A VOICE FROM AMERICA

Timaru Herald, Volume CVIII, Issue 16801, 4 April 1919, Page 2

A VOICE FROM AMERICA

ON THE ABSENT SPIRITS QUESTION. PROFESSOR J. A. NICHOLAS. Professor Jr>lm A. Nicholls, of Boston, Mass., Foreign Field Secretary of the International Reform Bureau, addressed a meeting of goodly dimesasions in the Lyceum Theatre last night, when he told the story of how the United States had "gone dry." Mr G. T. ilfalmer, M.A., president of the W.E.A., presided. TKe American visitor came here with a refutation for fast speaking, and'he certainly maintained it last night. With lightning rapidity he spoke for an hour' and a half, and said sufficient in that time to fill a hook. Enthusiastic m the cause, he spoke , witli great vigour, made his points very clearly, and so, ; leavened the solid matter of ,liis address as to make> it always interesting. At frequent interyals his - remarks were punctuated - by. : hearty. . outbursts of applause, hut even these did not -check his rapid flow- of words. The Professor began by stating that he- : had come to New - Zealand at the invitation of the temperance workers . of this Dominion, not to tell them how to do their duty—'lie was confident that they would do that on April 10—but to bring a message of goodwill' from the great American continent, and to tell - them how the'. great fight against intemperance had been fought'and won over there. _ Without further ' delay Professor Nich oils told the story: very graphically and at times very dramatically. He explained too, that the anti-liquor movement was not a new one, the first organised . temperance society: in North America -having been founded 110 years ago; Scientific investigation, he. said, ;had shown that .drink destroyed efficiency, that it was ,not nourishing/ that instead of being a stimulant it was a narcotic, that it .-.affected the powers ,of self-control, and -that' while it,-was the best, thing in which to preserve a dead man it was the. wtorst thing in the world to preserve him when he was alive. He went on to show how it was the enemy of .itiankind, and jsaid -that it became'the business of society ,to deal with a; matiter affecting the public welfare. There :;were only three ways -in which-.to-deal* with ' it—by permitting free trade in 1 ■ by _some'; form- of -regulation,: or by prohibition. Prohibitionists did not say. shall: not- drink,, but they did Say-that 4rink was-a danger, to - .the : community, and- that this being so it mustbd put out of "the ■ way, just as lany , other danger was put out of the 'frfcy,.,. They. were not out r to injure '.those engaged in -the trade,. but to do: 'them a , good service by putting them out - of _ a harmful calling - and creating a' conditions of- affairs under .which they ,pould get a better and a clean living. 'JThat was'.what'America had done; and the example: of ithat great country had proved* worthy following vhy every civilised- community. 'Professor Nicholls gave deftails of the trial I ofs prohibition.: l in the city of _ Cambridge, the . centre of i Harvard and one of the most . important cities in the States; I Having: tried: the license system; for ten years. he. saidi . Cambridge had voted i ior No-li<iense' f3O years agio;; and had ] kept to- it over since. -Official-- 1 figures I for the .ten .years of license, and the I first ten years of No-license, showed the i folowing 'comparisons— I ■'/ ' . Under "Under , License. No-license. Increase :n popu- ■ ■ ■ i lation ...... 11,820 : 21,985 New houses built.. r v,' 1,516. ■ 3,325 , - - :■ ' Dollars.' Dollars. Valuation of .city. 3,190,783 23,724,030; • ; -decrease.. increase. Average annual- in- 1 *-. ■

~ crease in,-savings/-- , bank New depositors ... 6,587 '12,065 Professor Nicholls commented on the vast size of the States of Texas; one* of the eariest to declare for prohibition, and remarked,, that: that particular State had a great reputation, partly good, partly indifferent, partly bad'. There had 'been a time when: "the.Texas oowboy was looked upon as 1 the wildest animal in ■ existence,' and General Sheridan when,asked once as -to whafc hs , thought of Texs had replied, "If I owned hell and Texas, I would let Texas and live in hell." (Laughter.) Yet Texas had declared _ against 'the drink traffic. Every great State had now ratified _ the .movement, no fewer than ■ 4.5 having declared Tor -it. Twelve months from the date that the 36th State came in, national prohibition would take, effect, which meant r that on January 16tli next the manufacture, sale, export, or import of liquor would be prohibited on every part pf' American soil. (Loud applause.) Tliey had made up their minds that the liquor traffic must' go, and they now rejoiced that a new dawn had come for 'ttie democracy of the Western World, and that the fine old flag would" wave over an emancipated country freed from the thraldom of a great scourge.' (Applause.) The' speaker added, that the experience of America was that- prohibition meant decreased and not' increased taxation,' and said there was no more' contemptible argument* against prohibition than that it would mean decreased revenue, for ho nation- had any right to draw revenue, from tho degradation of ' the people. The liquor traffic hit the children particularly hard,: aiid'this was an all-important reason why it should be ended. The Professor concluded with a powerful appeal to strike out the top line on April 10, and thus give the children a better chance and make New Zealand a happier land in which to live.. (Applause.). ' ' Mr G. 'l. Ivolleir, who proposed a vote of thanks, said he had very great pleasure in so doing. They had listened to a splendid, forcible and logical address. If there was anything in the assertion of the liquor trade that prohibition was. forced upon the American democracy it was strange that they could get no one from America, to come out here and say so. Professor Nicholls had put up an unanswerable case for prohibition, and had clearly demonstrated that America had carried ".t by the will 0 f the people. (Hear, hear.)

The vote was carried by very hearty applause, and the Professor acknowledged the kindly welcome and the sympathetic hearing that had been given him. •