The Licensing Committee, the Licensing Bill, etc., etc.

Southland Times, Issue 19194, 4 November 1903, Page 4

The Licensing Committee, the Licensing Bill, etc., etc.

■•-. To the Editor. Sir ; 7r lh your. Satiirday's paper a lettei appears '' signed '"True Temperance."-; censuring, the- Invercargill Licensing Committee for refusing: torgrant conditional licenses for A. & P. Shows, Caledonian games, and race meetings, declaring. that this refusal "is contrary to the spirit oi the law, ■' if not the iletter, and contrary to the will of the people-" This is a pretty strong indictment, which , should not have been made except it. could be supported by strong ~ proof, of which. There is not a particle. The granting or refusing of conditional licenses is "at the discretion of licensing committees, and Buch licenses have u«.en refused by comwhen reduction ?has- not been carried. As for the will ol' the people, a presumptive opinion is put against a verified fact. "True Temperance says that If.* a- 'straight issue was put to the people asking if they were in favour of puch licenses toeing granted they would answer in the affirmative. A straight issue was put to the people when they voted on the two tickets, prohilvition or moderation, for licensing- committees, and they voted prghibition. Tliat ,. was When the question of conditional licenses was settled. The people fully understood that "if prohibition -won opportunities of obtaining liquon would be reduced to the- -utmost > extent allowed by law. And if 'the committee has gone beyond ttfe law, as "T.T." contends, then the aggrieved party have their reuiedy at law. The PiJbhibition party .is also said to be a noisy minority., Iho ballot has settled the question of numbers and it shows. "that there arc three in favour of no-license against two in favour of continuance.; Ihon lLfinds occasion of more vexation of sou) in the Prohibitionists not .accepting , the principle of "no license, no grog- as laid down in the new Licensing Bill, as. the logical outcome pi prohibition. A. great deal of argument has been expended on logical outcome in tho House, Air Seddou leading on. But we .don t lmppea to be Prohibitionists, i*pt just now! We may work up to that in the. sweet hv and- by. Our proper designation now is no-licenses. No-license is not prohibition. This is quite a new departure, initiated by the "mighty host of moderates,*' Satan, no ! Seddou, loading on And the Prohibitionists are asked to follow. Rum, isn't it ? Well, wo aro going to follow, just now. No tcrog 13 the ultimate goal of every, tr.ue prohibitionist who has studied the nature of alcohol and its ellects on men. But v*. like Mr Seddon, are bound by possibilities Mr Seddon declares himself in favour of abolishing the Legislative Council, but says the people are not ripe for the change, "We are in favour of no license, no grog, but the people are not ripe for it. - ,We are the servants of the people, the same as Mr Seddon professes to be, and logical outcome in our caafi, as in Mr Setidoh's case with the Gouncir has to yield to that which 1 is more real than logic; Mr Seddon said- he saw cunning in Mr; Massey's motion to tnu*o the Legislative Council ■elective. .. * Vtohibitionists see mueb cunning in Mr,&ep> don's ■■'.' no license, no grog ' clause. It is Satan with' -asufplicei on to the souls in prison. And what a.cwp* ningly-devisea clause is that, which gives power to the people to extend -the timo for taking licensing ■" polls from three years to six years. Thlsv change is asked for by tho moderates ; and is tatehded to give rest to them and" prevent the wicked from troubling them. The text preached from in support of this clause is "trusty the people." This tfcXt is the most important of all Mr Seddon's stdcfc texts. He has preached Sermon's without number from this text. But what a travesty on these sermonu is that other clause ro licensing committees. These are to be made nominative, and trusting, tho, people in this matter- is to'" 'Coniqi*. to • anT end. Tt Mr Seddon thinlts that the people of this colony can he deceived by such, palpable tergiversa-; tion as that, he himself; is the most selfdeceived of them. But on /the other hand reduction is to be: left out of local, options, aiwl if 'that is dpnq Prohibitionists will' not -offer themselves for licensing benches. With the power -of reduction in their hands, the people, by -their com-r mitt'ees. are reducing licenses at a rate that has'KO alarmed Mr r Seddon's moderates as to drive them to attempt this retrograde step by substituting nominative for elected committees. This is offering an old man, with his gray beard newly shaved, to tho constituencies for a lover in place of a young and vigorous man. I shall not pursue my analysis of the bill further. It has been thoroughly dissected in the House by the friends of temperance, who have shown that the intent of the bill i 9 to retard, as much as possible, nb-license— that , is the ju.-Jg-tnent of many members in \the House. No one can be in doubt about the intentions of the bill. Our member nut* tho drinte ntioettoii in a very truthful and concise forari wfcwi ho salfl ; "that it wan

a battle between the people and tho trusts (drink trusts), and no one else could settlo tho question. It Was an Impertinence on the part of members to say that the House should settle it." That is the true position. The people will never suffer Parliament to deprivo them oi their prerogative. The telnpcvance party, having in the day of small things won for the people this power, will ncvor suffer Parliament to withdraw any portion of it now in the day of their strength. Of course, Parliament is master of tho situation now, but tho power of Parliament comes to an cml ( that of tho people never. The strength of feeling which manifested itself at tho last election is still latent. The trade is keeping it so by its unwillingness, or inability, to reform itself after its profGssions to do so. And instead of the bill securing political rest, as Mr Seddon professes to think, it will bo caMis belli, followed by mor» furious war, sind " repeal and down with renegades " will bo the battle cry. "Then shall yo return and soo whom servcth temperance and whom serveth Bacchus." — 1 am. >tc, Nov. '2. T. nuXTON.