PROHIBITION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2625, 24 February 1894, Page 2

PROHIBITION.

The Prohibition campaign opened at Geraldine on Wednesday evening at the Oddfellows' Hall. The chair at the opening of the meeting was occupied by Mr T. H. Dalton, in the absence of Mr W. E. Barker, but the latter turning up later on, took his place as chairman, The hall was just nicely filled, but not crowded.

The Rev. L. M. Isitt, briefly introduced by the chairman, commenced rather dryly with the remark, "I am sorry .to say that I have been on the drunk." The explanation of such a remark was that, coming from Dunedin on Tuesday he (Mr Isitt), was " unwise enough" to indulge in a cup of tea at one of the refreshment rooms on the way, and had been ailing ever since with a bad bilious attack. Consequently Mr Isitt was considerably " out of sorts," and thought fit to apologised, for not being in his usual buoyant spirits. He then proceeded to deal with the Liquor Question, as he has so very often dealt with it in other places. He had on two or three occasions opportunities of speaking to Geraldine people on this subject, but he considered there was just as much need to-day as then for calling on the people to Bweep the drink evil from their midst. Some people looked upon drink as a medicine, but they never dreamt of treating it as other medicines were treated. Whoever heard of codliver oil nightcaps v or codliver oil pick-me-ups ? "No they don't want codliver oil every hour of the day." There was no one thing that had achieved Buch a diabolical record in New Zealand as strong drink had. He challenged contradiction, if anyone held that he exaggerated in his statements, and pointed out that a certain class of people thought it something manly to talk about a Temperance advocate outside the hall, but they were afraid to open their moutni when face to face with him in the hall. In reference to Mr Lewison, Wellington, brewer, J.P., and member of Cruelty to Animals Society, Mr Isitt said this gentleman mounted the bench on Monday to sentence poor unfortnnate drunks who - had got druuk on his (Mr Lewison's) beer on Sunday. This Mr Lewison had declared that there was not much drinking in! New Zealand. And yet, the secular papeis recorded a death or drink tragedy for nearly every day in the month of January 1894. Perhaps the general public were not so cognisant of the true facta of deaths as he (Mr Isitt) and his friends were. Their method to ascertain facts was this : They had small slips printed, and, whenever a serious accident happened in any part of the colony, a slip was at one posted to some person in that place likely to known the true facts of the case, to find out whether drink had anything to do with it. Since he had last been at Geraldine, 2 years ago, he had a large catalogue of accidents from drink, and terrible drink stories he could relate. There was an old adage, " When the Devil was sick, the Devil a Saint would be; but when the Devil was well, the Devil a Saint was he." Anybody could Bee that liquor trade was sick to-day; the publicans themselves could see the " handwriting on the wall." If the

publicans were as anxions for reform of the trade, why did they got commence some system of reformation. Bat no, a meeting of those concerned was held in Wellington, because the trade was in dire distress. They dreaded lest the decision of the judges in the Appeal Court would be against them. Mr Lewiscm was at the meeting, but never mentioned reform; but said " The miserable prohibitionists are going to send that fellow Isitt to America to come back and tell what good prohibition is doing there, and I want you to put a tax on the output of your beer, so that we can send out a man to tell a different tale." But the brewers said "not for Joe." With refernce to the old Licensing Act of 1881, Mr Isitt declared that he could have secured affidavit after affidavit to show that when the law was framed it was meant to give the people the power to close hotels. The Bon. Thos. Dick, and Sir Wm, Fox would have given affidavits, and Mr Wakefield (not a prohibitionist) also concurred with others as to this meaning of the Act. Even the utterance of the ■ Hon. Mr Seddon at the time indicated that the Act gave the power to the people. Yet the judges said " Whatever might have been the intention of the House the intention does not find expression in the Bill." Mr Isitt next severely criticised the new Liquor Bill, and especially pointed out that as it was framed it was a distinct blow to the secrecy of the ballot box. He showed how it was possible to intimidate voters, and keep them from voting. All the publicans' party did iu au election, he mentioned, was to keep their people from voting, and then they knew that whoever paased in to vote was against them. They then placed two rows of touts at the entrance to the polling both with pocket-books and pencils, and every man that voted had to run the guantlet, and was greeted with " All right my boy (if he were a baker), no more bread from you." If the voter was an employee, " We will let your employer know about this." It was always an easier thing to keep people from the poll than to whip them in. When any trade ( thus dreaded the voice of the people there must be something rotten in the state of Denmark. Mr Isitt concluded his address with the recital of a poem of his own composing, each verse winding up with the refrain " The people, yes the people must decide." Mr Isitt was listened to with rapt attention throughout the evening, and was frequently applauded. The chairman thou called for questions, hostile or otherwise, or a speech from anyone on the publicans' side. No one voluuteered a question or a speech, but some mention was made of the local paper, which immediately brought Mr Isitt to his feet.

Mr Isitt : I didn't know Mr Twomey's circulated here. Some of you then must have read in the columns of that paper an account of a discussion. That discussion appears as Mr Twomoy would like it to be, but the account of the discussion is as far away from what it should be, as a newspaper report could be. A Voice : What about that calf \ Mr Isitt: Well I didu't see that calf slaughtered.

On Thursday night there was a larger attendance than on the preceding night tho hall being crowded to the doora. The Kov. A, B. Todd occupied the chair. Mr laitt's subject was " Tho impossibility of regulating the Liquor Traffic." He said it was impossible for any man to draw au exaggerated or even an adequate picture of the horrors of the drink inferno, and yet prohibitionists were accused of making exaggerated statements. Mr Isitt then dealt wich his subject as he did at Temuka and as already reported in our columns. Tho Government were afruid that Sydenham would be in a position to still elect another prohibition, committee, so they cut Sydenham up into four districts. It happened that one license was granted more than the Act provided for, bo the prohibitionists ran the matter into court. When Sir Robett Stout wout to the Appeal Court to carry

through the case for the prohibitionists he found that while the case was actually sub judice the Hon. Richard Seddon had inserted clause 21 in the Liquor Act which validated the illegality at Sydenham, and thus the prohibition party would be let in for costs to the tune of £7OO or £BOO. Mr Isitt described this as an act of political scoundrelism —especially aa it was done while Sir Robert Stout was not present to fight against it—and perpetrated in the interest of brewers and publicans in this colony. When parliament met the prohibitionists intended to have an enquiry made as to the dismissal of Mr Jackman. The question was asked Mr Isitt " Who bore the expenses of legal proceedings in the Sydenham cases for the prohibition party ?" Mr Isitt replied that about £6OO had been raised by the public and the members of tne committee had still to raise from £IOO to £l5O. He very much questioned the wisdom of running temperance committees at the next election, for if they went in for reducing public houses they were in great danger of falling into some legal trap which would put them to great expense. Mr Isitt moved a vote of thanks to the chairman, and said that although he did not think bo harshly of the present Licensing Act as he (Mr Isitt),did yet he showed by his presence that he hoped the cause of temperance should go ahead at Geraldiue. The meeting then closed.