THE HON. JOHN BRIGHT ON THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1763, 30 March 1874, Page 2

THE HON. JOHN BRIGHT ON THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

The following letter was sent by thp Hon. John Bright to a " Working Man," in reply to his interrogations as to the liquor traffic : —

„ r London, .Nov. 27,1873. Dear Sir— Your letter is interesting, but it has made me sad to read it. The evils you describe seem to vast for any known remedy, and I know, not who has courage to attempt to deal with them. To your concluding paragraph I must offer one remark by way of explanation. I cannot support the Permissive Bill, for reasons which I have given in the House of Commons and to those who have sent me there. I do not approve of our present licensing system, for I think th» magistrates are not the best authority to determine the number of houses that should be licensed, or to what; houses should be granted or refused. I am in favor of municipal control event in this matter— that is, of the ratepayers through >the local parliament which they elect. This, to my mind, would be much better than to invite the vote of the' whole town, and I am satiiQed that it would work better and more justly. TheTown Council represents the town, and to its wisdom I wonld entrust, the power to «rant or refuse licenses — subject, it may be, to such limits as Parliament might properly determine. ; •

I think a Licensing Committee of the Town Council would be a better authority than the magistrates,, through it the opinion of the ratepayers would be expressed and enforced. I am in favor of adding to the authority and dignity of our municipal governments, and with that view I should have been glad to see the management of our elementary schools placed in their hands ; and partly for the same reason I wonld give them control over t'»e licensing system, as closely connected with the good order of our towns and cities.

As we are moving now, we shall soon have little to do but to fight elections, which, at best, are but necessary evils. Parliamentary elections, municipal elections, school board elections, are surely enough; do not ask us to add to them / Permissive Bill contests as often as a fluctuating public opinion may demand them, I have no obje.ction to give opinion fair play, but I wish it to act through a recognised and constitution channel. — I am, &c, John Bright.