LENGTHEN YOUR CORDS! STRENGTHEN YOUR STAKES!

White Ribbon, Volume 30, Issue 365, 18 November 1925, Page 1

LENGTHEN YOUR CORDS! STRENGTHEN YOUR STAKES!

K«* p heart O comrade! (Jod may l>* i lelayed By evil, but Ho suffers no defeat; (•od is not foiled: . . . Karth uiiu her years low n joy's bright way, or sorrow’s long rc ud, Aiv in iving toward the purjKJse of 1 Ht* -kies.” Another tattle of our long campaign has been fought! Once more have we fr&l l)hd with the forces of evil, and have failed to drive them from our land. In our trianjfuar contest we have won the first prize, each opponent has bt er. beaten singly, hut the combined forces Ni\ proved too strong an opponent for us to overcome. \ N INltjl’lTUrS HANim A I’. The liquor trade has always dreaded as' might out issue and so far by a skill ul handling of the political situ-i tion it has managed to dodge it. Pirst it sheltered behind the three fifths major!' y and went on its way sowing l<a h and destruction, even when it was ou’ oted by a majority of over 55,000. Th, n the next move was a three-issue bai’ ,t paper. Of the three issues, one is in* th<» continuance of the licens'd liqi )r trade, the other two are against it. One issue asks for the total prohib ior of the manufacture and sale of ah. hot for beverage purposes. The thi | issue desires the abolition of the Iks used trade, and the side of alcohol a 'lrii 'cs to be a Government monoi*>ly. Ha. the contest l>een decided as our Pol ticai ones are on the ‘‘first pud the p< i” wins, then Prohibition is a win-

ner. Hut that would not suit “the trade’. Two issues are to be added tog«ther, but not the two issues demanding the abolition of licensed trade; and surely if any two should be added these are the two. No! as continuance cannot win a majority, then to it is added State Pont ml and together they ouinumber Prohibition. But continuance alone is always defeated, and for years this trade has carried on on a minoritj vote. How the trade would howl if it were suggested to have Prohibition on a minority vote, how it talks uiHiut l*roh'bition not lieing wanted Prohibition whit', always scores more votes than continuance. Surely the time has Homo for a straight-out issue—-wet or dry. Then if the electors decide to remain wet, the Government can take a poll between continuance of the present system of licenses or some other form of control of the traffic. We don’t think there would be any need for a second poll. RESULTS. It is too soon to reckon our gains and losses. The figures are not complete. But we know that Prohibition has increased its actual vote by several thousands. though the figures are not complete enough to say about a percentage increase. In several No Eicense Electorates a comparison of the figures on tho IrKttl issue an' 1 the national issue is rather interesting. If the State <\>ntrol and Prohibition figures be added together for several of these electorates they are roughly equal to the nonrestoration vote. This looks ns if the people who voted State Control on the national issue oast a dry vote for th° local issue, and arises the question as

to whether, on a two-issue ballot paper, many State Control votes would not have gone to the dry Issue. If our gains are not great, our only loss is Ohinemuri. On present figures this elec orate lias gone wet. It is the first one to make a backward move. Hut surrounded by wet country, with inhabitants who shopped in wet townships and passed the dry tow.o by, is it to be wondered that business people were l< d to vote Kick liquor in the hope of getting tVuek trade? To its crnlit, Ohin •• mini pm up a much better vote on the National question, thus showing their desire to remain dry when the whole lknninion was dry. . . . Be Strong! It matters not how deep entrenched t h** wrong. How hard the battle goes, tho day how long; Caint not fight on! To-morrow comes the song. Tomorrow! Let us look to the future. Maid our World President at the great World Convention this year: “The world »s nearer Prohibition to-day than the IT.S.A. was 25 years ago.” We believe this. What cun we do to make this ideal into an actual fact, that we may live to tell our sons: “I saw the powers of darkness put to flight, I saw the morniqg break.” We an* not a defeated army. We are already planning for a fresh <«mpaign. General Joffre said: “You cannot lose until you have quit fighting: you may lose trenches or cities, or divisions but you have not lost the battle

until you have lost heart.” We have not quit fighting. We are planning fresh advances. Two thing* stand out clearly: Ist, The need of an educational campaign. 2nd, The nerd of a spiritual uplift. We are more firmly convinced than ever tlxit the best work our women can do for Prohibition is to increase our own membership. (lather women togetWi to learn of oir work, and in their turn to become workers. Don’t be drawn to side issues. Keep our main objective in view: “Every woman I know must be won to take our pledge and wear our bow\” ('irculate and read our paper. Educate yourself, that you may help others, (let busy right now, -waste no time. Get babies on the (Yadle Roll, children in our L.T.L.’s, young people hi our Y Branches. When we have educated our people to work, believe and vote for Prohibition wo shall get It. We need n spiritual uplift. This is a mo.nl question. We pray daily in the prayer taught by the Master, “Thy Kingdom come.” Does the Eiquor x Trade hinder the coming of that Kingdom? If it does, it must go. Greed and appetite must be overcome by a mighty spiritual power that shall lift the people to the Mount of Sacrifice.