OUR BRAVE SOLDIERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19824, 16 December 1919, Page 6

OUR BRAVE SOLDIERS.

PROTECTORS OP FREEDOM. HOW THEY FOUGHT WITH SWORD AND PENCIL. THIRTY-TWO THOUSAND VOTES FOR LIBERTY. The Cold Water Party has discovered that a returned soldier, General Russell, intends to vote for Prohibition on gents, ral grounds. Well, what of that? New Zealand knows that the Soldiers think on this subject. The gallant heroes who made the name of the Dominion illustrious the world over gave their verdict on Prohibition last April. Hero it is:— For Prohibition . . 7,723 AGAINST PROHIBITION AND FOR LIBERTY . . 31,981 A majority of more than EIGHTY PER CENT, more than FOUR TO ONE, for personal liberty and common sense. That is the reply of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force to the invitation of the Cold Water Party that the men who went abroad to fight for freedom should como back and wear a muzzle. Which opinion is entitled to most weight—that of the EIGHTY PER CENT, or that of the small minority, even though the minority includes a distinguished officer? General Russell is entitled to his view, but it is not shared by the great hulk of the gallant soldiers. Is anybody going to suggest, in these democratic times and in this democratic country, that the opinion of one officer ON A QUESTION THAT IS NOT REMOTELY CONNECTED WITH HIS STATUS AS AN OFFICER, is worth more than the opinion of any one of the 31,981 who disagree with him? The proposition has only to be stated to show its absurdity. The Soldiers simply WILL NOT HAVE PROHIBITION. And why should they? 1