Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established Third of a Century.] THURSDAY. DECEMBER 19, 1907 "THE BATTLE OF THE BOTTLE."

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LVIII, Issue 8944, 19 December 1907, Page 4

Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established Third of a Century.] THURSDAY. DECEMBER 19, 1907 "THE BATTLE OF THE BOTTLE."

Under this heading, Mr Harris Dickson coutinues his series of interesting contributions to the Saturday Evening Post—dealing with the follies of the Temperance movement in the United States. In the issue of November 9th, the subject is "The Fire Water Crisis iv Alabama." By the way, the name of this Southern State is of Indian origin. A tribe of Redskins on the march were, centuries ago, halted here, the chief exclaiming, "Ala Bama" or "Here we rest!" In this Southern State, the teetotal party has been making prodigious efforts to get Prohibition carried. They have succeeded iv closing nearly all liquor-selling establishments in the country, so as to focus the traffic in the towns where it can be under supervision. In New Orleans the municipal council elected a dispenser and he chose his assistants. Expert tests were made to secure only the purest liquors aud avoid adulterated stuff. The dispensary was generally kept on its shelves —no chairs, no tables, no lounging places and no music. There was uo ice to tinkle, no glass to clink., no mirrors; it lacked all the attractions of a modern saloon. Liquor was not allowed to be drunk ou the premises; the customer bought his bottle aud went away. Consequently there was no disorderly crowd ; the loafer kept his distance.

In spite, however, of all this vigorous campaign, liquor continues to be obtainable, if the seeker only knows how aucl where to seek. Our author believes that the negro has unconsciously done much to hasten the Prohibition movement. It. became so evident that liquor was utterly .demoralising in its effect upon the negro, that the white conscience was stirred, and a great, deal of support accorded to the movement which would not otherwise have been given. The position in this regard was very forcibly put by a negro schoolmaster in Alabama. He said : '' The negro brute, for whose atrocious crimes every honest negro hangs his head with shame, and whose punishment is never too severe, is not the product of the negro. He is not found in our homes, our schools, our churches ; and none of our saving and exalted influences can. reach him. Our black arms are too short. The long Anglo-Saxon arms only can reach him. We make no laws, we construe no laws and we execute no laws. No board of aldermen, no judge or jury, would establish saloons on the recommendation of negroes. This negro brute is a product of the white man's gambling hells, low dives and saloons."

Perusal of these interesting papers serves to convince us the more that

each community has its own special circumstances which call for special legislation. The conditions in this Southern State called for drastic action, for there were two factors of the situation that made it appalling, viz. : the unhealthy climate with the lack of hygienic provisions, and the negro problem. Hence the tremendous effort of the anti-liquor party. But such treatment of the question would not be tolerated in a community of level-headed persons living under normal conditions. The sane view of the question is that it is not the use but

the abuse of alcohol that is destructive—ancl it is the function of sane legislation to do its best to render abuse impossible, without forbidding the use.