MR. C.E. BELLRINGER ON PROHIBITION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 143, 8 June 1908, Page 4

MR. C.E. BELLRINGER ON PROHIBITION.

.Sir,—ln Saliiribv's issue yon gave a short report of the speech of our respected townsman. Mr. C. K. iiellringer, at the llawera No-Ucense Convention, in which tluit gentleman mentions (witii a view to similar results here), that in the Southern States of America, with a ]>opulation of twenty millions, after next -January seventeen millions would he under no-lic-ense. Of course this statement and congratulation carry with tliem the idea that we shall do well to copy t'ue example of these people. The view to which so many appear to hold nowadays, that whatever course a large nnmber of people take must of,' necessity he right for us is, I know, a somewhat popular one; "although it j would lie ea-y to show from historical | I precedents tliat contrary i- the ease.. | Nor do I think that Mr. ('. E. HcMringei'l would wish to uphold this view as being 4 soitml one. Uut it is to lie noted thai while lie and other of his friend - would hv no means apply that rtne t>> the .lews of the beginning of the Cliri-- < tian era. as prohibitionists they are very j anxious In uphold it in our day anil especially with reference to America. Well, our cousins of the States fuive done much that is well worthy of our careful and studious attention; one I might go farther and say that many of j their convictions and practices : tre I worth copying hy u«. I will endeavor to I indicate here how well it will he if we U'lieltt by the experience <tf many of the Northern States in the matter of temperance legislation. 1 think few of us who are not carried away hy a zeal without knowledge wi-h to take a pattern hy the Southern State-, with their overwhelming majority of negro voters. I for one—and I sjieak with some practical knowledge ot' tlie race—strongly object to the argument that we ought to follow the lead of the sons of Hani. For not only is it quite true thav the negro is an inferior race to ours naturally, hut ill the Southern states we have the spectacle liu which is involved a mo,t portent ious problem lor our American cousins), of a colored race numerically far stronger than the whites, hut, having thi, added danger that at least 00 per cent, of tliem ale unable to read or write. At the last census the proportion of uneducated negroes was ■J4 l>er cent of the whole Union, and as most ol the Northern negroes are edu-' catcd, I must be well within the mark at putting the proportion as above in the South. Now, Sir, does anyone, even a prohibitionist, iu his saner" and cooler : moments think that a population 0 f j these ignorant negroes is one we ought to be guided by in New Zealand? The leading of the Northern States is in the other direction. After destroying large industries, throwing tens of thousands of people out of work, and extinguishing an enormous amount of capital and thus in numberless instances pauperising innocent people, no less than sixteen States have by very large majorities given up their prohibition laws and gone back to the license Svstem. As the present Duke of Argyll', soon after j letiring from tbe t'Overnor-Gcneralship | of Canada, wrote: 'Trohibition has been ; tried over and over again in the United States and in Canada, and has failed. What reason is there to suppo-e it would be successful here':" Where tile un-ChrUiau law is still in force it has the precisely opposite effect to that an ticijKitcd by its promoter-. Line authority informs ii-, that while London, New York, and Chicago have respccivelv 7. 13 and drunkards per 1000. Portland. Maine, has 42. On the side ot morn suasion we see drinking to excess becoming less and less common, while where the opposite plan is adopted v.e hear of the most awful depravity and Ob-crvu a larger incrca-e in excessive drinking. One would appeal to men ol -Mr. C. K. ISellriiigcr's stamp, who, jt may fairly be assumed, are Christianat heart, to throw aside their leaning on ilie broken reed of the law and with I iii'ii faith and full purpose ol heart put | their activities and zeal into the propo- ; gation of a pure New Testament Cllri-ti--1 anity. Kor my own part. 1 am far j mole anxious to follow Christ than e\ t j so many million- of ignorant and feti-h j wor-hipping negroes, if only a- ;:n \ , periuient.—J a in, etc., i j;. KNIIO 111. i ==.■== I