THE PROHIBITIONIST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3966, 18 November 1891, Page 2

THE PROHIBITIONIST.

Published by the courtesy of the Editor of Wairarapa Daily under the auspices of the Neio Zealand Alliance for the prohibition of the liquor traffic, Masterton Auxilixry.

When ratepayers demand the entire-ex-tinction of all places for the sale of liquors their prayer should be granted. — Charles Buxton, Brewer.

[Communications tor this column mui>; be addressed to "The Prohibitionist' care of Editor of Waibaxapa Daiii.]

In Masterton there is a general agreement that the liquor traffic is an evil. The publicans and their patrons very frankly admit that being an ••evil" it must be regulated. The Prohibitionists affirm that the right method is prevention and prohibition. The absurdity and wickedness of regulating an " evil " may be made dear by such considerations as the following : 1. The publican enjoys an unjust monopoly. Six people in Masterton are authorised to sell strong drink, and the remaining 4000 are prohibited. If the traffic be good and useful then all should be permitted to engage in it. If be evil theu none should be allowed to drive it. To license a few men and make three fourths of all the paapers and criminals for the unlicensed citizens to support, is a burden that yirtuous people may well resist. An attempt thus to privilege a few men only to sell day goods or groceries would be resisted as absolutely tyrannical. And yet it would be as wise, at least, to permit a few men to mou»polise the traffic in useful articles as it is to permit an equal number to monopolise the sale of nice fecdiiig commodities. If one eell, let all who please sell; if one is prohibited, let all be prohibited from selling, except for meehanical and medicinal purpose. 2. If one " evil" be perpetuated and regulated in Maste. ton and throughout the polony, why may not others be lessened also ? A witness before a Legislative License Committee said that we must license ranaselling because men will dave the traffic in spite of law. " After all your efforts to suppress the sale, there are hundreds of whiskey sellers Soill," he said. On being asked if we must not, for the same reason, license gambling and houses of ill-fame, he admitted that we must, and said that tins is done in France. He was honest. The reasons urged for licensing ramselhng alike demand licensed gamblers and prostitutes. Thousands of them still jnfest our colony i» spite of law, therefore we ougjit to regulate their infernal business by licensing it. 3'. The regulating of -he liquor evil in Masferton violates the right of property, Ei.cb man in society has a right to yse his property as will provided he does ndi use it so as to infringe upon the right* of others. If whiskey selling makes three fourths, or even one fourth, of the paupers and criminals for the law-abiding citizens to support., tli6n to license it is to allow one class of mea to violate the right of propeaty vested in others. 4. The traffic in strong d Link, whether licensed or unlicensed, corrupts the mi.-i £*flrawl in it. The advocates of a licensed law S*F we must license respectable men. " Evil communications corrupt good manners." Will the coarseness, and profac* room promote their nwals 1 If one of these reepeclahU ' men should put up the notice in his j dramshop, S'o swearing allowed here — Good manners a.idgood morale re-J quired of customers, the latter would laugh in ljis fapa. The business is demoralising, and cannot be made o.heiwjse, and hence it js wrong to license it. 8. What good does the licensed whisky seller do in the community ? We look at him simply as the. seller of alcohol. Draymen, boot-blacks, jsjiimneysweepsj or scavengers dp some good. Thou work is indispensable. But what good does the whisk/ seller do ? Does he assist in educating the young i> No ; he increases ighoia ?oe. Does he diminish taxes ? No ; he mere than doubl-s them. Does he multiply churches ? No ; he multiplies prisons and alms-houses. What folly then to license a man to sell Btroog drink when we can not name any good that he can do. 6. Some people distinguish between the respectable and disreputable public houses. They say strike at the badly conducted houses and you will abate the drink evil, The fact is that the so called respectable houses are the more' dangerous. If only one class must be licensed, let that clas3 be the lower one; for wrecks of humanity only patronise these. It is less injurious to society to destroy them than i*. is to destroy our strongyoupg mon in fashionable, resorts. Drunkards are made in the latter places, they are only finished in the former-