THE WOMAN'S WHISKY WAR. (London Times.)

Waikato Times, Volume VI, Issue 326, 16 June 1874, Page 2

THE WOMAN'S WHISKY WAR. (London Times.)

While the publicans of this kingdom are enjoying their triumph, a voice comes from the United States whispering, though somewhat loudly, a lesson of humility and moderation. Our friends the licensed victuallers have only to look •cross theAtlantic, and they will see what they may come to. Without any Lipensing Act, Permissive Bill, or other obnoxious legislation, a certain " Alliance" has contrived, in the counn of a fortnight, to shut up half the liquor shops in one of the most considerable States of the Union. The drink-sellers have been beaten, and the women have done it all. It was at the beginning of the present month that the women in the chief towns of Southern Ohio determined to put a summary stop to the sale of intoxicating liquors, and for this purpose devised and organized the operations of campaign already known as the " Woman's Whisky War." The tactics employe d were simple, and appear to have been signally successful. The ladies met for action in a church, from which, while the bells were ringing encouragement, they marched in solid formation to the particular publichouse or ialoon selected for attack, The first proceeding was to "summon" the garrison by requesting the publican to close his doors and give up his business. Upon the refusal which was naturally returned to this invitation the operations began. Exactly in front of the public-house door an encampment was formed and a meeting opened, at which appropriate hymns were sung and prayers offered up for the conversion of the obdurate liquor dealer. Perhaps this might be endured, but tho women adroitly brought up other force* in aid of the siege. As the publican's customers passed their lines they took their names down, and afterwards published the list of the offenders, with sundry particulars of their families, the number of their children, and the way they treated their boys and girls at home- Meantime th» investment is maintained without remission, one band of women succeeding another on duty, and " this thing, ' says our American correspondent, " which attracts large audiences, goes on until the saloon keeper surrenders, when the whisky barrels and beer kegs are stove amid gieat rejoicings," Asthe actual and visible results of the fortnight war our correspondent enumerates fifteen towns of Southern Ohio in which nearly every liquor shop has been shut up, and we are assured that in this division of the State the drink trade generally has been reduced to one-third of its former proportions. It will be asked whether the publicans of America are so devoid of courage or resources as to submit without a struggle to annihilation of their business, and the answer is that they have tried many means of defence, but without effect. Th© persistence of the besiegers has been almost universally successful. At Franklin one bar-keeper hired a band of music to drown the voice of the psalm-singers, and gave a ball in the saloon exactly at the time of the prayer meeting, but the women outstayed both dancers and musicians. In the end the man succumbed, and " now religious meetings are held in his bar-room." At M'Arthur negociations were opened, and all the publicans in the town, with one exception, offered to> shut up their shops if they were only allowed time to disposeof their stock on hand. The women, much to their credit,, forbore from any " intransigent" assertion of principles, and accepted the compromise. But is there no law, we shall ba asked, against this molestation, picketing, and conspiracy? There is, and it has been appealed to, but with no decisiTO results. At Hillsborough, after fire out of nine saloons had capitulated unconditionally, one publican took courage and served the women with due notice, warning them to desisb from obstructing his business. As they paid no attention tothis process, but set up their tabernacle at the door with themanifest intention to win, he applied to the court, and obtained an injunction, by which eighty-three women wererestrained from " singing, praying, exhorting, or making & noise or disturbance in iront of th« said drug store, or on the sidewalk, or on the steps thereof, or in the vicinity thereof." As even fanatics are law-abiding in America, th» women obeyed the writ, but they have raised money to contest the case, and they are in confident expectation of getting: the injuction dissolved and recommencing the seige. For the most part however, the publicans have given in with very, little resistance, insomuch that in one place the women proclaimed a day of " Temperance thanksgiving " for their great) and glorious victories- But the most remarkable incident of the war occurred nt Kew Vienna. In that town there are,, or rather were, altogether some forty liquor sellers, all of whom save one surrendered upon summons. The exception.' was kept by Mr Van Pelt, who not only defied the besiegers, but threatened them with an axe. His business, however^' was brought to a standstill, seeing that no customer, however thirsty, cured to run the gauntlet of the women on picket ;. but he kept his post nevertheless, declaring that he would neither be bought out nor scored out- Unfortunntely for him, the capitulation of his fellow publicans enabled the besoigers to concentrate their efforts on his shop, so that hisendurance began at length to fail. Taking gradually & kindlier view of the situation, he sent the ladies out some beer kegs to sit upon — a piece of civility which they acknowledged by arranging the spats in a semi-circle around bisfront door. Still the siege went on, Van Pelt proclaiming that he would hold out as long as he could raise money to> buy a pint of rum, and the women rejoined that they would keep at it till they prayed him out " In the end they succeeded ai.d VaD Pelt gave way. Great were the rejoicings %. the church bells rang, and a vast crowd followed the womenwho marched in procession to receive the surrender of th» saloon. The proprietor then came out, authorised two clergymen to roll his stock of liquor into the street, and stove ia the barrels with the very axe he had brandished against thebesiegers. In this situation he was photographed, after which he went over bodily to the enemy, netted £40 by a lecturerevealing his experience as a liquor-seller, and is now a missionary in the cause, doing zealous work in the neighboring towns. While these vigorous but informal proceedings werepending in the West, the law of the State was suddenly enforced with unexpected rigor in the East. The city of Boston is under Prohibitory Law, but the operation of the Act b»* hitherto been limited to small offenders, while the largeestablishments of the place were left undisturbed. At the beginning, however, of the present month the police made &■ raid upon the leading hotels, ransacked their stores, and carried away their stocks of wine. At the Tremont House,. as we are told, about £600 worth of liquors was seized, th» officers go-ing through the wine cellars, and capturing choiceold wines which had lain tbeie for yeais. At another hotel £3000 worth was seized, including racks full of champagneand other choice wines, barrels of ale, <tc., &c. — five hoursbeing required to load and cart them away. Other establishments suffered in like manner, and we are not sure that this legal «ct of force will not appear to Englishmen more astonishing than even the self-assertion of the temperanceladies of Ohio. Taken together, however, the stories may well teach our publicans a little reason. It is not, we trust,, rery probable that we ihall ever come ia this country either to sxich a liquor law as was thus roughly enforced at Boston or to such feminine enthusiasm as the " Women's WhiskyWar" expresses. It is, however, very certain that large and: influential classes amongst us would gladly see the publicans" trade reduced, and that many persons would compass the desired end even by means inconsistent with our ideas of freedom. Bruces Bill gave the licensed victualler deep, offence, but our Amencnn letters of yesterday and the day before will have shown them how very much further, even; in a land of law and liberty, people are prepared to go in the cause of national sobriety.

We are indebted to an American paper for the following information respecting the late Pantechnicon :—": — " The Royal Pantechnicon was organized in 1863, and wns similar to our security and tru9t companies. The building is an imposing block, eight stories bigh, fronting Hjde Park, and in the immediate neighbourhood of the palatial residence of Baron Eothschild, the Duke of Wellington, Sir Robert Peel, and others. The front walls were of granite, elegantly sculptuied. The building coat one million pounds sterling. The basement, which was lined with iron, was carefully guarded by watchmen, while each safe had an iron grating before it. Here were locked up the valuable silver ware of the old lamilies of England, who rarely used it except on State occasions. These priceless collections were carefully numbered. The company giving bonds for their safe keeping, and charging according to the valuation of the property. The Bret floor was a magnificent art gnllery in which were deposited the rarest pictures of the Turner, Reynolds, and other galleries. Persons goiug out of town also left their private collections of pictures for safe keeping. Besides these were glass enses filled with costly jewellery and valunble collections of coins. Admittance to the Pantechnicon could bo obtained only from a depositor or a director. In the roar of the fir«t floor were collections of equipogesraostly of foreign make, which were considered so costly that their owners feared to trust them on their own premises. On the floors above, besides several art galleries and marbles, were endless collections of costly furniture, requiring constant care and attention to keep it in order. The Pantechnicon was also used for the safe keeping of landed titles,, mortgages, and other valuable pnpers, the company sometimes advancing money on the collaterals deposited. Every clay during the London season rows of carriages could be seen standing in lront of the building while their occupants were viewing the collections inside. It is said tbat the young aristocracy who risited the Pantechnicon were often shocked to find that mere shopkeepers possessed more wealth than thensehes."— Pall Mall Gazelle. Domestic young lady (making a pie). ' Frank, the kitchen's no plnce for boys. llus dough euch an attraction for you ?' Clever youth : 'It isn't the dough, cousin — it's the dear?' A Scotchman who had put up at an inn was nsked in the morning how he had slept. 'Ah, mon,' replied Donald,. ' iiro vera well either : but I was muckle better off than the bug?, lor de'il ane o' them closed an e'e tho whole nichl.'