LIQUOR LEFT OUT.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 October 1918, Page 6

LIQUOR LEFT OUT.

To thu Editor. 1 7

Sir,—The chairman at Monday night's political meeting said that he, hoped liquor would be left out of the question when considering the election ,of a member of Parliament. Yes, of course! That is what the liquor party would like. They want to be left alone; and that the Progressive Democratic candidate—a fine term to mouth—should be really conservative on this point and leave it alone—leave alone one hoary monopoly that produces more misery, crime, sickness, death and disaster than any other trade or custom existing among us! The liquor question is the question of the moment, and to leave it out of consideration would truly b» a Hamlet with the Prince of Denmark left out There are many in our midst who are quite as radical in > their political opinions as Mr Smith who do, and will, regard the liquor question as primary. If any opinion can be formed from what the candidate says it seems plain that his sympathy is with liquor, and, if he should get into Parliament his vote will be for liquor, or at least to "leave it alone." Let Radicals make a radical cure of this injurious trade, by wiping it out; and then we can go forward with clear heads and clean hands to work for all other truly democratic and progressive measures. The man who cannot see that alcoholic drinks are doing an enormous amount of harm, and no compensating good, has not sufficient intelligence to represent the electors of Taranaki; and any man who sees that and yet does not declare himself as right out to do his utmost to remove the cause of so much evil and trouble is not honest enough to be our MP. Mr Smith may try to explain all this, and show why he wishes to keep the liquor question out, but I think he is on the horns of a dilemma —either he does not know (and he ought to know), or he does not care, which is if anything a more serious admission. —I am, etc., G.H.M.