nor ovon to provo that it is a dangerous thing, but morcly to offer an illustration, in a small way, it is true, but sufficiVntly obvious to in-duco reasonable peonlo to pause and ask themselves, Con this bo an effect? Prom the beginning and up to now we haivo Juu? it dintied iirto our ears, in &ewon and out of season, that ono ofTect of prohibition, or even no-liccmo, is inorcosod trade and general prosperity in at least a reasonably isbort time. At iflvo time of tho carrying of no-lieenso in Clutha I had n visiting acquaintance wilh Koltn. « srrsjj hamlet of about 150 inhabitants in that electorate. Its position in n. large, flourishing, and progressive distrjkt wai Very central, and most proplo then considered it hod something of a future. It contained two go«l hoto!s._ a canning factory, tiro | blacksmiths' business], a general storo'

(if not two), a timber yard, ft branch bink with weekly attendance, a railway station and pcet off**, and several minor businesses,' and poriodicel elook sales wero held thcru which wore woll nttcwfd. Its buildings wore fair to modium, and ill inhabitant* seamed fairly prosperous, and its business n*n Mccodingly botinccsblo., At tho surra tirno I hod a aimilar ooquaintanoo with Heriot, another soiall horalet, about four miles distent. It had by no tnoam tho mtno advantages of position' as Kolbo ptaxsrcd, and its inhabitant* would probably number about 75, or btrely that j and u to future prospccta, they were at moat only "middling." It poaxssod a railway station, an hotel, on auctioooor'e business, a blacfamith's ehop, a gwwmJ store, and perhaps oaa at two smaller concerns, and, whilo theso may havo bean doing a fair business, «p]xnrooccs did not show anything very poriioulw. In fact, tako away tbo station and tho hotel, and a stronger stumbling upon it at niffht might havo been excused from doubting it a. ccntro of population osUtod thono at all. Nor were its inhabitants unduly • boastful as to tho attractions of thoir town. i

No liccnse Btruok both' pkccs and they visibly wilted, though doubtUso thorn \vero prosperity oertifioatJa from some of thoir inhabitanta: I have known pooplo in otlwr plsocs give thorn on tho eve of avnkruntcy, Other entirely different circam»taticro navo einco oventuatod for tboir betkemwnt, though on tho wholo Kcbo hae had the best of tho deal in this respect.' Thre<» yoat* laier Heriot wu rotnoved from Clutha, and by somo moons its hotel rooovorcd its ltoecso. Kelso also was cut out later, but for most practiool purposes it is still no-lioense. Tho history o£ Kelso since then Haa bocn thai if * buQdmg vu <I^stroyed it was goncrally not rr«torod at all or waa replaood by ono of leas valun Ono or two new buildings' hare oortwinlr beer, orcotcd Its population ii ; certainly loss, if anything. A largo firm of stock tuu) station Rgalts has cstabliahed a branch and tho outsico fanners aro holding & show, thoro for tho first time. A carpenter haa replaced the leading blacksmith, and & butchor has fitartod businos. Outwdo of tliis tlx* station, pest olTioe, and lank ara just as they wcro, but tho poriodioal stock wlci aro either stopped altogether or aro held at Tory imocrtain intorvab. Its peoplo seem to Imvo lost tho push and publio spirit which they 0000 pess<«acd All thi» in faco of an incrcoawl oubtido population. As .to Heriot, ita population tnuit at least now equal that of Kelso. Its railway station, po*t office Itotcl, ccnorol stow, and blacksmith's shop aro all there, much as thoy were. Its auctioneer's business, formerly carricd on in a »«)dcn building, is now conduoted in a large brick one "which might suit a Dunedin business of the same olats. There aire a resident lawyer and doctor, two bttohch ' bonks weekly, - and thoro are monthly or fortnightly stock mlc» fairly attended. There is a brick church (whiles thoro is not a brick building in Kelso), several ■ other small bosincsses havo beon opened, kit oral private rcsidenoes havo been built above the'averago of thoso in ooiiutry townships of morri prqtensions,' and its pooplo arc enterprising and go-ahead. There is no danger now of pominj through' Heriot in the dark wthout noticing it. In fact, Kelso and lioriot seora to hate "swapped" places ,and Ilwiot has got tonathlng to bootsall. this in spite of the fact that all the points which on export in such mattew • into consideration in gauging the possible prosperity of a town are ia favour ■ of Koto and a gust Heriot. I havo no axe to grind, and care not Sing which pldco U tho moro eucceaful. i&t hav© I tho alifftitcst interest in ono or the man or inhabitant of cither, but I did think there might bo something in tho claim that no-lkcSao S Md the restoration of » Heriot was too good ah opporturnty for an object-lesjon to forgo. The above, after 14 years' obserraUon, is! the T ' 1 i formo< ' froD > ' (acts the main i«uo of, tho gonoral nrosneritT SUt «. Va a 6DWnl tTO Pl^oTS • Sinifm C " n W bui the one

I do iwt assort. .ifiafc i>o-!ieonv» i* *>»« ,£[. 'H bw&wtrdroa of Kelso aw. 'v®* ■' a impoejiblo to be proep«ous °"w <h»n under ficense. Th^thffiS ' Cii'nu.

"rnO,^ uoka «i? wver die out. ' I U toll you the rcwon why, ' J and . eifla grow Up .. ' As fast m tho old drunkard* dio." g^Ais^siA'si bcitovCKl and .practUKd. what oaon uouS ooiisnH>f true tpiiipor«nce—to toJte a littla whonoret-ha detirwl it. On doSfo, daVffi' "the' trado" With hi?voU iMnc ° U,cn 8 "C" rolativd !Lu ' W J '° SfMt a foiidwM lor Wcohol, Urn good creuturo of God. that froqucutly ha has been in a Ccnlorablo and oxponav* /joudnion, to much iHha? our temperance friend approached the writer tor sympathy ami oo W ,«i. # ymi»uiy he ifot Irpm him . wu»- this:-" hir.-For y«ara JwJwro iKWwI as a tnw temperance wUJh and °u. " n t L *sur5 ur "fluence wont with | and lor tho trade.' On election day )<mr votei was oounted with tbeiri for Si"'tiTwJS*,!!/ 0 ? TOtd m wcllkno(v wnat that wcttl rnoant; you knew that if Uu» trado wis to fcontinue It must uavo oustomere: that as /oat as tho old drunkard* i .T v , tu ? loa ) 0 " r -iomobodi , » goßßrll,c,r »>t Jou%r U tho trade, to continue, muit havo toys, l. should have yours rothM than tho boys of thoao who havo worked and voted for no-lioow. You who to often havo given your influeiaw and vote for continuance, now take tho results. More innooont than jou havo bod to 6u(I«r" The awful drink tragedy on our south lino lias caused wo to writ© tho aboro. In conclusion, allow nw hero to atato that those who last election voted oohtiouaoco havo received full hoaping moasure from "tho trade." The? havo got what they voted for. Are tho electors again going to ; vote oontinmuiool lkvc they no ha.ft f<j r th„ boys and girla who arc growing up, that they will not place fowor temptations in their way than wo iiava had?—l am, etc.,' I'ahskt.

Sin,—l read an tho Daily Times of the 9th inat. tho olßcinl reply to Dr Salmond bv the United Temporanco Reform Cqunoil, and I must confess that when 1 ■ laid down tJio impor 1 ccmldn't roprcw tho rorrark, " Wnat inMiffcfablo vanity th«o t»> licenso people ponces 1"

Among other thing's, tho council dccUrcs that Dr Salmond baa novcr yet publisliod an article which lias not botrayed "a tendency to eiaftgerato or misstate facts," and that this is " arking- from an ainaiing and unphilowphic contempt for aoeuracy. Why, Uieir own headlines contain qreat misstatements! Ttoy say thrir artioo is a "reply to Dr Salmond." Dr Salmond did not address them. In fact he has b).tcrly wounded their prido by completely ignoring them. Sinco whon has an enfort'od totnporanoo bccomo a true ternjerancc, and who ever board of prohibitive moaAures giving rational liberty? Again, they claim ihat no-lioense is on clTootiro law. That has never been proved conclusively yet. What I want to omphasiaa is ihat the council, by it# methods of attack and retort, fails to too that abuse is no argument, and, above all, tiiat it (should itnve not to mako misstatements whilo condraming others for tlte same fault.—l am, etc., Anti-Prohibition Thttotaueb. Dunodin, November 10.