A PROHIBITION PARTY.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 147, 9 May 1901, Page 3

A PROHIBITION PARTY.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —It la unfortunate that the name Prohibitionist has been adopted by the New Zealand advocates of No License. The term properly describes the party in America whose aim is to abolish the liquor traffic there by Act of Parliament. The supporters of the liquor traffic frequently misrepresent New Zealand Prohibitionists as having the same aim. It is therefore necessary that our Prohibition speakers and writers should be careful in the use of terms, lam led to make these remarks on account of a sentence occurring in an article in last Saturday’s Advertiser, under the heading of “ Temperance Items.” The writer says, in effect, that circumstances are forcing the Prohibitionists of New Zealand into the position of saying to Parliamentary candidates in future, “ You must be a Prohibitionist if you expect us to consider your claims.” Probably he means that we should vote only for men who can be trusted to oppose such retrograde legislation on the liquor question as the Government introduced last year. If so he voices the opinion of all.active Prohibitionists, but his words will easily bear the objectionable meaning that he advocates the formation of a distinct party in Parliament, having- Jfor jits aim the prohibition o.f the liquor traffic by Act of Parliament. To many intelligent 'persons teetotaller and prohibitionist are synonymous terms. They are not so by any moans. A New Zealand Prohibitionist is one who, at the licensing poll, votes “No License.” Many teetotallers are not Prohibitionists, and many Prohibitionists are not teetotallers. A Parliamentary candidate may be a good man for the Prohibition Party in .the country without .being, personally, either a .teetotaller or a Prohibitionist. Ail we need demand is that he is of good character, will resist the encroachment of the liquor monopoly, and give the people the' fullest control qf the traffic, aveh to .its abolition by their direct vpte.—l atp, etc,, Vox PoPULI.