NO-LIGENSE CAMPAIGN.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13794, 28 October 1908, Page 7

NO-LIGENSE CAMPAIGN.

his "avocation" on .Sundays. He took exception to one thing in that leter. The writer had said that his avocation was abusing the trade. The lady who wrote the letter appeared to be unable to distinguish between fair, honest. i legitimate argument and abuse. He emphasised that the No-License Party's attack on the trade was sound argument against a system, not against individuals. Briefly, the No-License Party said that the license system meant sanction, and that was not the right attitude for the State to adopt toward the fell cause ot most of its woes. Suppression, uot sanction, was the right attitude to adopt. By the State, of course, he meant the people of the State. He quoted the evidence of an ex-publican who had spoken of scores ot scenes caused by drink. The speaker was convinced that there were scores of men in the liquor trade who were far too good for the traffic in which they were engaged. The greatest satire Mr Bruntnell iiad ever seen on the trade by the trade was an advertisement for a barman that he saw in Sydney. At the end of this advertisement were the words "must be a total abstainer." So that the very thing the man was engaged to dispense he was himself to refrain from. Who ever heard of a barber's assistant being debarred from shaves, or a bootmaker's assistant from boots? Was there ever a greater satire? The people were face to face with a gigantic national evil, economic, moral, and physical, and it was right to face it fairly and squarely. Was it not more right to spend money in ways that would lead to the general prosper it j- of the people than in ways that would lead to the aggrandisement of the few '? The speaker quoted the expenditure of a particular man before and after he had signed the pleage, showing clearly that the signing of- the pledge had led to the establishment of a far happier and brighter home. Mr Bruntnell quoted numerous statistics showing the demoralising effects of drink, and its economic danger to the community. It seemed to him that the working section of the community, when it came to see the evils of the drink traffic, would feel sorry that it had not helped the No-License Party to knock down the traffic years ago. Some people had the idea' that the evil was in the manner of dispensing the drink, rather than in the drink itself. But so long as the nature of alcohol remained what it was the evil would remain. Mr Bruntnell referred to the failure of the '•refortned" publichouse scheme of Bishop Potter, of New York. It was the evil of alcohol itself that the NoLicense Party was fighting, at least so far as beverage consumption was concerned. The lecturer quoted statements on the moral effects of liquor by Lord Wolseley, Abraham Lincoln, Lord Coleridge, John Burns, Sir Frederick Treves, Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, Cardinal Manning, General Booth, and Dr. Parker, and challenged, the Liquor Party to produce in suppbrt of alcohol a %t of . names, as prominent. It was, he;na'd shown," not a matter of personal statements of, his own. Various people had different rdeas of combating the liquor evil. Some believed in moral suasion, others in legislation. Why should not these people be united ? In proportion as we removed terntation from the path of life we gaye 1 the elder people a chance of resisting temptation and the younger people of avoidng it. Although the speaker sawno sound reason why tho Government should not give the No-License Party Dominion option a^.well as local option yet local option was a fair method. He instanced the election of members of Parliament by districts. If it was fair that Parliament should be elected on the electoral district system it was fair that local" option should > exist. He pointed ou,t, that some electorates were more enlightened than others and should not be tied down to the views of the latter. If they had to fight on an electoral basis let the electorates fight as they would. The speaker was anxious to see a union of forces. He wanted the people who believed in moral suasion to go on with their efforts, to the religionists to go on with theirs, btit he saw no reason why they should not combine moral and legal suasion to drive back this great evil. Mr Bruntnell concluded with a stirring appeal to the electors to suppress the evil, not only because it , was the right attitude to adopt, but for the sake of the general life and time of the community, because suppression of it meant a brighter ami happier home life, and for the sake of the women and children.

Mr Bruntnell proved himself a fine speaker. Matter, method, and 'manner were all excellent. At times he rose to heights of splendid oratory. More than this he proved himself a humourist. His address was spiced with numerous witty stories and anecdotes.

When the chairman called for questions Mr J. Hale fired off an incoherent string of questions until a portion of the audience grew tired and howled him down. The questions were all the samo as those put by Mr Hale to the Rev. L. M. Isitt on the latter's recent visit. Repeated catcalls. and cries of "Shut up!" failed for some time to quench Mr Hale's ardour. Amid great uproar he called out question after question without giving the lecturer an opportunity to answer many of them. Very soon the audience became decidedly hostile to Mr Hale. One or two hoodlums at the back of the hall, who were obviously partly under the influence of liquor occasioned some disturbance. At length a constable arrived and forcibly ejected one -of these larrikins. The audience plainly showed that it considered there was no necessity for Mr Bruntnell to answer Mr Hale, and the meeting closed with the customary votes of thanks.

ADDRESS BY M,R. BRUNTNELL. In the Theatre Royal last evening •an address was delivered by Mr A. Bruntnell, who is working in Taranaki in the interests of the No-license Party. There was a large attendance. Mr G. H. Maunder was chairman. The proceedings opened with a hymn and a prayer. Mr Bruntnell did not think that anyone acquainted with the condition of things in New Zealand could fail to acknowledge that we were now in the midst of a struggle the- issue of which could not fail to be of vast influence on the Dominion. He congratulated the populace of New Zealand on the splendid position and organisation the Temperance Army had attained to. He combated the Sydney Morning Herald's remarks on 'the cause of temperance in New Zealand. The cause was more than holding its own in the Dominion, as the records showed that the majority in favour of no-license was an ever-increasing one. Wonderful as the advances of no-license in NewZealand were, enlightened as the people of New Zealand undoubtedly were, the only solution of the question was the abolition of the present system on their way to the final goal. Mr Bruntnell pointed out that his mission was not directpd against any individual or individuals. A person at Waitara on Sunday evening had questioned him much with regard to Ashburton, but the speaker pointed out that no-license in that district had thoroughly stamped itself on the moral and healthy tone of the community. He was confident that the position in that electorate would not be altered in the coming election. Mr Bruntnell referred to a letter which had appeared in the Herald with regard to his pursuing