THE NO-LICENSE CAMPAIGN.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3039, 9 November 1908, Page 5

THE NO-LICENSE CAMPAIGN.

SECOND VISIT OF MR H. D. BEDFORD. VARIOUS ADDRESSES. Mr H. D. Bedford, who is lectur- , ing throughout the Dominion in the interests of the No-License Party, commenced a five days' campaign in this electorate at Masterton on Saturday evening, when he addressed a crowd of six or seven hundred people in Church Street, at the Queen Street intersection. Mr Bedford, who commenced his address at 9 V .15 o'clock, stated that the train had been, delayed three-quarters of an hour, and he therefore was prevented from commencing earlier. His first duty was, he said, to issue a warninggto the general public against giving credence to the '"tacts" produced by the Liquor Party at the last moment of the campaign. The "trade" were, a month prior to the election, coming to light with all sorts of assertions, which, if they were true, should have been disclosed ' long ago. The speaker referred to the tactics in stuffing the post offices of the Dominion with literature to be delivered on a given date just prior to the election, which contained matter which, whether true or not, was unable to be replied to by the No-License Party. On the other hand, it said enough for the justice of the No-License cause when the party which advocated it brought their facts and figures before the public long ago. In fact, the earlier the public had them the better the No-License Party liked it, as they were so convinced of the benefits to be obtained by No-Liconse that they were only too willing for the public to have plenty of time to digest the matter furnished to them on the subject. Mr Bedford next made reference to a point concerning tne consumption of whisky in a certain boarding-house in Invercargill. It was & fact that this boarding-house had had sent to it in two months eight cases of whisky. The Liquor Party had magnified this eight cases into three hundred cases in New Zealand, and to eight hundred cases in Sydney and London. (Laughter.) The "trade'" even desseminated their false statements concerning New Zealand in other parts of the world. Then why did not the Rev. W. Thomson, who came back from Maine, U.S.A., some months ago, "armed with facts against No-License," bring his alleged facts before the public until just a month prior to the election? Simply because those "facts" were like other "trade" facts—they would not bear the light of examination, and the Liquor Party did not want to give their opponents any chance to get the real truth from Maine. Regarding the statement published by the Liquor Party that drunkenness was on the decrease in Dunedin, the speaker stated that it was found, on investigation, that the Government figures supplied to the Liquor Party on this point from headquarters at Wellington were incorrect, some inadvertent mistake having been made. The actual police records themselves in Dunedin showed that drunkenness was clearly on the increase. Several interruptions caused the speaker to make reference to tactics of same sort adopted in Woolston. ; Labour in various parts of the Dominion was on the side of No-License. In Wellington the Trades and Labour Conference had passed a resolution recommending the workers to vote for No-License, in favour of ultimate State control, which showed how they viewed the present condition of affairs. In Auckland, one nnion, and at Dunedin five unions, representing six hundred men, had likewise affirmed the principle of No-License. In Invercargill all the Labour Unions, who saw the great benefits of NoLicense, had unanimously endorsed the experiment. At this stage of j the address an individual, who had persistently interrupted the speaker, mounted the lorry from which Mr Bedford was making his address, in order to make a speech himself. Mr Bedford alluwed him to attempt this, but the crowd kept up a fire of banter and the proceedings closed. On Sunday afternoon Mr Bedford gave another address from the grandstand of the Park. A children's demonstration had been arranged, and nine hundred and fifty children, marshalled by their teachers, representing the Presbyterian, Anglican, Methodist and Congregational denominations and the Salvation Army, formed a procession through Queen Street, headed by the Army band. Members of the Rechabite Tent and the Independent Order of Good Templars were also in the procession. On arrival at the Park the children were accommodated in the grandstand, while on the oval a large crowd gathered to hear Mr Bedford. The Rev. A. Hodge (Congregational Church) opened proceedings with the prayer. Mr Bedford said the demonstration was one of the finest spectacles he had seen, and worthy of a cause which made for the welfare, of the young. It was good to contrast the cause the No-License Party represented, the cause of the. purity and innocence of children with that for which their opponents strove, which was the cause. of self and money. The No-License Party were willing to sacrifice their money in the cause, while the Liquor Party, on the contrary, were ready to sacrifice noble manhood and womanhood in the cause of money for themselves. The church, the school, and other like institutions, were making for the uplifting of humanity, but who would assert that the public bar was doing the same? Who would say that the building up of character and intellectual development was » function of the licensed liquor house? The speaker had never yet met the brewer who was pleased because his son frequented a public house, nor the publican who was delighted to see his children patrons of the liquor bar. This showed there was something wrong with such a traffic. How easy it was to destroy,by the liquor habit, in a month or two, noble young characters which had taken twenty or thirty years to build up! The liquor bar had never, on its part, built up one noble man —not a solitary inspired person of great, attainments could say that he drew his inspirations and ideal from the public house. The country had arrived at the stage when it should desist from spending four million pounds a year in drink.. Mr Btedford passed on to

refer to the evil effects which indulgence of liquor by parents had upon the health and inflect of children. He quoted Dr Bernardo, who declared that 90 per cent, of the homeless children of London were the offspring of drunken parents. George R. Sims was also quoted as having said that 90 per cent, of the neglect of children of the United Kingdom, and the death or depreciation in health of over 500,000 children per year in the British IsJes was due to the liquor trade. Then again, drink caused the death by overlaying of parents of 600 infants per year in the Old Country, and 50 per cent, of these cases occurred on Saturday nights, when the workers' wages went in drink. Medical authorities were also quoted to show large percentages of mothers wholly or partially incapable of naturally rearing their children, solely due to the influence of moderate or excessive drinking habits. The investigations of doctors,had also shown the alarming effects of drink in causing children to be born mentally denV.jnt in intellect. Evidence was forthcoming from a Dunedin Sister of Compassion to the evil caused in that city by drunkenness, while on the other hand Balclutha, where Prohibition had been in force for ten years, could give the world and the Dominion a magnificent record of its doings under No-License. In his summing up of the situation, Mr Bedford asked was it not more safe to fence a precipice than to leave it exposed and have the ambulance waiting at the bottom to carry away those who toppled over. He closed with a strong appeal to his hearers to support the cause of No-License, if only for the sake of the children. (Loud applause). Mi' Bedford Was accorded a hearty vote of thanks by acclamation for his address.

The Salvation Army Band played selections before and after the address. Collections taken up among the people realised a very substantial sum.

The Town Hall was crowded in the evening when Mr Bedford yave his third address. The chair was occupied by the Rev. J. N. Buttle.

Mr Bedford made the tone of his address to lay in the direction of showing the evil effects of alcohol on the body, mind and soul. He expressed the strong convictions held by the great physician, Sir Frederick Treves, and also General Kitchener, in favour of total abstinence. Mr Bedford quoted the lives of great genuises, who were cut off in the flower of their youth by excessive alcoholism. If only to save the national mind, said the speaker, it was incumbent on the people of the Dominion to strike out the top line. There was something even grander than the mind which needed consideration the soul, the moral nature of mankind. The mind and the body were the servants of the moral instincts, which were only used to further good or bad instincts. The speaker had met men who, through drink, had become thoroughly impervious to any moral appeal for good. Not one man in a thousand would, unstimulated by wine or strong drink, beat his wife or do a similar act denoting moral turpitude. Yet how often did the Police Court records show that the drunkard was guilty of acts of moral wickedness? The "trade" had had a very bad year this year in .New Zealand. Some terrible things had occurred through drink, which revolted the whole Dominion. In the Masterton electorate alone case 3 had occurred One at Eketahuna on the night of the last election, the speaker said, he need not refer to—the people would remember it well. Also with the Mauriceville case which the "trade" —"Charity"—had said "Oh, don't mention it." In other parts of New Zealand—at Sterling, for example—the death of persons had been registered under terrible circumstances, the surrounding facts being simply reeking in drink. The speaker referred to the Gisborne "lambing down" case, and declared that a case of the kind occurred only recently in Masterton, according to a reliable person. Mr Bedford concluded with an appeal to his hearers to vote right in a cause which had God behind it. (Applause). The Benediction was then pronounced, and the meeting closed.