THE LIQUOR QUESTION

Grey River Argus, 25 April 1911, Page 5

THE LIQUOR QUESTION

! MR. THOMPSON REPLIES TO MR. TAYLOR. A CHALLENGE. Last evening-, at the Opera House Mr Thompson addressed a large audience in reply to Mr T. E. Taylor on the all absorbing question of the liquor traffic. His Worship the Mayor (Mr A. C. Russell) occupied the chair and in a few words introduced Mr Thompson, who said he was very pleased to address such a splendid audience, and hoped by appealing to their common sense to show that the prohibition cause was wrong". They should .avoid a confusion terms. Prohibition is one thing 'but temperance may- ".be quite another thing". We all want to see a nation which is strong-, sober and temperate. Temperance means all that, but prohibition is in another category. Behind it you have the rjoliceman, the magistrate and gaol. He belonged to Scotland, the bonniest country in the world. He scarcely knew of one man who did not use whisky. Yet drunkenness was practically non-existent. THE LIQUOR BILL. It has been said "If the people of New Zealand would only do without their 'beer and their wine they would be so much in pocket," bur to blot out an industry is to take away from the community just the amount now spent, -and the community is consequently so much poorer. The amount now spent p-oes in rents, goodwills, wages to 7,000 to 10.000 neople every day of the year. It includes payment for hops and all the other thintrs required. In the long run prohibition will steep your country in drunkenness and something worse. He had rjrev!ously published a challenge which was not 'accepted athough hn offered \n let the prohibition party appoint their own auditors. Regarding the cablegram from "Maine to the effect that prohibition was such a success, did Mr Taylor them that 'Governor Cobb who sent the cable was a partisan of the prohibitionists? Did Mr Taylor tell 'them that since then; Governor Cobb has changed his views arid now seeing fhe resultant evils of prohibition, 'heartily condemns it as a failure? He challenged Mr Taylor, M.P., to come to Greymouth, and he would come down from Wellington. His Worship the Mayor to; preside. Mr Taylor could appoint one' accountant and he would appoint another, the Mayor to announce to the audience the correctness or otherwise of the figures which are contained.. in the now famous ,£IOOO challenge. "If," said -Mr Thompson, "My figures are wrong, I will walk off. the platform and will never say another word against prohibition. If I am right — let Mr Taylor acknowledge .that he is Mr Thompson then quoted from official statistical books of the United States Government which emphatically declared the* superiority of a. Tegulated liciuor trafflr. over prohibition, and which, inter alia, mentioned th^ experience that a. well reffulated linuor 'raffle is of er^Pt^r g-oorl to the neone than prohibition. MOST DRUNKEN STATE IN AMERICA. Surely 60 years is a fair test, contir>ued the speaker and what is the result? To-day Maine is the most drunken State in America. Mr Taylor cannot disregard the experience of other parts of the world. He appealed to MiTaylor, in the name of common honesty to come • here and disprove his (the speaker's) figures, and he would show they are right. . You are told that 50 or 60 millons are living under prohibition in America. How is it (that the liquor 'bill is rising and has for years, that the amount of ale consumed per capita is over 23 gallons per head per year. There must be something wrong with prohibition. If •the statement that 50 or 60 millions are living under prohibition is correct, then the amount consumed should be only 2 gallons pcr 1 head. It is impossible to get behind the official statistics of America. The workers of America have been examining this question for themselves, and have declared themselves in no uncertain voice, and say in a proclamation that "experience has shown that prohibition does not accomplish what is claimed. It is demoralising, as engendering deceit, sly drinking, and innumerable other vices." When you get a body of men representing 285---000.. workers in America, and when they tell you that prohibition fosters hypocrisy and drunkenness you must believe it? He knew Ashburton very well. Fancy, Mr Chairman, Mr Taylor telling you that he .believes there are 6 or 7 sly grog shops in Ashburton. Better twenty open hotels than one sly grog shop. The man who goes into the latter is acting a liar. He is acting a sneak and from the very moment you teach a man to tell lies, his self respect vanishes. To Inspector Black he would say "administer the licensing laws as strictly and impartially as you can" and he would n>t him on the back even- time. He respected the diameter of the people BRITISH FREEDOM. What has made the British people what they are to-day? Compare them with other races, and you can see the Briton is^a man of freedom? Emerson ithe great writer, condemned prohibition. He said, "I am a fanatic for freedom. From .1903 to 1908, ' 102,988 gallons, 3,388 bottles and 8,---788 of liquor cases were taken, into Ashburton. When Mr Seddon said that if they wanted no-license, they should also have no liquor, rthe prohibitionists rose up in alarm. They did not want that. Oh- no, 'but he personally would, say that, if he believed what the prohibitionists, did, he would ban every drop of liquor from the country. In that day's papers they learn' that the Rev. Ed Walker says that he • thinks the act allows a'^ man to make liquor for himself, under total prohibition. What nonsense! What is to prevent two, three or a thousand combining to manufacture enough ior the lot and parcel it out nicely. It is absurd. The law •says "shall not manufacture." Coming to the moral question. It has been talked about all over New Zealand for the past fifteen years, yet tliey get no nearer the mark. Why? Because the people resent the interference with their liberty, won for them hundreds of years ago. If those in our pulpits would appeal to man to use^ more control over themselves. New Zealand- would be in a better state to-day. Men never can be made good by legislation. There are, of course, things which are wrong, per sc ; but it is not wrong, per se, for a -man to have a glass of beer or wine. So long as the attcmnt is made tcr reform people by prohibitive repressive measures, it will never, never succeed. He quite believed that the intentions of those opposed to him were good., but so were the intentions pfi those who sent people to the stakn in, the early days for the glory of Ood. We are 'told somotim>s "that Christ was a prohibitionist. Fc was notivn? of thf kind. H/- on one or. mad" 120 gallons of wi"<\ T)\ f ] He "lean them no* to "so i<-. . > Tnafpli. In evcrv point He was a t>.->d pjpnnnr men. He did no*, tpprfc tb*»ni nrohihitinn. Dr. Salmon of P'medin has spoken as a prophet. He; says

that prohibition ' will work marvels, but there comes 'the recoil, perjury, hypocrisy, meanness, cowardice, subterfuge, contraband, insincerity, and verily, the last state is worse than the first. The right way is an appeal to the good sense of the inner man. He appealed to them therefore to look at these things in the light of reason and. to prove themselves worthy of the free . British race of which they were worthy descendants. (Applause). A vote of thanks to the chair terminated a most successful meeting.