THE PROHIBITION ISSUE

Otago Witness, Issue 3756, 9 March 1926, Page 10

THE PROHIBITION ISSUE

A METHODIST’S VIEWS. HON. L. M. ISITT HITS OUT. A deputation from the New Zealand Alliance on Wednesday waited on the Methodist Conference. Miss Powell, representing the W.C.T.U. an 1 Mr C. R. Edmond, who has recently been appointed successor to the late Rev. John Dawson as secretary of the Alliance, delivered addresses. Mr Charles Todd (local president) also spoke to the members of the conference. Mr Edmond said that the New Zealand Alliance had just passed through a strenuous period, and at present was busy taking stock. The policy of the Alliance was now the education of the people, and they had three years in which to carry this out. He pointed out that with the votes of immigrants and those coming of age in the next three years there would be an increase in the number of constituents of over 80,000, and it was by means of an educative policy that the alliance hoped to attain the objective which had been its goal for many years. He stated that the Methodist Church was one of the firmest supporters of the alliance, and he urged the conference to continue w'ith the good w r ork until the goal was reached. Mr Todd congratulated the Methodist Church on the work it had already done Many of the members* of the Methodis* ministry, he said, were more than helpers only—they were leaders of the movement He said that they would have to spend a lot of money to win, but if all the churches would rally to the cause as the Methodist Church had done there should be little anxiety as to the resnlt. The Hoo L M. Isitt. in affirming the Conference’s hearty support of the prohibition movement, said ihat the Methodist Church had always had men in the front rank of temperance reformers. Mention had been made of some of the early workers, but they must not. forget the late Mr J. W. Jago, who long ago raised the banner of temperance in Dunedin. He said it was unfortunate that people had to rely’ on the newspapers for information concerning prohibition. “You talk about the high honour and position of the New Zealand press, well, not long ago, a leading editor said to me, •To-day journalism is dead. We have to write as the advertisers dictate.’ The pros, is tied hand and foot to the advertisers, yet a lot of people still take their opinions from the papers ” . In trying to do away with the drink traffic, he said, they were trying to wrest away the very powers of. hell. This was not a time for compromise. They must go right through with it The medical Fraternity was wholly behind them now, though that was not the case 50 years ago. “There are a few half-baked clerics who have sot at the feet of Mr Armstrong, who is really the mouthpiece of the liquor party. It. is hardly possible to conceive a more degrading picture than a leader of tho Church sitting at the feet of that man and taking instruction from him.” Mr Isitt declared finally that they could win the next poll if they did their duty.