Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, FEB. 5, 1898. Prohibition Which Does Not Prohibit.

Manawatu Herald, 5 February 1898, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, FEB. 5, 1898. Prohibition Which Does Not Prohibit.

Continuing the consideration of the scandal that is in our midst, and elsewhere, of prohibited persons being seen in a Btate of intoxication, we find that there exists a wrong impression as to what liabilities are incurred by the prohibited person who obtains drink. We shall set forth our view, which is the one we believe to be the right view, but before any action is taken it is possible for the porson desirous of giving the necessary information as to the illegal proceedings of these panderers to the drunkard, to take further advice. Of course the people who complain about the gross intern perance of others are generally the wives of men who have given up all consideration for their homes and families in order to indulge in conduct which for pure .BeIn9MQSs and heartlessnea3 it would be Ympo-sible to parallel. These unfortunat-.-women are the greatest suffa-erg, it m they who have to slave from lmru to night in order to ki^p the wolf from the door, and, horrible though t is that it should have to be said, foave to find a stray sixpence now tnd again to purchuse a further 'apply of liquor for tho father of the family. People unaware of the miseries of the drunkard's home, little know how imperative these ieraands for drink money become, tnd how frequently it ia given to ward off a blow or to save a curse. The abject misery of the drunkard also appeals to the womanly heait and the hard-earned sixpence is given r,o win once more a smile or pleasant word from one who in years past had b. en taken as partner for better or worse. When spoken to, these wives turn round and want to know .vhy the police do not do their duty and catch the lazy gang of pan- , Icjrefs. How can the police do so .viihout assistance ? and who mortble to lond that assistance than hose who daily notice that this evil 3 being done ? We believe that we lave di c cov rrd one of the many .suainit g influences at work which lave hith. rto kept the women silent ibout the actions of the.se men who vickedly ignore the evil that they •re doing and secretly supply the prohibited person with drink. In ;<>nversation with one woman we found a link and to break it is the object of this article. The wives have to keep drunken husbands or else abandon them, and for the oduutiful reasons to be found exist**nt in most men's wives, the love of oast days that is too enduring to be >vlped out even after years of suffering, the husband h kept both for his own sake and for that of his children. Che poor prohibited person, with all us guilt and all his folly, must not oe hurt,U)ut vengeance most dire is o be meted out to those who lead him astray. These views are most dithering to U. 9 tt)Pn a3 well as endowing women with that chanty vh»ch we are told covereth a multi tude of sins, bub at the same tivnc makes the detection of evil doers a difficult task. What we desire to how is, that in our opinion th^ punishment of those who supply liquor to the prohibited person can be obtained without hurt to thf family of that person ac, verily, the fining of such a person m> ans that he wife gets punished much more than the sinner. For some reason, which at present is not clear, th? idea is abroad that the prohibited person is equally liable to a fine a* the person who supplies him, and if it is made clear that he is not, then every injured wife will feel free to help the law, and justice will be meted out. In our opinion the prohibited person runs no risk of punish ment for receiving drink from private persons. The prohibition is against his obtaining liquor from any licensed person within the area the prohibi tion refers to. If men make him » present of liquor or he rrpaya them for their expenditure, the prohibited perpon does nothing wrong, for h« can even go into another district and • j nter an hotel and get supplied with liquor therein without being' guilty of an offence. The person 1 ? who in any way, directly or indiree'ly. nmenrpp liquor for him or mci es or assists him to procure or drink liquor are liabl« to a penalty not exceeding T"n pound?. Thiiß we believe every 'njured woman can saMy give every to tho police without phicing her husband in danger, une*s ha h;i open" to be caught drunk >tt the same time the parsons supplying or inciting him to drink were secured.