PROHIBITION AND PERSONAL LIBERTY.

Timaru Herald, Volume CI, Issue 15398, 15 July 1914, Page 7

PROHIBITION AND PERSONAL LIBERTY.

A REPLY TO MR J. P. NEWMANMR G. S. CRAY AND MB H. LOWRY. Personal liberty is a relative term. If a man is on r. desert island, or if he is situated like Robinson Crusoe, with nobody but animals and trees and inanimate things-, he might dress as he (•leased or do anything which he pleased, but the minute a man comes into society, the) minute a man becomes a part of soe'ety, the minute a man claims the privileges of society and gets into tho complex society -of'the present day. at once it becomes a question of. light, the limitation of rights. • Society is distinctly based upon the limitations of rights, the give-and-take, principle. So the question of personal liberty is altogether a relative term, and the moment society becomes convinced that tho exercise of any form of personal liberty is damaging to society or is a menace to tlie community life, then society stops in and does Dot hesitate, but says to a man, ''Your rights cease when they begin to infringe on others' rights." • The minute an automobile driver gets on a crowded thoroughfare the hand of the law steps in and says: ''Slow up. It is jour machine here just as much as it was on the unfrequented road where nobody runs, but Lore you are in the midst < f society. and here other people's lights conn's in." It is exactly that way in regard to the use of strong dr'nk. How far can we go in determining what shall be the personal habits of me? dust to the point of saying that when, the exercise of your right to urink liquor infringe? upon the "sr.fety and the happiness and the comfort of soeietv. then you must give up the riuht'and \\v V.ro not doing you any wrontr in saying that if you do not si oil socictv can nut its hand upon you and determine what limit there shall be placed upon yon. (Published by Arrangements