NATIONAL LEAGUE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1140, 30 May 1911, Page 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE.

j POLICY PRESENTED. I; IN ALL THINGS MODERATE, . ;;' .;' ''THE GOLDEN MEAN." i 5 ! '*' Members of the National League _ at- : tacked a long programme last evening, S when a well attended meeting was held i'• in Turnbull's auction rooms. Mr. H. P. ! : Bawson presided. ' The General Com'mitteo announced that i 'it had appointed tho following execu-:'-tiref-Mcssrs, W. H. • D. Bell, J. A. •■ Bnice, F. J. Courtney, J. E. Fitzgerald, > :.E. J. Pitzgibbon, J. Puller, jun., E. P; 1 Hadfield, M. P. Luckie, V. Meredith, H. [;P. Rawson, E. W. Seaton, and W, H. ■: : Turnbull, 1-. Policy and Platform, j. • After tho adoption of rules, the followi ing ■ draft policy was submitted by the I sub-committee entrusted with its prcparai tion:— / '. To closely watch all Parliamentary and i municipal legislation for any enI croachment that may bo proposed i upon tho rights or liberties of in- ! dividuals, and to oppose any such enl, croachment. ;>!To : closely watch all social movements i and propaganda, and keep fully in- ! formed thereof. I To take all steps within its power to i ensure that laws and regulations shall i. ■ iho formulated, executed,. and ad- ! ; ministered by moderate and honourable citizens, and to oppose the elecI tion or appointment of unsuitable i • persons to any office. ! This branch is opposed to any reduction '• in the three-fifths majority in conneci •"'■ tion with national or local option. ( It will also oppose any attempt to abolish | tho sale of liquor altogether. - _ • ' It will support all reasonable regulation j of the liquor traffic. I .It will oppose any further restriction on I reasonable gaining by-adults., . ; It will'.'oppose' any restriction on. the eni joynient by individuals of seasonable | Tecreation on Sundays. j ..Majority. Tyranny. \ Mr. ,E.'P. Hadfield said that the special ' subjects mentioned in the policy statej. -rnent were introduced as illustrations. | Jt was not intendtU to limit the activity i '»f the league to any special field.. Two j points had been raised by opponents of f 'the leagife. Pirstly, it had been said that > tho majority must rule/and >that the j leaguo was endeavouring to interfere j with such rule. It had, however, to be [remembered ;that a tyrannical abuse of I power by a majority was possible. An- [ other objection urged against them took . the form of an assertion that its general l attitude of moderation was negative, and i that a negatiro attitude would not work. j. But a negative attitude, ho contenHed, : was not intrinsically a bad thing. If i fliero existed one institution generally ! Tespectcd, it ivas tho fire brigade. Yet j this was essentially a negative institul tion. Speaking broadly, tho league exist- ; ed for the purpose of "putting . out" ! rotten ■ and -absurd legislation, and, in r. plain English,.-was in favour of freedom. f Attitude to Gambling, j Having dealt with the general policy of ! the'league, Mr. W. H. D. Bell touched I upon tho subject of gambling. The found-. j ers Of tho league, he remarked, were in the ! position of those who neither wished New ! Zealand to become a gambling hell nor (as i Mr. Fuller had once happily described it) f "a substitute for Heaven." If we adopted • the hypothesis that gaming was ineradic- . able, the gambling spirit must be directed ' into .channels that were decent,, fair, and ; honourable, and that which was disreputi" able'must be suppressed. The policy sug- ' seated for the leaguo was: based on the be- : lief that if the outlot for' the gambling I spirit were made too small, it would break ''■ out in all sorts of disreputable ways,

!"""■■.;'.Liquor, Licensees, and Brewers* Dealing: with the subject of "Lieiuor," •Mr. E. J. Fitzgibbon stated that the |:'league had no brief- for any political \ party. The'two keynotes of its policy, were . moderation and opposition to the rcstric- ; tion' of reasonable, enjoyment. Somemem- ; bcrs might be of opinion.that no three ! men had; the right to say to two others, \ "You shall not have liquor." For tho ; present, however, it was merely proposed ' that the . league should opposo any : reduction, of the three-fifths majority: If the league discovered licens- ; ed victuallers doing something that ; they should not do, it would also oppose ; ' them. It took the middle' course, be- ■ lieving that thero must be the brewer I on the one hand and the licensed victuali ler. on the other, but the brewer and the f licensed victualler must do the' fair 1 thing.

Unfair—Moderate Men Penalised. ; Mr. M. Luckie also spoke on "Liquor." ! It was wrong, he contended, • that a great part of the community should 'be : .punished because a small minority made i 'an immoderato use of liquor. Punish- ; ments as numerous and restrictive as : 'possible should be provided for the man ' who got drunk, but because 10 per cent. of the population indulged to- excess, it ' did not follow that 40 per cent, of the '■ | remainder sh.cnld be penalised. Regula- ', 'tions should be made which wouhLjeach ; the brewer as well as tho publican, anil ■ ensure him letting his houses only to : men of the highest standing. If, after a good trial of such legislation, it was '. found impossible- to secure a proper coui duct of licensed houses, the speaker ; would favour the institution of State ■ control or municipal control of the liqiior traffic. .Sunday Observance. Dealing with the question of "Sunday -observance," Dr. Fyffe remarked that, during fifteen years' residence in NewZealand he had been struck by tho fact that tho youth of tho country were not ' in any way religious. Owing to' the i fault of- the parents rather than of the children religion had very littlo effec-tive-bearing on life. The point of view i of tho league in this niattor must'be one of absolute toleration. : People who were cooped up all the week must be left free •to- go out on Sunday. They i could of course go to church as well if they liked. The question of going to church was not one of religion at all. The attitude of the league should be one of tolerance, and on no account should its members hurt the feelings of people who were religious. A capital motto for the league would be: "The Golden Mean." 'The.statement of policy was submitted | clause by clause and adopted. Office-bearers Elected. The following office-bearers were elected:—President, Mr. C. P. Skerrett; vicepresidents, Messes. Sefton, Moorhouse, Dr. Fyffe, E. W. Sen ton', and F. J. Courtney; secretary, Mr. .T. A. Bruce; : treasurer, Mr. E. L. Chaffoy.