PROHIBITION CAMPAIGN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18674, 2 October 1922, Page 7

PROHIBITION CAMPAIGN

MU ‘‘PUSSYFOOT” JOHNSON IN DUNK DIN. BIG MEETING AT ST. KIT,DA. THE STORY OF AMERICA. The Si. Kilda Town Hall was more than fillfil on Saturday night lo greet Mr W. E. (“I’lissyfooi”! -' 11 ■ ■ i; c* o 11 nnil hoar the first, of hi-- at’ilrfsso-. lo Dunedin audiences. Jmlfoil, on his arrival a lively altercation was taking place at the door with regard to the admittance of an individual who insisted on his right lo he present, whether there, was room or not, apparently on the ground that he was a ratepayer of the borough. Between his noise, insistence, and modern Homan citizenship ho got his way in the end, and the applause that had greeted the passage of “Pussyfoot” down the hall, and again as he appeared before the audience, broke onl once more when the barrier arms at the door were taken down and several additional people got in. tlio chairman. Mr D. ('. Cameron, proclaiming that there was still room—for about 20 more on the platform. A glance at the company assembled (here, however, revealed a strung contingent of the Salvation Army and many other persons closely connected with religious and social work organisations. It. was obvious that (hey were not merely disinterested listeners. 'l.hoy constituted an eloquent declaration that “liquor must go,” and such a public and dolinite avowal seemed to be too much for any of the late-comers. 1 lie chairman's invitation was not heedrd. Mr Cameron introduced Mr Johnson in a short, terse, and adequate speech. He began bv apologising for t lie absence of the Mavor of Ft. Kilda (Mr .1. W. Dove). It was'owing to (his that lie had himself the .privilege of presiding. Mr Cameron was having 'difficulty in making himself hoard, owinff to iho. noiso nl the dooi’, but in a, few minutes matters were, set right, and the laughing words came down the hall, “Box on, box on.” Coni inning, the Chairman said that all sorts of stories were being promulgated about prohibition in America, and the people of New Zealand were anxious' to know the real facts. They were to bo congratulated on having in Now Zealand at the present time the speaker for the. evening. Mr Johnson had taken a vrry_ prominent part in the carrying of prohibition in America, and would, lie was sure, bo accorded an attentive, courteous, and fair hearing. At (ho conclusion of his address lie would bo only too pleased to answer questions. Mr Johnson rose to another great outburst of applause, but it. became obvious that, at tno back of the ball there was a little coterie determined to keep up an obstructive demonslralion. Mr Johnson began by telling his audience that it was best, to get acquainted right away. He explained that lie was in New Zealand at tlio invitation 'of the xew Zealand 'Alliance to 'toll the people, p: New Zealand what had been done in America, regarding the liquor traffic. He had not come to intertore in Now ZcuUnul jifTfiirs. Whnl. Ibo people ot New Zealand did about: prohibition was their own affair, not his. He wanted simply to tell of what had been none ill America, and something of the results trom what, had been done. Ho would t.o most pleased afterwards to answer such questions as ho could, but, ho warned the audience that he did not know everything How--over, they were welcome lo ail l.uat was iu his head--wheels and everything eke, added Mr Johnson. _ , The ringleader of (lie noise at (no hack voiced lor the first time the burden Iris complaint throughout the meeting, “What did America do in the Great Mar.' His grievance seemed to lie that it, was presumpfion and an insult for any “Yank”’to come and 101 l a Now Zealander anything about anything, and most of all what he ought to do. For a moment lie made it impossible for Mr Johnson to proceed, causing the hitter to retort again and again, “That is not British.” He appealed for that British fairplay that, every Britisher boasted. Over and over again throughout the meeting Mr Johnson was interrupted, and several time? he made an appeal to the chairman. In the end the chairman announced the individual by name, and by name requested (lie constable on duty to remove him. Calls from the platform and audience alike had hitherto been disregarded by the officer, but now hurried ‘counsels at the back resulted in a compromise, an unqualified apology being offered. The man was allowed to remain, everyone applauding. But this liapny state was not reached till some uncomplimentary remarks had been exchanged freely, Mr Johnson characterising his interrupters l as “ejects from tlio pothouse.” Ho taunted them that, the house that, spewed them out would not. have them back. If (heir money were not all gone it would not “have kicked them out.” At the time ho happened to bo dealing with some of the worst features of the old liquor traffic in America. It is perhaps a. weakness of Mr Johnson that fighting phrases from stonier days stick to him still. It is hardly in Dunedin that “pothouses” are guilty of spewing men forth fit 3 o’clock in the evening to disturb meetings. Possibly “Pussyfoot” felt that tho taunt of liquor was less obnoxious personally and more effective practically than a forcing home of the real truth, the lack of intelligence displayed by, tlio unruly ones. From sober heads it was poor stuff. Mr Johnson traversed the story of America’s long attempt, in common with every other civilised country to legislate for (he liquor traffic through a system of licensing laws, which met with nothing but failure. It had proved impossible, and all that had happened was that the people of America, finding this so, had gone further than (he people of England and of Europe, and had prohibited the sale of drink altogether. Tho law did not prohibit drinking. All that had been done was to prohibit tile sale of drink, the only exceptions being in the case of wine for sacrum cut purposes and of alcohol for medical purposes. In (he case of medicine, however, ot tho 152,000 practitioners in America 80 per cent, had long since found out that, that sort of medicine was not satisfactory, and did not prescribe if, and in regard to the Sacrament, nearly all the churches used unformented wine. When prohibition in America came into effect the law permitted (ho retention of supplies of liquor in possession. All that it: did was to prohibit (he sale of liquor or tho removal of liquor. Stocks of liquor existed in collars throughout Iho country, and before the measure became effective supplies in many instances were laid in. So long as these supplies were unexhausted there would he a eorfain amount, of drinking. The amount., however, was already,a mere bagatelle. In the old days liquor went out from tho distilleries by tho train load every day. Tlio supply to-day was only a. matter of some “bootlegger” with two or three bottles up his coat running up an alley. Even after tho liquor supplies were exhausted there would 1m a. certain amount of drunkenness. No law had over yet boon enacted in any country that had 103 per cent, effectiveness. While (hat, was true it was also true that the American prohibition laws, after three years, were enforced far bettor than Iho American licensing laws ever had been, after 100 years of effort. 'Hie violation of law was universal the world over. England had laws against stealing, yet when he visited England ho bad not been there three months before somebody .stole Ids watch. —(Laughter.) All the Jaws in America were violated as elsewhere. The prohibition law was violated, but no more violated than the rest. He could count on the lingers of one hand the number of law-making bodies in (lie world that wore not grappling with tho liquor question. Every nation was. grappling with it, and all seeking'' the remedy through curtailments and restrictions. Not a single country was seeking to encourage 1 ho traffic as a legitimate business. America had merely carried the matter to its logical conclusion. Simply by prohibiting the business altogether she had salved the problem. Air Johnson compared all the attempts lo deal with the. liquor traffic prior to its prohibition to the pulling of drowning men out of a river, while further up stream people were engaged throwing fresh men in, Tlio effective remedy was to go along the bank higher up and put a slop to the thing. 1 A great part of (he address was devoted to statistics showing (hat, prohibition was effective, not, merely ns regarded drunkenness, but as regarded crime generally, Mr Johnson first ot all .-hawed Unit, it was the people of America, and the people alono, that jiad brought prohibition into effect, ’lbey bad elected legislatures tor that express purpose. The Act required to be ratified by three-fourths of nil the legislatures of (he States. 'Hint meant electing 36 legislatures that, would vote for the ratification. As a mailer of fact 45 wem relumed pledged to do so. —(Great applause.) There had been misgivings with regard to revenue, but, the event showed' that there had been no real ground for concern, Tim drink traffic proved never to have paid its way. Tim loss of revenue was actually more than compensated by the gain from properly taxation, Inltead of going into the public houses (ho wages of workers all over tho country went into homes, and from the increased property tax canto an increased revenue. The pub-

lie expenditure foil away, Hundreds of gaols had bean dosed throughout ihe country. There had boon no occasion to reduce taxation, as it. was no particular burden on the people, and the surpluses were being used in the erection of Stale enpitols, public schools, ami other buildings. The closed breweries in almost every instance were to-day housin'* businesses out of all proportion lo those they were originally built, for. Me quoted specific instances. In one case a distillery had hern converted into a packing house (freezing works), and was employing twice as many hands and paying, hotter wages. In his own Stale of Ohio an old brewery now housed the largest clothing factory in the world, employing 20 tunes as many hands as before, and paying bigger wages. The same applied to the drink shops. A tour of New York lift'd revealed that not a. single drink-shop was unoccupied. In the days prior to prohibition, in (he liquor area of New York, thousands of little “kiddies” wore herded in (he sweet, shops because their fathers squandered the weekly pay envelopes in (lie saloons. With the traffic gone the money had come into the 7 homes. The children had been lo school, and the schools had proved unable to accommodate • them, '.the city took over a number of the old drink shops, turned thorn into schools, and to-day (hoy accommodated hundreds of those children to whom formerly they brought nothing but misery and wretchedness.— (Great applause.) The Chairman invited questions, but these resulted in an altercation with one man at the hack of the hall, with little profit to anybody. The Chairman then called upon the Rev. 11. 1,. Richards' to move a vote of thanks lo Mr Johnson, which he did. The motion was seconded by the Rev. R. W. Hall, and carried; an irrelevant amendment regarding importations from America being ignored by (ho chairman. Mr. Johnson addressed three meetings yesterday, that in the evening being held in His Majesty's Theatre.