HE PROHIBITION POLL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6661, 6 December 1899, Page 4

HE PROHIBITION POLL.

TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OOMMONSENSE OF NEW ZEALAND. You proudly boast tho English flag, that o'er these islands waves — You loudly to the nations brag, IT NEVER . COVERS SLAVES 1 That all who English law abide get justice and fairplay ! That tyranny "and wrong have died beneath its glorious sway ! Yet you're asked to ruin thousands who never broke that law ! You're asked to found sudh slavery as Russia never sa.w ! You're asked to aid injustice that would make a dumb man speak! You're told to blow the ship up to stop a trifling leak ! To surrender to faddists' control, Your liberties — body and soul, To join a mad throng, To commit endless wrong, By your vote at the Licensing Poll. Because a lessening few are weak, abusing Heaven's gift — Designing hypocrites must shriek, and humbug's voice uplift! (The honest but short-sighted man is often caught by these, Failing to see the precious plan is worse than the disease !) Don't ask extremists either way — shriekers or liquor band, Go seek the records of to-day — writ plain oa every hand! ' Go ask the Magistrates — Who've no temptation to have lied! Who've had experience of the States where Prohibition's tried. They'll tell you the Courts they control, Snow INCREASE in drunkenness' roll ; That coercion each time AUGMENTS >drink and crime! THAT'S the fruit of America's Poll ! No law like this will Britons stand ! 'twould quickly be repealed, But leaving loss on every hand — and gaping wounds unhealed! That silly churchman — he, who fails to understand this thing! Could HE undo^the loss that his EXPERIMENT would bring? Go — use Persuasion's lawful course — True Education's Voice! Examples aid — Religions foree — make men refrain FROM CHOICE, But never seek to drive free men by threat or fad or vote, . •■ OR TRY TO JAM A TYRANNY BY LAW DOWN JOHN BULL'S THROAT! You may try — but you'll --fail of your goal, Use Moral, not Legal Control. Justice, Right and Freewill Must triumphantly still Prove too strong for the Wrong at the Poll! Don't leave to charfce the crushing of this Colossal Wrong ! Don't underrate the number of this frantic Priest-led throng ! Who, like stampeding mules, induced by artificial fright Would bolt, and tiample in the mud your Liberty and Right! Show them that British Commonsense holds Bigotry in Scorn! That no man shall steal from you, Freewill to which you're born. The greatest despot earth h~as seen would from such folly shrink, NOR SEEK TO BRITONS TO DICTATE WHAT THEY SHALL EAT AND DRINK ! By Love of True Temperance Stirred, Abolish this meddling absurd ! On all sides combine ! LEAVE IN THE TOP LINE AND STRIKE OUT THE SECOND AND THIRD ! PAKEHA. Christchurch, December, 5, 1899. 1988