TEMPERANCE ADDRESS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2304, 28 April 1898, Page 11

TEMPERANCE ADDRESS.

Mr J. Vale, secretary to the Victorian Alliance, gave his fioal address in the City HaII oa the 20th. Mr Frank Graham presided, and there were also on the platform Mtssrs Vale, A. S. Adams, and the R?v. J. M. Frater. The CHAJiwtAN regretted the siaallns&s of the afcfcendat.ee, and stated that en tb.tt.fc account ifc was not; to be inferred that, the cause of temperance v.as larg-iishiug,—(A Voice: '"It looks like ifc.") "Not a bit of it," replied Mr ' Graham ; " lh*>. prohibition spirit wiii never die till the liquor trade dies." Mr Vale's subjoab was " The Triumphs of Prohibition." "The speaker .-fcvted fcbat he was not; disocursged by tae smalluess of the attendance. Ha w&3 the secretary and organiser and therefore was accustomed fco ma»v tips and downs. After referring to the results of prohibition and partial prohibition iv Maine, Miidura, and districts in the old country, he spoke of the Cliuba district. He s.ud that the repoifc of Me Hawkins was being "run'" for ss.ll ifc was worth, and a great deal more than it was worth — (applause),—all ivat ihe world. When ho was at Topanni a resident who had been an active i anti-prohibitionist came 'over to his house I bailing with indignation. Ha h*id received a copy cf the St. James's Gazette containing a summary of Me Hawkins's report, and be was boiling with indignation ali the libel sgainst his districb which had been scattered all over the world. Tha impression prevailing in Australia and Great Britain now seemed to be that the inhabitants cf the Olutha district civictfd their tima pretty equally bifc^een drunkenness and comrmrfcirjg pfcij'iry. The St. James'a Gazette article was to ike ifftcb that a sasall minoiiby of piohibitionitts caught; the majority of auti-prohibifcionisfca napping, ond carried tha day. Ths majority had since awakened and repealed ihe vote, -with the result that ail the hotels were again thrown CpeD. —(Laugbter.) Bit a lurid light was thrown on prohibition during its short_ term by Mr Hawkius, tb.9 police magistral for the diitsicfc. aid so on. The report sounded the death knell of prohibition in New Zealand.— (Laughter.) Now, he was not going to question tbe honesty of Mr Hawkins, bub he said that undoubtedly Mr Hawkins was biasaer l, ar-d bis bias was so big that he (th^ speaker) could see it looming up acrosi ihe «ea when he was in Melb^u^ne. He was undoubtedly biassed. He held t&e no-ljcense L*-w in contempt. There was no occasion to question 53r Hawkins's honesty, bufc the apeaker was led to point oufc that even honest observers frequent Jy marie fafcd msslakxa in {leneralising from inssifficient; d-ita. Lord Heath travulled through the colonies, and subsequently wrote that; he hid never during his tour he&rd a word spoken in defeace of manhood suffrage. A party of ladies once wenfc picnicking in Australia. Ihey tck with them articles of attire generally reetrie'ed to the male 8f cfcion of the race. A photograph was taken of Uiem sitting , astride a fence, one pmoking » cigarette and another holding cu l; her hand for a match. ! Ths London Slrtfccli reproduced the photograph ! vfifch the explanatory note " How they picnic I in Victoria." —(Laughter.) And ia like manner, ! the speaker added, Mr Hawkins professed to i speak on behalf of the people of the Clufcha. Ha (the speaker) found people indignant that Mr Ila-v&kina professed fco know what they did in ' their homes. Aaofcher pi iufc was what Mr ' Adims had impressed upon them, and ifc was fchab the people of the Clutha had not enjoyed [ absolute prohibition. Whan by a three-fourths '. majority thry voted for "_no license" they meant "no license." — (Applause.) They wanted fcho wholesale purveying o? liquor fco ha slopped, and Mr Hawkins, in »pite v of the opposition of, the Licensing Comnrlfctee, exercised hi. 1? power as 'chairman j;nd - granted three license?. The Clutha people tested the .matter before ihe judge, who decided against tbe wholesale Pcense, but the Fall Court, to whom the j matter was brought, sustained the issue of the Hsemes. Then Mr Hawkins sent to the Govern- ' meat s», report ia which he sftid thab prohibi1 Uon did nob ke?p liquor out of the dibtrie*;. ! Me Hawkins knocked three big holes iv the pro- ! hibition fence, aud then said that the fence did not keep tha liqaor oufc. —(Applause.) This was possible in a democracy. Ab the present time only one of the wholesale licenses remained. The speaker then quoted Ihe figures placed before the Police Commission to prove that crime was less during the bo license period than during the license period, and that business was more prosperous, and added that if these good results could be obtained by partial prohibition, still better results would bs obtained under absolute prohibition. On the mouon of Mr Adams, seconded by the ' Rsv. Ms: Histon, the following resolution was passed: —''That this meet-j ing utters its emphatic protest against the effort 3of tbe Auckland liquor ring to legalise its deadly traffic in the King Country, j and expresses its regret that any member of the Home of .Representatives should so far degrade hi 9 posibion as to aid in the attempt." The meeting closed with the benediction.

Advice to SI others ! —Are you broken, in your ! l'kst by a sick child suffering with the pain of cut- ] ting teeth ? Go at once to a chemist and get a bottle of Mrs "VYinslow's Soothing Syiiup. Ib will relieve the poor sufferer immediately. It ia perfectly harmless, and pleasant to the taste ; it produces natural q\iiet sleep by relieving the child from pain, and the little cherub awakes "as bright as a button." It soothes the child, ifc softens the gums, allays all pain, relieves wind, regulates the bowels, and i« the best known l remedy for dysentery iinddiarihe;** whether aris- j | ing from teething or other causes Mi n Winslow's I t soothing Syrup is 3old by medicine dealors ovory I where at Is lid ncr bottle.—r^nvT.]