PROHIBITION AND POLITICS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18419, 27 June 1925, Page 17

PROHIBITION AND POLITICS.

TO THE EUITOB.OF "THE PRESS."" . | ■-•■' .gj i;) .thoughtful'. :.pers6n ;, : who. ■reads the Victter of -.; Mis- Mackay, which 'you.-'published' tliis morning, will quite' understand why you make no attempt .to answer it. • You arc quite at fault, however, in your endeavour- to cite her letter, against my contention that your picture of the Prohibitionist who votes .for a- candidates solelv on tbo question, whether ho is "wet" or "dry," is a figment of-the • imagination.:! Miss, $1 ac'kay l will resent ■■ as- strongly as• I do, the. insolence, of '.your "'assumption; ;tl'iat, as Prohibitionists,'W'are prepared to'vote for aiiy. fool or crank who will say "yes" to our proposals.' We are not quite built that way: We are as much-concerned about brains,' character-and capacity to deal with all questions of national interest: in our chosen candidate as any others in the pohtical field. It is on the.condition of other things being equal that we express our preference for the candidate who will, support our views .in "Parliament. Where does my common-sense come in if... when I ; ca.st a ; vote- f.br ; - Prohibition in on©-:ballet-:box, I. p'as't' ; in another, ballot-box at the same vote for..j a candidate-, whb ? it: elected,'- will'/-1., know, do "all die :.can 'to. put : a'snag,-in the• way-of .-Prohibition:? .. Against .your contention ;that Prohibition is an issue' n'tffc sufficiently important' to' be -made a test in the selection of candidates; it' would be interesting :to- know- where you get your ideas of importance from. - ; Here in this' little criivntry/ w.itha- population ;of 'li::miliion',' theroxw-as spent last year considerably* over, eight' .million pounds in the .most form of expenditure that 'can'be imagined, reacting as.. : it' does most'disastrously on ail-':.tlie- interests«>t-hat' are ...vital;/fco moral,- so'ciakaiid commercialprogress, daii; any .tliouglitful,'person iconsider: all that is' involved- in. that tremendous "i riwithout; marvelling at the 'dictum' from any intelligent ' source which relegates the proposal to deal with it as a matter of urgency to a position of political insignificance? .You publish'in to-day's issue a 'section of tiie-Hospital 'report dealing with venereal ..diseases that' must fill all decentminded citizens with a sense of shame. When'it is remembered-that what is. .reported in Christ'church is typical of the extent; to; which the same evil-is spreading all' ever -New.'Zealand,; and: when it is known, on < indisputable, evidence, how . Very considerable is tlie share, which-''indulgence in' alcoholic liquors has in contributing to u this frightful menace to the public health, who will dare to say on aiiy rational grounds that the attempt to cut out the drink evil, the fruitful source of so many other'-evils,, is not worthy of a place in considering the qualifications of a candidate for Parliament? It .is amusing, -by the way,, to' note- your,idea o'f the in'iiocuoAishess of'heckling Vk. : canf didate oh- the ■ hustinga/as. compared ■ With asking him to face and. answer in the quiet of 'Jus own home or-office tlie dreaded questionnaire: As if a member of any organisation under the '-'sun could not go to a public meeting with questionnaire in hand,' and " ! get from the candidate, viva voce,' all the replies that'were, necessary,' to ba iis'ed by the said organisation in any way that was deemed proper.—Yours, etc., W. J. WILLIAMS.■ June .25th, 192-5. [Our correspondent's statement of the Prohibitionist position—that it is on tiie condition of other things being'equal that wo express pur preference for the candidate who wilt support our views in P.irlia- ' ment"—'Would ;have some value-if the N.Z. Alliance had ever shown any: sign that it lias ever enquired or wished to enquire- whether- other things were equal in any : particular case. As to his'final point, the -\yhole point is. the difference between an isolated heckler speaking for himself,- and - an agent asking questions on behalf of an- armed body of fanatics. —Ed. . "Tho ' Press."]