PROHIBITION MEETING IN DUNEDIN. AN EXTRAORDINARY SCENE. Dunedin April 7.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 254, 11 April 1888, Page 5

PROHIBITION MEETING IN DUNEDIN. AN EXTRAORDINARY SCENE. Dunedin April 7.

At the Harrison Hall ln<t evening Mr Houchin- replied to tho-e who luuleuticiml his foimei lecture on the liquoi trallie. but the meeting wa- unexpectedly -toimy. In conclusion, before he sit down, he mentioned that the local option poll for the city would take place on the 16th iiihl., and appealed to tho-c pie-ent to ax! iho cause ot prohibition. Theienpon Mi ,lameWilson, proprietor ot Well Pa ik Ureueiv,, rose from the both of tin hall and a^kod ■whether Mi Houehin- Mould attend there and di-cu:=s the question. Theieupon the follow ing ocvut ied - Voice. That's Wil-on. the I a ewer. Wilt-on : c-, that s in\ name. 1 m Wil-on thebiewet unii n uption am! hiiiio hisses) (To Mr Hoiiehm- . I Junea-ned >O u— -will you come theietothe Town Hall and discus- the quorum, ill do it. > Mr Hoiuluu- Aie you addte-mg me ' Mr Yilsou \es' 1 m a-kmu \ou pubMr Honehui- sud -onuihmg about di» during the nuttei m the ••Time-" <md ' k Star" ' Mr Wilson (c\citedh \ No, m a puUie hall (His-e- and kind un>. "•Put him out ' ") Mr Honolulu- no audie.n c) lNie- no use in all that now Mr Vv 11-ou Not a bit iL»«ughtu ) Let ? have if all tan and -t[iuio. Mi Houehiu- lieu nmtulMi \\ 11-on to come on the piattoim. .\nd the audience bo coining e\cind 10-e m then -e.it-. the scene bemir one ot meat contu-ion Mi WiUoti uu u'pU t V< . I won t '(ami wa-< greeted with mmgled i heei- and houtmfl as he advanced iiom the pluttoim i Mr liouelnns Come up and tace the audience Mi Wilson continued -peakiu<_r and goticulatuiu. but. owmu t>> llu upiwai. U «^ impossibfe to heat a woid he said Mi Houchmt- (to audience) Hold on now. Mr Wilson (to Houclun-^ 1 havenevu seen you in m> lite ln\oie now, -n ; hut m thi- city whei'e we now Inr I lia\i lu-m tbmy two \«.ai?. nul I d^u t i.ue twopence about \ou. but I w ill — Mr Houclnus The audieiice <an ! heal you (Jet up on che platfuttu Mr WiNon Not I. Mr Houehin- Well it >"ii won t get up on the plattoim tlu\ won t listen to \ou The confu-ion at tlu-> -tage l eached a clima\. and amul the babble ot ton^ue? coiiki be lv\iul load me- ot •' Plattoim, j)lattorm ' and " Put him out Mi Houeiun- \to 'uidicncei . Hold on; keep quiet. What do you want to goon with that noise fo\ "' Mr Wilson again -aid he w a- willing to meet Mr Houehms }»übhcl>. and the ditui banco continued. Mr HouoluiK : I call him to order. 1 m chaiiman of this incetitiL r L.tdic- and gentlemen, plea-e kee[) > oiu -eat-, lam chairman m\ -elf, and now luant to k L ,,p outer. I call \ou to older, -u. Mr Wil-on *M\ piopo^ition i? thi-, : that you r the Pve\' Mi Houehin-]— l don t know" who you ar-\ and nevn -au you in my life befoie— ha\c dehbei.itel) m-ulted my.-elf and a laijjc numlicr ot ptopl'^ in tin-, community, and i challenge \ou to meet me at the Tow n Hall vii th'j morning ot the poll. Here a man advanced tiom the body Oi the hall and said, "Can't >ou jiU i chanman'.'' Aftei a few word- with Mi Wil-on, he turned lound to the audience and a-ked, "Will any gentleman take the chair"' There wei'e very loud ciie? foi Mi Dick, and th >t gentleman at once came foi w aid and stepped on to the plattoim ami. 1 nug ing cheer? fiom the audience. He ad dieted himself to Mr Wil-on. a aj ing; hiparty weie not at all a-hamed or afiaid of the argument- ot tho-e oppo-cd to them. They wished to hear them to the veiv utteimost. He told Mi Wil-on he would be much better heaid up theie on the platform. He could not hear him. Mi Wilson- Well, you aic vcr\ deaf--deafe»" than I have e\cr known \ou to be before (Crie- of •' Put him oat.") Mr Wilson, emphatically You won t put me out. To the Chaiiman: ill zepcat ■whac I said, sir, if you 11 a-k the people j to be quiet. (After attempting un-ucet,— > fully to make himself hcatd ) Well, all 1 j ha\e to -ay i-> that the} rlon i want to , listen? I lepeat what I ?aid betoie. that if "thi- gentleman w ill meet me at the Town Hall°on the day of the election. T will di->-cus= the question on the platform n-< J have tlono before. If he doc^ not choose to do it I will brand him as I have done other gentlemen calling themselvts reverend g-ento in this town before that he is not" a ie\erend gentleman at all. (Uproar. ) Mr Dick . I- the Town Hall available on that day? Mr Wilson I mean or) the platform, the public platform from wheie the Councillor have often cpoken. (Hooting) I'm not here to be hooted by a packed meeting. Let them come forward to the Town Hall and I'll address them. That's fair Mr Dick: Ob, your would not be heard in the public street. Can t you go inside ? Mr Wilson : Don't you believe it -to a packed meeting to be hooted like thi<-. Mr Dick : There is no packing. Mr WiKon : Oh. don't you -cc it X packed '' Mr Dick Well, name another night. Mr \Vil«on : 111 meefc him ;it that place where you have addicted your '•ou-ti'"uents hundreds oi time-, -in front of rhe Po?t.Office. Mr Dick : Why i.ot in a building It rna\ ' c va i'" n Kr \ViL-on : Pjocausc J Minplv object to do* it -J r Jll weut him there as you have done many u t ime > b ' ifoi( ' fclu> people, until we put you ou *• (Laugh tei.) Mr Dick • I nosy y° u ( ""- ' ' vas ' 00 fetaunch a teetotaler for you. Mr Wilson • For on( '- i ou und J have never exchanged a .^billing. You have lived on the public since you came here and you cannot, live any longer- kicked yoi , oufc at the lasfc genetal election, and you cannot live any longer. {Mr Wilson Wa - again interrupted by loud cries and hooting from the audience, but he continued .speaking and asked what righfc had Mr Dick there He continued bo make offensive remarks about Mr Dick, .saying something about his trying to live, and get sympathy out of the " tee otal racket.") Mr Dick ignored his remarks and asked him to meet Mr Houchins in any public hall, a remark that was greeted with a loud outburst of applause. Mr WiUon : I'll meet him where you have often met all youi constiLutents on the common platform at the Provincial Buildings or at the Town Hall. That's fair enough. A voice (from the rear of the budding) : " Will you be sober by that then '!" (Great iaughter).

Mr Wilson continued to speak amid great interruption, and even by those near him only fragmentary sentences could bo heard. Ho was, however, heard to protest. that he would not, address himself to a lot of women (a remark that was greeted with : loud hooting and groaning), nor yet to a 1 lot of od, imbecde men. He then' twitted Mr Dick with having sold whisky and biandy. Mr Dirk : No. Mr Wilson : I say it i.s a he, sir ! Mr Dick: I sold ale and nine when F lir-t came Ml Wilson : Ayo, and whLsky and brandy and "in, too. It you deny it. 111 publish you over the length and breadth ol Kew Zealand a? a liar. (tJreat uproar. ) I Fore a man came up to Mr Wilson, cvi dentlj with the intention of putting him out. and M>vetal otheis, pome of ' them h tends of Mr Wilson ru.-hed up, and in a second he was mii rounded l>y about 20 or 30 poisons audlo.-l topiiiht. The audience both m the yallery and downstairs to.so m their M % at-.atc\* timid poisons* nude tor the dooi.s, ami a seme of gic.U contusion endued. Mi W ilson was tlueatened b\ one or two men \\ ho w is hod to put him out, but a btnh fiotelkeem i stood at his elbow, and tlneatenod to di>ii^ure ( he countenance of am man \\ ho d, ned to Jay a hand on Mr Wibon KVv. Mi llo'ichui-, \\ i(h fie lion T Dick at his side. «>u- now standing at tiie fiontof thepl.iUotm holding as much coincide as w,\s possible amidst the hoohoomi; ot the aiKiienee with Mr Wilson, who stood with a few hunds beneath the plat foun, hemmed in b\ a eiowd Rev. Sli lloutliim- jeptmtetl in a loud \ oiee f hat he was i cad) and willing t<»(hfecusf, the question with Ml WiNon. Mi Wilson \ e-. 1 Ikho been hen 34 > e.u s, and \ou cm ask an\ one whol am i I \\ ant to Iviiovr who \ ou aio ' | lic\. Mi Houchius My name i- \\ .S. 1 llouehins , Mi \\ ilson \\ heie do }ou come i\o\n ' Ke\ Mi HouehitKs. -w ill) a ot his aims, cued "Old l\cntiuk\. at wlm h | |oke thcie weic ioais of lauuhier Ihhii the j indienee, and Mi Houehins added. • Wheio j thes made the be-l Bouillon w!n-k\ that !o<.t went dow n a m m s tin oat i 1 Mi Wilson then attempted to >,t\ some | thin «i. w hicli the ciowd siuiouiuhu^ him made inaudible ; Ke\. Mi Houohin- 1 am quite n«'d\ tv j discu-s wuh \oiu onl\ dun t let us di-eu-s j all ci cation. You m\e me >out piopo.si ' tioiis in w iitin^, -o tliat 1 ean, in an<4c n\\ ' spoeeii I Mi Wilson 1 di-tinetl\ -a\ thai I will niLCt uni at the Town Hall oi an) wheic el~t d w d{ be kind enough to oidei \oui louud about heie to lit me speak Re\ Mi Houehins said he would meet Mi Wilson, but would not allow him to choose the place ; if inu-t be chosen h\ others M.i W ils ii said hcwasaetecablc, and between that ami the election da\ he would loam something about Mr Houchm?. The | latter could learn aiuthinu" ho wanted abnut hnnselt (\\ iUon\ : he could ask! Mr J)uk the thaiiman Mi WiUon ' was plot ceding to say something tuithei ; when he was mteiiupted b\ a Mi (.owe near him in the ciowd, who tried to shout him down, and talked about the punelunir , ot heads. On another brewci, Mr Me- ! (•a\ in, tin ill n «i his head in his dneetu.n, Mr (iowe, howi'Mi, concluded hit« inteiieienee abmptl\, and h.u no more heaul. Mi Dick then lai-ed his \oict and i said — One «ui(J At las[ mcc(ai<r 1 \en- ■ tured to pionounce the Bent diction. Let me \entine to do it a^ain Mr Dick then extended his hands and pi<> nounctil the lltnedu tion with a setthinu tumult below him .sonu ot theandieiii» listened, -oint lau^heil, and thi te Was ilir n a dispeision.