Folly, Farce, Fraud.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 21 November 1911, Page 2

Folly, Farce, Fraud.

WHY MAINE WENT BACK ON

PROHIBITION,

CLERICAL AND OFFICIAL

TESTIMONIES

nnHE preaching of tho Q-ospel has X been set aside by the Rev. R. S. Gray in order that ho might lecture upon prohbition in Maine and other American States. We know from the Press Association telegrams —not from tho Prohibition faked telegrams—that a majority of -lfi,000 in 1881 was converted into a majority of 20 against prohibition on September 12th, 1911; and we know from press correspondents that even Jargo numbers of temperance people in Maine voted .out PROHIBITION from their State because it wa« nothing but FOLLY, FARCE and FRAUD'.

Tho P>oynl Canadian Commission found thnt Prohibition in Mnino bad utterly failed. As for extinguishing the. liquor traffic "it had only driven tho tiado into other ;oul moro mischievous forms."

The New Voice, the official organ of the National Prohibition party in America, says thnt after a futile attempt was made to drive ont the sly grog-seller with his bad lirpor, "the old offer dors returned, resumed selling, ami were not molested. And an era of lawlessness began in Portland that has steadily increased until the present." Thus prohihition and no-license turned the chief city of Maine into a state of lawlessness and made it a hotbed of corsuption and immorality—the frm'ts •of prohibition and no-license. Licensing nnd control are surely preforablo to these.

Tire Rev. A. H. Wright, pastor 'of the St. Lawrence Congregational Ohnreh, Portland, called public attention to tho abandon of the -..ity under prohibition in this langnige quote from tho Portland Extvoc.s report): Tlio condition of things hero is simplv amazing to all honest, unprejudiced nnd " riglit-miiT'l'-.fi eiti'/en.q." Tll ]\rnino the prohibitionists fondly imagined they lv , ro driving out one alleged evil. but it was erdv to lot in seven devils of acknowledged vicious' hoinonsit\ss. And thflt is what our prohibitionist friends are wanting to do for Wellington.

Tho Rev. Poplin T. TTnck. of ! the S'voi'd P.nrisli CongreomUon.'"! C>nreh, Portland, Tins -il e o sound"d I'no of prohibition in "\fn;:io. and tried ln's ntmoef to kiM it. gaining for himself the hatred alike of thr> pixihibitionist and tho sly-gioo: seller, who worked so slr<-n_ unnslv to sustain the illicit, Mr Hack, from his pulpit, said: ''What is the situation here in our city? Tt is one that slxinios you nnd me nnd every decent man nnd woman to whom home is soored, and reputation, honour, nnd life are dear things. Pinhibition has meant a generation education in lawlessness. Tt has broken down the safognrds that make life, home, and society possible."- Vide Portland Express report.

The "Rev. Loroy R. Bean, of Portlandi, recently delivered a, lecture illustrated with lantern slides entitled "An Evening with the Rum Shops of Portland." What he saw he described as "the. lmrostrnmed reijrn of rum." And "uncovered to the light of Heaven the present corrupt and unblushing character of nn illicit trade, under prohibition." One of the daily papers of Portland rebuked tlv" Rev. Mr Wright or taking too glooiny a view of the state of the city under prohibition Inw ; but ho contended thnt prohibition—"tllO whole thing—is a great hypocrisy." and that silenced tho press. They knew the respected Congregational minister was Wright by name and right by nature.

Those witnesses are not bnissod in favour of the liquor trade. But, liko all hon&st. riaht-thinkino; men find women, they would rather have a clean licensing system than tiolicense, no-regnlation, no-restraint, with pro'liibition the foster-mother of al the abominations and iniquities from which Maine lias suffered foi , sixty years. The, moral degradation thflt followed in the of prohibition utterly appnllod the good citizens of Maine, and thev fouprht openly against tlie prohibitionist and the sir grog-seller and drove their creations out of the State, makinp; a clean licensing system now possible.

We find it difnVnit to believe that the citizens of "Wollinerton will 21 vo much svmpathy to n system of deil\n<i with the liquor busings tlmt drives the de>'ipnin<r prcM'hitionist and_ the wiekcd sly .ero<r-soller .the no-lirenso adyocnte, and the workers of iniqnitv into the snttie ciinp to defend a pnhVv of "follv. farce n,nd fraud," that breeds lawlessness .mid dofrmdes the coroirmnitv rmnernliv. "Whv .should New Z«r>l,nndm\s who love their country and desire tn it nrosner and rise in the sonlo of nations countonnnco t,lie T"nvpmr>Tit fl.nv lon<rov? onlv offo"tiTrn nriswer must hi -, driven n+ +Itr bipn+'box. wh"n o-rovy nrnn nnd wo.nnn v-hn lovos instioo as Tnnn and man a"d a pnnrmiinitv will ont the Vint-t-om line on ballot-ii r i , i= +hp onlr wav te. Zoo]ond w'+h the (\rrrrant im'rrnitie. l ; thnt retarded nnd f V. .nrv-ni;.c:od nnd nearly ovonvlieV-ned Maine*