NELSON.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3066, 12 December 1878, Page 1

NELSON.

„ , . Wednesday. ..-The'Good Templar Grand Lodge is still engaged over officers' reports. On Friday they hold a public meeting in the Theatre Eoyal. At the Good Templar Grand Lodge meeting, the following clause of the Grand Worthy Chief Templar's report was adopted:— "We may • rest assured that no Government will take any political action which will effectually control or restrict or suppress the liquor trade until «uch action is resolutely demanded by a Parliamentary majority, backed by public opinion, which will not take no for an answer. It should be our business to aid in the development of that public opinion. Our platform embraces prohibition as well as total abstinence. By the latter we seek to secure ourselves from the evil deeds of others. We endorse the utterance of Professor Bolleston when he Bays ' that the cause of drunkenness is just drinking, and to stop the former we want to discontinue the latter;' but we also take our place by the side of Senator Mervill, when he denonnced the traffic in intoxicating beverages ' as the gigantic crime of crimes,' and agreed with General Neal Dow that to attempt to fight drunkenness with prohibition is like going into the battle-field with blank cartridges.' Brothers and sisters, very soon will the crisis be upon us. A general election looms in the not far distant future. It will be for us to organise our forces so as to exercise that influence on the new Parliament which our numbers and the importance of the issues involved in the war we urge warrant us to expect."