THE REV. E. DOWLE ON HORSE RACING AND OTHER THINGS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 193, 4 May 1918, Page 8

THE REV. E. DOWLE ON HORSE RACING AND OTHER THINGS

Sir,—Somo of your correspondents aro annoyed that I should have drawn attention to the Manawatn Racing Clubs gift of £40,000 or .£50,000 for win-lhe-war purposes. One says it is "fools money," and another regards it as unmoral, belioving the money to he tainted. I remember when tlie Bcv. Dr. Howitson. of Dunedin, defended the so-called "tainted money" coming into tho Church funds. Ho Baid it was quite good. But that is not the point. The point is the contrast between tho racing club and the Protestant Political Association and the Prohibition Party. Here is a body of sports giving .£50,000 to win the war, and hero is the Protestant Political Association raising iIOO.OOO for what 'A. Glendoirer" calls "the kindling of the bonfires of sectional hatred, and reviving religious prejudices and antipathies. I a&rrce with him that that is "deplorable"; and that was the reason why I suggested that the funds of the Protest; ant Political Association devoted to this deploraote purpose, should be commandeered for win-the-war uses, such as the Red Cross, tho Y.M.C.A., or the returned soldiers. The trade to which "A. Oieudower" refers has given soven-six-tcentlis of its trading time to win tho war. Have the reverend gentlemen of tlie Protestant Political Association or. the Prohibition Party made any such sacrifices? Are they raising money to win the war? No; they are raising money for "deplorable" purposes—sectional hatreds and party and personal strivings'. 1 say the Kncinjr Club and the sporting men—the publicans and sinners—have always done .better than the Pharisees in patriotic work. And all these Protestant Political Association and Prohibition Party workers think themselves the salt of the earth. Tlie Germans think in that way nlso, and want to dominate the world. What are we fighting for? The Bov. E. E. Dowle, writing from the Presbyterian Church, "admits that tlie liev. Howard Elliott's remarks 'wero in very bad taste.'" Thanks for that admission. But he clnims that tho Prohibitionists aro among tho truest patriots. If sacrificing their neighbour's property, spilling the last drop of their brother's blood to save their own skins, is patriotism, then the Rev. Mr. Driw'le is right, for patriotism among Prohibitionists is as rare as mushroom growths in wintry weather. They aro raising .£50,000 —not to win the war, but to create sectional strife, and cause many to lose that they may escape. Something like honesty is entering into the counsels of this party when they propose to pay compensation for the attainment of their destructive aims. But do !,hoy propose to specially tax themselves for this gratification? Ifß a dream!

The Eev. Mr. Dowlo talks of Russia. Prohibition, it is said, brought about tho Revolution in Russia, and as extremes ot asceticism .'ead to excess in viciousness, so enforced prohibition of vodka led to excess in Russia, o.nd the downfall of the Tsar, whom the Prohibitionists extolled. Russia was a dead factor in the war when she adopted Prohibition j if she had kept "moderate" the war plight havebeen ended by now and millions of lives saved.

As to patriotism, Mr. Lloyd George set out to catch the "elusive teetotaller." That was after his "conversion." In hie unregencrate days ho said, "Alcoholio liquor was a greater menace than the German submarines," but Lloyd George recanted and said, "Tho man who drinks a glass of beer is contributing 'silver bullets' to destroy the Germans." The Prime Minister of England has told tho Prohibitionists that the adoption of their proposal would cause the Allies to lose tho war. But Mr. Dowle says Prohibitionism is patriotism. No; it is the opposite of tho true win-the-war policy, and Mr. Lloyd George, who knows, has said it. The Prohibitionists would even stop tho soldiers' rum in the trenohes and in our camps. The King himself on visiting the naval and military stores in December last, hiid seeing the acres of stone jars usod ior eohding rum rations to soldiers, said: "I know these trenches, and 1 can understand how the men appreciate the rum rations." His Majesty had hie own abstinence renounced. 1 have been forced to write this much by the Rev. Mr. Dowle'e remarks, and after ho reads this and compares it with what Prohibition talkers tell him, no might exclaim, like the Queen of Sheba: "The half has not been (old me. Tho truth is that the Protestant Political Association ..•nd the Prohibition Party have done nothing, aro doing nothin", as parties to win the war, and that their raising money for other purposes is rather retarding victory, as it is being used for propaganda that tends to destroy unity. « they adopted the policy of the Manawatu Racing Club as regards tho disposal of their accumulated fuuds-which is as much fools money ae tho other—they would be abandoning folly and following a good sporting exalnple-l am, etc.,