THEATRE ROYAL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4432, 31 May 1893, Page 2

THEATRE ROYAL.

The Rev, i. M, Isitt and the Drink Traffics The Theatre Royal was paoked in all parts last night, when the Rev, L. M. Isitt delivered his farewell lecture in Masterton. The chair was occupied by His Worship the Mayor of Masterton, (ilr O.'A. Powuall), whoin his opening remarks said that Mr Isitt needed no introduction, they all knew him and whathevvas there for. He (the Mayor) had jit been handed a copy of the "Prohibitionist,"which he might say had been givon to "him '. a little more politely than a copy he received some time ago, which had been placed in his letter box addressed " Captain Pownall, Major ' General and Masterton Filibuster I" probably sent by some funny prohN bitionist. The Rev, Mr Isitt said that by no manner of means was he ashamed of the subject he advocated, and he' should bo quite satisfied if on his tombstone was written 'u|ltt the Prohibitionist," although iWb'uld not do to say" Here lies Isitt etc," because some publican would be sure to remark ".At it still I" It never troubled him what the brewers and publicans would do if Prohibition prevailed, ho supposed they could go to work and he did not understand the sympathy expressed for them. It was certainly wuted, and very muoh like the little girl who on seeing a picture representing martyrs being destroyed bv wild animals, cried bitterly. Hor uiotlier ■ ■ endeavoured to console her, saying: the poor martyrs were nowinHeaven; but the child said," Oh 1 ma, look at that poor tiger. He Ims'nt got a Christian to eat 1" This was just the case, and the sympathy with the publican was misplaced, It was the poor wives and chilsrelMjid_tl ruined wretched men who TWKit. The only remedy for the drtokevilwaa Porbibition, and nothing less. The liquor trade bad been given every chance, had been coddledand nursed, and in spite of all the hedging was the dirtiest and most contemptible on the face of the earth, What return did the publican give for the money he got ? Why, every other day the papers recorded a drink tragedy. Asylums, gaols, and hospitals were fllled with drink victims. This was the kind of return I The money actually spent iu drink wai not the only loss. There was the time lost in many cases in going "on the drink," and "getting off the drink," and in many other wayß. Although the amount of revenue raised through thetr .flic was£soo,ooo, tlw cost of regulating it and coping with its ovils was muoh grea« ter, as to the traffic was due 80 per cent, of crime, and most of the oharitibhi aid expenditure, whilo the cost to the people of collecting that £500,000 was a million and a half, He had been charged with exaggeration, but language could not portiay the horrors of drink, No need to paint a hell, them was already one on earth made by alcohol, How did they know Prohibition would work? Why because tfio brewers were shrieking out against it, and were in favour of any method of "regulation," This proved plainly th»jr Jj_Bjfci was . the right track/ well enough that if fllOfise was taken from the publio-htfrWfrom the Working Men's Club, and from the Gentlemen's Club too, that the salo of liquor would soon fall off, and that the outcry against sly-grog selling and the moral aspect was not troubling them much, They could not regulate this traffic until they were able to re« gulate the customer—and that was impossible, Coming to factsjn Maine, where prohibition has recently kept itsjubilee.tbe vast bulk of the people said they would not have the trade re-established. Certainly there was sly grog Belling in that State, but thp consumption was only one tenth of what it used to be. In overy instance in America, records proved that prohibition was a huge succesj. They , say it will nevor come in England, but already thero were 1500 centres of prohibition in that country, In Tyrone, where there.were now : no • public houses, they required no police- ' men, whereas, formerly, when drink could bo obtained, 15 polioemen were necessary. In Liverpool, England, the council, by 26 votes to 8, passed a resolution in favor ot prohibition. 80 per cent, of gaol-birds were thoro from drink. It made men lower than the animals, and adapted to say that this" traffic .was not damnable, waa flying in tho face of what ho knew to be true. : Prohibitionists did not say that prohibition prohibited, but it made drunkenness difficult, and although in prohibition towns thero might be sly grog selling, there was far more- of it iu connection with licensed houses. Even the publicans professed to helieve in Prohibition, and one of them had said to him, "Mr Isitt if you go in for State Prohibition I'll support you," It was too thin; he knew what was meant. It must be remembered, however, that tho outpoata had to bo overcomo before.tho city was attaokod, and they must begin m a small way, and at the beginning. The liberty of the subject bad jo bo limited. It was no use bringing that ae an argument against Prohibition. Even the Liberals interfered with the liberty of the subject, and said a man must not own more than a certain acreage of laud,* The liberty of tho subject was lim#jn a hundred ways and nothing was said until the drink traffic was uffeotod. The whole tendency of modern legislation was in the direction of limiting the liberty of the subject for the benefit of the whole community. At t'nis stago Mr Isitt announced that there would bo a short interval during which a collection would be taken up, after which he would speak on "Compensation,"

On resuming the lecturer said the publican had not the slightest ehadow of either legal or moral right to compensation. It was wonderful how compassionate some people could be for the poor publican, and speak up in favor of compensation. thelicenso was onlyigrav/l for one year. Which of the Maslerton pubiicans bad been lured iuto and requested by the inhabitauts to build his hotel? As soon as prohibitionists could educate their minority into a majority, then would they show their power and sweep the thing away. No compensation should bo paid, because in the first place if the liquor traffic were prohibited it would be prohibited as criminal. The liquor traffio men had furnished him with hia strongest arguments. Crime had no legal right, If a man was hanged his wife could not claim compensa> tion. The liquor men had not a leg to stand on so far-us a legal right was concerned. But they said they bad a moral right. Tney had 'no moral right, because they brought upon themselves the prohibition by

llioir persistent breaking of llio law, They said tlioy had bi-oa Inrod into Ike trade on tbo understnndiug that their licenses would bo repeated if they were of good behaviour. If ihe places were simply grog shanties thoy would bo responsible for tha result; bat if they wero good hotels thoy would not feel the loss of the bar tradi', and thoy could raise, tho tariff a little. Seven-eighths of the publicans in tho country did not keep the laws. Some might say they could not provo U, hut tlii» wns because police, nolitlcians, nnd a certain section of the press was IwuwUby the trade, For fifty yeais people-had been saying tho diink must go. The publicans knew this, and went into tho business with their eyes open. Ho was not in favor of compensating them id all,' and they (the publicans) might think themselves lucky to get out of the business without ■ having ■to compensate-.-.the wives and children of their \ictims. H "A" mid "B" had properties ndjoining, and '• A V were turned iri'to an hotel, tho rent would go up very considerably "B s" ' : property,'. : on the othohJmnd, would di predate by heing sitfflltl next to ii public-houso"; thereforo, wlien the license was-taken away "B" would have'a betterfriglit to compensation Mlian. " A."..-.And yet Borne people would;., n^-;.; "B" to compensate I A!: for injuring'hiiii;: Jn many ways tlie.'-'-drink evil;' was parallel to the' American "slavery, Inii with justice mio.jair piayftliey wp.u.i.d \ ot carry the day. -TJie gi>ily Jiaiul,. which had wrong 1 it", i-u i i:, -jii id - ftlieii- . wus stretched out wHitiin mendicants whine for compeiisatiiihjftr.cy-iiiijiht: feel (Prolonged Applause.):-';..:;../;;',.;. ; , The 11-v. Koberi'Wqhd ..ramp' ii>rward mi saiiljliey-iiatl-lisiened ib'.-a, , magnificent leclui'e..ai)d;iiow,,lo,:coim ; |ilete tho wojl;ihc;ha(Qq:moi? " Thai ually is in favor..ot";and : . wiii -siip'po.r't- ' the Direct]:^lar-.Ve.io; : '' ; " It-Was'.- if' claim forjiiWß^a'iry.tiav'fwEii.iinjs. Mr D.'HllWf§or.;' 'sucbjidetl- tiro motions :j? : y*).r'\£ .-" ■ The Jln'y'of'said.'-tliht'b'ilforo i'mttiijiT .' ! . theiiioiioii.-lieiiouhilike': to "say. a. : few words^ : ;Ail : preschtviinp^ihnt4e .- had liein'':-,-el'igrt'gi.,3';:-|Jrof(jisi6iiiilly- ' against the Ma a.te F Jqji = Prqli lb it iq'ii is tn'.": That was siinplyililsyuiy. ile had' aho been opposed, perspimlly/becaiise; .. he did not belieyeijiv > -iihippt '■' Pro--, ■ :■•" hibiiion, andifmeriwaii'nouifcing their. intention /.olVsihglingvoutvOnenr two . : hotels to be closed,"before-.tliMr,c|e>> ■ ';■ tion to a Lic( , nsin?;C , ommitie'e\ i.-fiptli- ;','; sides might.lie.as.had,.ljuVlwi'blacks A ...did not roiike a'AyLitV.. Jlany-wlip had■ '' vhiiherio, been erieriiies..of;Prqli.ibiti'oni' ■ ;;j Iflitt's 11 b'fcs.lecture on ; t I)eVDirect Vi-f'o. . w; become its"TfiencisWtitl-lio';waa; hihiself ;.; in fftvotk of-itV J'lffit'.siitiply cleitrtd: .-■ if tho po)iceJoiitl,";aml riotjiirig else -it ',- would do gdod.,li'-:liiidjieeh'snid:that. - there jvero six'-':hot£li'';m\'',;ftlaste'rtohi ; ..'but the-ro were"only.-tiye,; -the} sixth . ' being rnorelyjß ; 'pla}Be'~'-of^fimplpym'6nt, for the police^C;He'::wbnlelsiiy,'bq'liiiyand lie hoped --tlio, police..'.w.oiitd /liea'r. him, that in.. i .M«Ettffou-,,sorne hotels had been ■' 'sheltered,:-, -and pothers: watched . aiH]( ; :,prrVecuteu\; .Ile'.-ha'd. : ( been an ■■'■■Opponent-;.-bf-.V''.narrow: Prohibition, Byn)pathy.witb).llie|)ir'ect: ; Vctq.: s :lle believed tlmt^'tlie : L piiblicuna; : ;theiii» : ""' selves would; beHin' {favour ;of;;4i becauss then ... ; -. -know;' bo~^fePy^)r,'a;t'erm : of' J,-'" years l\arnssccl, cat and^do| : -life- jlioymow: did, Tho,mistake ..>fy.tli6- past:- -hadbeen pitchforking' Prbhibiiionihtq all. kinds of local "bodies..;.". ; ; Hc be.fieyod the will of ..they people; should rule,. but not tbeSyillftfa:,.few property: holders,. Hehad;Uq-.m'a!to.:-'bne-.ptl)'er-remark on the aubject;,and; that; was-' that, in his opinion, -it.was"a. in'ok-; iniquitous "thing "- that ■.,-hfowers nnd spirit merchants;., (brpuglidut tbo Colony should-be '■allowed., fqbi.iid. bouses to takotheirjpnuic ular. beer of : spirits. It wss -these;moil, wliq.-wer.o.-really to blame and'hot so.;inii6h:;;ti)q publican. Ho sboiild-liketo.s.ee.'a i Bi!l passed, even i f tb oy could; not: get thc : Direct Veto; through;'.-p.iakin'jg it> .itri-. possible for licensed, 'houses- 10; : .be.-.'tie'd ! down in this 111 anner,,wbieltv made the; publican the mere.j-jiuppet.-qf; the brewer. The Direct Joto!..was tho right thing.- It was'.;asking'ahe. will of the people. i;lf,wheri 'it dicl:bec6rjrja law, the people i;v6tedi.against tjie liquor, they must.be satisfied 5. and if, on the other hand,::thp:/Tekpera:ncji: Party went -down,':-iin- ;fioped -they would bo satisfied; to : 4rikb "defeat calmly. (Hew KM. Isitt:" Hear, heat). h«?>Y '.."'-.■:. Tho Mayor tlienasljed if.. anyone' wished toul^srßiemeeting.;. .No one coming forward .the'.resolution -'re Direct Veto ps..pu?and. : -'carnetl :, iin?i animously. . ',.',.':. Mr Jas. McGregorisaid: bo.'liad.to propose a hearty vote of tbanka tp'-Mr. Isitt. The latonessof prevented hira saying more;;than : :that-lip. bad a very high opinion'.-.of;M r Isitt; and did not think that; any oilier ..man

in New Zealand -was doing :so. .muchgood at the presont-'timivV,': » Mr E. Feist bcco iided,;::arid.tbp. motion was carried unanimously* Mr fßitt suitably replied, the .meeting closing with- the.'ps'uul: vptp: of ! thanks to tho Chuirman.;'... '"'[