THE DRINK PLEA.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 662, 6 November 1902, Page 20

THE DRINK PLEA.

A correspondent of the “Westminster Gazette” writes as follows : —“Owing to the mistaken line taken by most judges, drunkenness is constantly pleaded in lieu of a defence, in the hope of exciting sympathy and procuring a lighter sentence; whereas, in cases of serious crime, drunkenness should be regarded as an aggrava- . (ion. not an extenuation of the offence. To place mat’ters in juster position, in v all cases when a man is charged with . drunkenness on licensed premises he should be punished more' heavily than the publican, as beim>- the principal offender. At present the drunkard escapes with a -small fine, while the holder of the license is perhaps ruined owing to the endorsement of., his license : or, if he has refused to serve the man, his premises have been smashed up. Let us by all means punish the publican as at present, but let us also punish adequately the. drunkard. Also, let us not attribute to drunkenness more than its due share of crime : let Us not also attribute to the crimes which proceed from the human passions. Die 1 all crime proceed from drink, how account for Ireland's freedom from crimes' of violence, compared with Italy, a sober country? Drink is more often , the result of crime tnan the of it : in the same, way, embezzlement and extravagance, are the cause of betting, not the reverse.”