THE LIQUOR POLL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 238, 2 July 1919, Page 8

THE LIQUOR POLL

Sir—ln his reply to the Bev. B. S. Gray, published by you to-day, Mr. I>. H Piiullay shows the sauio strong tisan feeling that he condemns in others. Mr. Gray can defend himself, bul; there are one or two things in tne letter that I should like to comment on. In his opening paragraph Mr. ilntuaj •says that the soldiers' paper, Ihe JNew 7,eal!mder." was "swamped with Prohibition advertisements for several issues, "while the Moderate Leagues activity in this respect was confined to one simple and straightforward letter only, setting forth the true position., etc. Instead of this being the case, the Moderate League's letter appeared in the issue of March 14 and on March .8 and April 11 two other full-page appeals appeared under the name of the league. to the "simple and straightforward letter, it stated, amongst other things, that "The prohibitionists will doubtless tell voii that they have been anxious to secure the soldiers' right to vote, but wo can unhesitatingly state that, as was the case in 1914, they have taken no steps whatever to bring this about, and unquestitonably are secretl.v hoping that vour vote will be ineffective. Misrepresentation can hardly go further. Mr. Findlay objects to the clause in the 1318 statute providing that "'regularities; etc., should not invalidate the poll. Instead of increasing the soldiers vote this provision aided and nrotected it. for it applied only to votes polled overseas. and secured that every soldiers vote should be valid, no matter how it Was made. Everyone understands that a soldier's vote under active service conditions gives plenty of room for irregularities and mistakes, and the only w a >' to protect the votes cast was to allow that such mistakes would be overlooked. In any rase, the vote has been taken. There is not much to be gained from discussing the question unless the soldiers have been wronged by it. I havo never heard the smallest complaint with regard to it. 1 voted on the way out fioui Home, and every man had ample opportunity to vote. Sir. Findlay says that the gravamen of his charge "is embalmed ... in the statute." The only tiling it now needs is its coffin.—l am, etc., RETURNED SOLDIER.