The Tyranny of Prohibition.

Thames Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 8611, 16 March 1897, Page 2

The Tyranny of Prohibition.

[To the Editor of the Thames Stab.]

Sir,—An Editor has always the advantage of the last word ; but I ask you to insert the following:—lt is not necessary to point out the sophism of your arguments in last night's article. The public can easily detect it. You say ♦' We do not term it a tyrannical demand that the wishes of 3000 electors out of 5000 shall be carried out." Then you add (< The platform of the Prohibition party is tyrauuical." Why, sir, that is our platform. We deruaud no nioi'e and no less than this—that if a 3-sth majority of those who vote on the question whether intoxicating liquor shall continue to be sold as a beverage or not, decide that it shall not be sold, all we ask is, that the wishes of this majority shall be carried out. You admit the reasonableness of this by stating you' 'do not term it tyrannical," and " when they do—when the fiat of the people goes forth that the use of liquor must be piohibited, we will accept it." You are a Prohibitionist, sir. I hope you will vote straight. We claim the right of the people to decide this question. We are willing to leave it with the people. If they ask, as they did at the last local option poll, for the sale of liquor, let it be sold. When they say, by a 3-sth majority of those voting, that it shall not be sold, let the sale then be prolibited. These are the demands of Prohibitionists. You are at liberty to call them tyrannical if you please. Their reasonableness has been admitted by Parliament, and have now a a place in the j Blue Books of the colony. Allow me to say, sir, the time is certainly coming when the people will say this. The continual lawlessness of the trade, the terrible evils resulting from the traffic in drink are j

so impressing the pubHc mind and arousing the public conscience that the time is not very far off when this colony shall be delivered from this unmitigated curse.—l am, &c, Samuel J. Serpell.

[We by no means desire to deny our correspondent the last word, but there is a glaring misrepresentation in the above letter which we cannot allow to pass unnoticed. We have never attacked the rights of the popular majority; we have only attacked the Prohibitionist propaganda. We do not say it is tyrannical that the will of the three-fifths majority should be earned out; we say that the Prohibitionists are asking the people to do a I tyrannical thing. And we are confident that the popular referendum w. ril see the mistake, and wi 1! never perpetrate such a tyranny.—Ed. Star.]