INTIMIDATING MEMBERS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 55, 2 September 1926, Page 10

INTIMIDATING MEMBERS

» (To the Editor.) Sir,—The Licensing Reform Association consists mainly of brewers, wine and spirit merchants, and hotelkeepers, and its communication to members of the House tells them that, unless they dance to its tune, then in future the association will "make the_ preservation of our social liberties (by which it means the interests of tho liquor traffic) the foremost question in the selection of our representatives in Parliament." This is not a "veiled threat," but a blunt attempt at intimidation, and it is laughable coming out of a communication professing anxiety that our members should be free from1 "the yoke of a sectional organisation." Moreover, before tho last poll this same association advised all candidates for Parliament that it would "oppose the return of any candidate who pledges himself to the Prohibition Party." That was not a "veiled threat" either, but just blunt intimidation. The effort failed, and the association is wringing its hand in despair because a large number of members in the House have promised their constituents that they will vote for a democratic ballot paper and the preservation of the democratic triennial poll. The association- has circularised members saying that if there is any attempt to eliminate the third issue without substituting another undemocratic third issue —"the suggested Licensing Bill be allowed to drop." How Is that for an "attempt to control Parliament?" Here is an extremist Continuance organisation dictating to members the line of action they should take. Everybody knows that the various aspects of the licensing issue were fully before the people, and they returned their members with a clear mandate on certain questions. The brewers and liquor dealers embraced in the L.X.A. have no warrant for claiming that their views should be given preference.—l am, etc., J. MALTON MURRAY, [ Esepj#Tß-§ecr«te?ss>^SL,AHi^^(":