DR HENRY ON LOCAL OPTION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10035, 4 May 1910, Page 3

DR HENRY ON LOCAL OPTION.

AN ADDRESS TO THE MASTERTON EXECUTIVE. The Executive of the Maslerton No-license League extended a hearty welcome to Dr Henry "at a luncheon given in the Kia Ora Tea Rooms ye sterday. About fifty gentlemen were present, including many prominent men as well a3 member 3 of tha Ex-

ecutive. After full justice hadjbeen'done to the excellent luncheon provided if" Duncan McGregor junr. stated that Mr Bridges, their organiser, had at the instigation and on behalf of the Executive asked Dr Henry to lunch, and had invited him tu give thejn some information on the progress of the temperance cause and the methods used in England and the United States, where Dr Henry had had an active tune amongst workers. THE ADDRESS. Dr Henry, on rising to address the meeting was received with a round of applause. After a few introductory remarks on his connection with the work of reformation and regulation, his first addrcs being at the initiation of the great Blue Ribbon movement, which attained such wide proportions, he gave it as his conviction that reform work does not travel on straight lines, but must work zigzag, ever rising till they reached the goal. He was under engagement to the Anti-Saloon League, and worked for them against tne saloon evil. Wnilst to that work he was invited to go to Great Britain and stare the twentieth century by getting one million pledges in three months. He found the i work so full of promise and the need so great that he resigned from the New York League and put in six years' work in Britain with great results. (Applause). During his evangelistic work he never failed to urge the temperance cause on the people, and during his thne he had taken 150,000 pledges. GREAT FORCE AGAINST DRINK. The Anti-Saloon League did a great work. It was a federation of all temperance people on a common platform. It was not possible to form a third political party in the States, and they told Democrats and Republicans alike that on the drink question they rtust drop party polities and unite on the common platform in the cause of temperance. The result was thev could at any tima muster a more numerous, a weightmore respectable crowd against drink than the publicans' side could muster in favour of it. Out of ninety millions of people in the States, 55 millions were living where there was no sale of intoxicants. (Applause.) More than two-thirds of the country was free from the manutacture of strong drink. Last year most of the respectable citizens voted out a thousand of the saloons a month without one penny of compensation to the \ brewers. (Cheers). They expected Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio. Washington, Texas, Arkansas, and California, to vote "dry" this year, although the last was the most difficult place to secure fur prohibition, owing to the vested interests and to its being the greatest wine-producing State in the Union. During the oast ten years not one single Bill had passed the Legislature giving the liquor corner an advantage over their opponents. It was more difficult to send liquor into dry districts than former-" ly in what were called "original packages." Mass meetings were called, and it was resolved:— "1. That we don't want any original packages! "2. That we won't have any originai packages! "3. That we make original packages of the people who send them." (Laughter and applause.) Now, liquor cannot be sent into a dry district without its being labelled on the outside of the package. Heavy *penalties have been imposed on the carriers, as well as the senders, and receivers, and tiiat proved that prohibition does prohibit. TEMPERANCE PRINCIPLES STRONGER TO-DAY. Temperance principles were never so strong as they were to-day. Out of two million engaged in the railway service, all of them wore employed on a temperance basis, even that section of them employed en ordinary labour. Tney signed a promise not to use any intoxicant whilst engaged at their busiaes?. Returns showed as a result that in comparison with for-

mer lines there were fewer strikes, better service, a greater safety for passengers, and workers, and one report showed I hat in Ihe conveyance of three million people not one single life had been lost, and it was attributed by this company to the temperance of the men. The speaker went into statistics to show that the people in the United States were being educated up to No-licerse, and that liquors were consumed almost entirely by aliens, who cumbered (ifceen million of the papulation. He attribuied the temperance of the native born Americans to the scientific teachings of the public schools, where the children were given proofs of the evii effects of dunk until they came to fairly hate it, and fight against it ail they knew. If it had not been for the alien vote temperance would have ruled throughout the country ten years ago. He painted a lurid picture of ihe saloons in the States and the unlawful pur-1 poses for which they wtru use?. s

THE HELP OF THE CHURCHES. The churches had been largely responsible ior the victories scored, and had united againsc this evil. Praying alune would not 1..0, l hey muit vote as well as f-ra.s. The speaker, as an illustration, said a

lot of men had gathered together in Chicago and were anxious to do something for the cause. The President said, "Though you pray like angeli and sing like seraphs, if you don't work like the very devil you'll do no good." (Applause). Mo&t people prayed with their eyes sbur, but they must vote with their eyesopm and thus pave the foundation for a still more glorious victory in the time to come. GOOD WORK BY YOUNG PEOPLE. He dwelt on the good done by the Young People's Christian Endeavour Society in getting temperance pledges signed and referred to the great work done in Ireland in

Father Matthews' days, and if there had then been legislation to give effect to the wishes of the people tlere would not be so many public houses there as there were to-day. Public sentiment and public legislation must go together. The local temperance sentiment was the bedrock of temperance reform, and the Christian organisation was the best organism for the work. He wished | them "Godspeed" in the great undertaking they had in hand., (Loud applause). THE MAJORITY VuTE. In answer to Mr D. Megregor senr., Dr Henry said all their victories in the States had been won on the basis of the majority vote The majority principle was either right or wrong. If right elsewhere it ought to be right here. (Applause). He believed in th° fundamental principle of the majority. Every country should have the option of saying whether they want the drink or not. (Applause.) Mr Jara=s McGregor propped a hearty vote of thanks to Dr Henry for hid address. Previous to the present visit, he said, they had been visited by Dr Lucas of Canada and twice by Mr J. G. Woolley from the United States and the good seed sown by tbem had borne fruit.'l hey had another commision trom t. e West with them now, and if America had got any more "original packages" ot the same sort he would be welcome. (Laughter and loud applause). Their thanks were due to Dr Henry for so kindly meeting thern and for the intelligent, ■ugorous and instructive speech he htd given them. He wished him every success in his mission. The motion was ueconded by Mr 0. Pragnell and carried by acclarm- • Iran, the whole of those present standing. ■ -