PROHIBITION AND COMPENSATION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1921, 17 August 1888, Page 3

PROHIBITION AND COMPENSATION.

I • SAM JOKES ON fROHIBITION. i The Rev Sam Jones, in » reeent ad- , dress, said : The people pray to God to pat whisky cut of the land, bat there is only one way to pnt It out and that Is to vote It oat, and God don't vote. The temperance movement end temperance (societies are concentrated failures, because they Blmply pull the poor fellows oat of the stream, two thirds of whom fall baok. The Prohibitionist Is one who has gone ap the river ten miles, and gone ap to the brewery and dosed tho source of supply. As scon as the Prohibitionists get in their work many temperance people will be oat of a job, DR PARKER ON OOMPENSATIOIC. In a recent address, Dr Parker said : » There is a question o£ compensating the publicans. That is a very complicated question; even that matter cannot be settled off handedly. Let it be fairly looked into and honestly dealt with, and if any rogue has a right to compensation let him have it, 1 ought to hare said 'even a rogue,' for I do not mean to olißsify all the men to whom I refer under one denomination Speaking foriryaelf. I should say everything depends upon the point of view from which I approach the inquiry. Having regard to the history of drinking, it is a history writteo, within and without, with mourning, lamentations, and woe. If I were asked whilst I was in the midst of the ptraeal cf that tragical history what compensation the publicans ought have, I fear, I might not return a jidic'al reply Yet we are bound to look ■-% that history; that oannot be Ignored in any rfi,! survey and estimate of the situation. I have no hesitation to saying that there are publicans whom I would personally oompensa'e — with five years' penal servitude. We must not, however, always in complicated political questions speak frrm the point of sentiment ; there are other* who will speak fr m other points. For myself, there Is no other point. Tho trade is of perd.tlon, and to perdition it ought to be sent. I am^ot prepared to say that I »m inoludlng every individual who has bad connection with It. Some men have been born into certain olroles ; some men are scarcely responsible for manyeof the relationships which they ocoupy or susUtn in life; let justice, therefore, be dealt out to every' man. When I hear, however, of a brewer tornIng his back upon his brewery, and feeling that he can no longer work It with a good conscience, I thank God for su;h a conversion.