LICENSING DEFENDED.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1304, 6 December 1911, Page 9

LICENSING DEFENDED.

AN HISTORIC REVIEW.

LICENSE V. NOrUICENSE,

THE CASE FOR THE HOTELKEEPEU

So much is written.apd spoken in the support of No-J .icense, and so little is hoard against it, thnt the, triumph, oil Prohibition is predicted within the near | future, and'a bymn of victory has already! lxien intpnod in the No-Licnise , camp. In! the other camp is it timidity, or; want! of organisation,. or discouragement, Hhat hardly aiiy effort is raado to defend the existing Licensing system. Is Liccnso their euch an evil, as to iuul no advocate? Is, the sense of fair-play so dead in .Now /.ea-! land as to leave no desire of hearing.! something in favour of Moderation ? Hear both sides of the question, is tho motto: nf every friend of Justice. The attack on i the present licensing,system.is..tierce and frequent, henco the necessity of a defence.

PROHIBITION :■ AN ANCIENT,FAD. Prohibition has been a popular idol before now.-i'-lt' was■•setv.np'iin -the .third i century of the Christian era by a Persian : nf the name of Manes. Having read tho Gospel,- Manes gave himself us tho promised Paraclete, and founded a system of doclrino-'known as' Manichcishi. • Besides othor eccentricities, he condemned the use of wine and'advocated-the abolition of marriage. His disorders mado him so odious in Persia, that he was arrested, and skinned alive in A.D. 274. His system survived him. In the third century, tie Manichearis were so troublesome tnat the Komau-Emperor, 'i'heodosius, would not totcrato. then in the towns of tho'Empire. The Turks became disciples of Manes on one point; viz., absolute prohibition.' Has this observance acquired for them their well known ferocity, against. Christianity?. Prohibitionists, accept good advico-choosc better company. .■/ -, ~- ■ The system of Jlanes manifested itself throiish the Middle Arcs bv several sects; the Wftldcnses, the, .Cathars, the AlbiKenscs,and other forms of anarchism,and hooliganism-in .those days. Bloodshed and ruin-marked, their steps trrouwi several countries. The force of arms became an imperious necessity to cbeek their aims, and crusades were organised to repress them. ■ - •■■

NEW FORM .03? STATE INQUISITION

Tho adrorates of No-License condemn tho use of intoxicating liquor in_ all its forms. They appeal to tho law through the electors, : to prohibit its manufacture, its sale, 'its'introduction into tho country. They make odious the possession_ of liquor by subjecting it to a. declaration to the Court. Tin's declaration . means that anyone obtaining liquor is a suspicious character, to be watched closely. The eyes of the Law are upon him. If n-'ino is needed for religious purposes —as it is in fnet—a kind of permission is required from tho State, the quantity: nnd purpose must be. made known to tho Court. A now form of State. Inquisition is thus set up to obtain, information on what, everyone is permitted to drink. Again suppose National Prohibition carried it will be a breach of tho Law to posses liquor except for religious and medicinal purposes To taste it, to offer, it to a friend, will be a crime to bo punished as tho Law directs.. These methods form a code of tyranny unbearable to people claiming a gram ot soltresped n.nd a-remnant of commonsense. Such legislation is contradicted by

AN , ETERNAL TRUTH which no amount of loud-trumpeting, drum-beating or no feat ot acrobatic | oratory on tho platform or in the pulpit will over alter, and this precious eternal MATE." If the moderate use of liquor is cried down as a. sin, those who know better should cry louder:-"It is no sin at all." As it is no sin, any sane pers , n has the clear right to use liquor with moderation, he should. Dot bo blamed, for it, and any attempt at robbing him of that right is an insolent attack on individual 'liberty. , . No doubt total abstinence'is more perfect and safer, but this is beside tho question. Perfection is no obligation, perfection cannot be commanded. Sobriety is commanded and moderation \i sobriety. To compel multitudes to be total abstainers is to raise this protest: "No thank you, we know what we are doing, allow us the use of reason on that point; as long as we keep within the bounds of moderation we are within our' rights, and you, moralists without a sound notion of morality, overstep the mark by interfering with us. Mind your own businets. Leave us alone." FEARS OF RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION. There is more than the right of using wine with moderation, there is the obligatiou of using it for religious purposes, and that obligation has been laid on' all Christians by Christ Himself in tho<-e words said at the Last Supper: "This do as a commemoration of Me." This usage of wine is observed by the Catholic clergy during the Mass.and the Mass is an essential part of Divine Worship for Catholics. Whatever may bo tho theories of certain Divines pretending to erudition nnd stating that the wine Used in Judea in tho time of Christ was unfermented, the fact remains that, from timo immemorial down to tho present fermented wine is used for Mass. An ounce of experience may dispense with tons of useless erudition on this point. Unformented wine soon becomes sour and unfit for use. As Mass is celebrated frequently and everywhere wine must be procured. .Plao* ing obstacles to the possession of wine is equivalent to interdicting tho Mass or

making its celebration very difficult. The •law at present provides that wine can be obtained for religious purposes. How lons-will this guarantee last i , .me authors of this promise may withdrawit, if an excuse is found. Behold th'j consoieuco of the Catholic people at tho merer-of a vote of Parliament or at the mercy of a majority who object f to tlie Mass and , regard it an act of idolatry. Prohibition with regard to wine may .ead to prohibition of the Mass at a fr.tiire date. Religious persecution may como in through tho Prohibition door. CHEMISTS- AS ' VENDORS- OF- ■ ■ ■ ALCOHOL. ■ 1 Again liquor is necessary in medicine. On this'point tho liberty of the ait of koaling is-safe. Chemists will havi the monopoly of the liquor traffic. Those who know human nature ma;■ "guess the multiplication of toothaches, her.dacnes, heartaches, colics, shivers, qv.eer .fcchngs, -fainting fits, etc, but is it consistent to settle upon chemists rights which are denied to hotelkeepers, without placing upon tho chemists the bard'.-ns placed upon hotelkeepers, nnmel.v, Hie duties ot accommodating • the-.-.. traveJ.iflf '.P.c(bJio: with Iward and -lodging?, "';' ' • In the limgiiase adoptsd by advocates,' tho liquor traffic woum, seem to be-a--plague-of society.. That-wrt.lie abstraefway to pjit .it The., concrete wav. to say tho same thing, is to de■\oiinco hotelkeepers a? the vampires of the. people and ma'sc . them responsible for-OTerv case, of drunkenness, are they so oad as that ?

ROBBING THE nOTIiLKEEPERS. Any person of average intelligence will appreciate the difference between CAU Mi ami OCCASION. He will «s«st"id that an open bar may bo the OCtAhIUiN of a person entering it, and obtaining thorc mow drink fhun is pond for mm. But-tlu CAUSE of excessive drinking, where is-it? Nowhere else than in the person who drinks;, ho, and .ho alone, IS to blame and should be punished. Apart 'from the case of tco much liquor being taken, under the eyes of the hotelkeeper —for , in that instance, the • publican should interfere and prevent excess-• hotelkcopers aro no more responsible tor the sin of drunkenness than the ropemakcr is-- for the suicide of the sett.miirderer who hangs himself. Chemists sell poison and are exempt from blame if that poison is abused. Publicans sell drink and are blamed for those who abuEO it, tho sins of all tho drunkards are laid upon their ■ shoulders. This is unjust. Public feeling is seldom the outcome of sound reason. Cairn reason forbids tho suppression of what may be for sonic an occasion of sin, if by removing that occasion, the rights and logilimaio liberties of others are violated. By closing the .hotels you may prevent a few sins of drunkenness, but you rob thousands of pecple of their right-to obtain drink and to use it in moderation, lou rob tho hotelkecpcr of the acquired right of selling it. There is no sense of justice in such a measure. The right of purchasing drink creates a social need, that of licensed houses where liquor may be purchased. Hence the liquor traffic. Liquor being subject to abuse, its sale requires supervision and control; this is obtained .by. the Licensing system. . Committees are appointed .to judge the fitness of applicants for the profession of hotel-keeping. Licensed premises are open to.police inspection, frequent reports are forwarded,- the searching eye of tho public is open, and a. correct estimate of the conduct of hotels is formed at once.

OBLIGATIONS OF HOTELKEEPERS. Is there any other trade offering the same guarauteo of honrst management? As a matter of fact, whenever a publican commits a break of the law, not onlj everybody knows it, but everybody's wiio n'nd children speak of it, and the careleis or law-breaking licensee loses his ■bast customers first, and his license.next, and all say, "Quite, right." So that publicans who would not be honest by principlo are really compelled by law to carry on their trade on straight linos. Not a few engaged in tho liquor traffic are men and women of high character, to associate with them is no disgrace. Many are noted for boing obliging and kind-hearted. If they expect a return of good service, they have that failing in common with the rest of manhood, and small blame to them for it. Let the same supervision bo applied to all other trades, and which would escape? Everything taken into consideration there is no trade whero honesty and straight, dealing are more essential to success than in hotelkeeping, and those engaged in the liquor traitic are no more plagues of society than thoso engaged in other trades, and if plagues they be. one can easily avoid contagion. Let those who consider publicans as dangerous characters keep at a distance from them and their houses, they will then escape contamination. Being so clean in their own persons they should give up the occupation of mud-throwing at hotelkeepers, brewers, and other useful aud respectable citizens. Now,

DOES THE LICENSING SYSTEM EN-

COURAGE INTEMPERANCE? Neither directly nor indirectly. Directly, the system .provides drink for those who want, it, that's all. Indirectly, it discourages intemperance, by placing upon it the check of publicity; any excoss in drink comes under the notice of the police and is punished in fairly quick tinie. Any person unfit to bo supplied •svith drink is duly prohibited. Under No-Licenso tho check of publicity is removed, drink is smugglod in large quantities and intemperance obtains impunity. It leaves the street corner, but bides itself in other corners where neither the police nor decent people can penetrato, and intemperance is perfectly «afo under the cloak of Prohibition. Such is' the reason why gaols are omply in prohibition districts. They are empty not because there is no drunkenness, but

bocauso excessive drink succeeds in hiding itself. Is that a wholesome state of aftairs? Public morality does not. consist in affording n snfo shelter to vice, but in unmasking it and punishing it with duo severity, tinder License, is temperance reform impossible? Not at all. The blessings of total abstinence Are. numerous and give a largo field of labour to pie temperance advocate, and the advantages of a voluntary total nl>stinenco pledge are such ns to offer strong protection to those who need reformation. Unfortunately the good to bo obtained by voluntary pledges and temperance associations is lost sight of by temperance workers. True reformers are zealous and patient, and treat every case with the skilful tact of Christian charity. Instead of adopting that method, i'rohibitionists, claiming every power over everybody's soul and body, fulminate a wholesale excommunication against nil drinkers, without distinguishing between the right uso of liquor and its abuse. They punish the innocent for the sins of th'o intemperate. Aro New Inlanders such hopeless drunkards as to Ire placed under the ban of prohibition? Hefore the world New Zealand is to be proclaimed a country of incorrigible drunkards. Is every New Zealander going abroad to bo hailed by foreigners as a prohibited person? Lvery vote in favour of national prohibiuon is an absurd lie and a downright insult to Now Zealanders. Will it bo a healthy state of society when in New Zealand liquor will bo owned bv three classes of people—by chemists for tho sick, by clergymen for churchgoers, and by smugglers for the whole public? May the electors preserve the hononr of their country and sa™ their personal, social, and • religions liberty when they record their votas. .