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-Wye Salmon.I

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aFEBRUARY COMPETITION. I

MARCH COMPETITION.I

Lecture at Hirwain.!

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LLANCORSE FISHING. I

CULTIVATION OF ROOTS. I

THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC. I

THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION.

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THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION. Sir,—The Anti-Prohibitionist. Mr A. S. Evans, ex. presses the opinion that I ottered a weak apology for the prohibition campaign. I may assure him that I have never attempted an apology, for no apology is needed. He fails to find in my letter, anything likely to support and justify prohibition. One learns from experience not. to expect the champions of the right to drink to see any force in temperance arguments, for there are none so blind as t-hos^ who will not see. Mr Evans sees fit to defend himself against the charge of being financially interested in the drink traffic. I had not the slightest notion that I had brought Sucli ciiarge a,gajW-t. Iiiin. One is forcibly reminded of the Scriptural .saying that "the wicked flee when no man pursueth." We have grown accustomed to hear these protestations, from the advocates of the freedom to drink, and one cannot but feel that our friends protest too much. It occurs to me that I once heard an equally strong protest before, and the author of it was discovered to be an ex-publican, "ex-brewer's agent," etc. Freedom to drink may seem a very marvellous thing to my opponent, but perhaps I may be allowed to sugged to him that this freedom may be of a very (ouhtful quality. Freedom to drink only means free- dom to undermine one's physical, moral strength, to make oneself ngore liable to infection ,to expose one- self to accidents. The following testimony by Sir llenjamin Ward Richardson, M.D., F.R.S., throws a strong light on the value of such freedom. "Alcohol, like chloroform, is a narcotic, it is in no sense a. foed; it reduces the animal heat and force, overtaxes the heart, weakens the muscles, paralyses tjhe brain and ner- vous system generally, destroys the vital organs, in- duces many bodily jyid mentla diseases; implants evil influences which pass from one generation to another, lessens the happiness and usefulness, and .shorten, the life of every generation that indulges in its use." In view of such a crushing indictment, coming from such a source, I should like to know how the. drink habit can in any way be defended. It is established beyond all shadow of doubt that the drinking habit is nothing less than gradual .suicide. Dealing with the relation of drink to human mortality, the Registrar-General has shewn that judging by statistics ,the total abstainer of 35 years old may he expected to live to the age of 70, while the moderate drinker can only be expected to Jive to the age of 65. Thus on the average, five valuable year". are thrown away by the drinker. Freedom to drink implies freedom to establish and maintain a pub- lie-house system, from which system springs disease. poverty, crime and insanity to an alarming extent. Freedom to drink in 1913 meant freedom to produce 185,877. eases of drunkenness, it means sending many thousands to untimely deaths every year through al- coholism. Freedom to drink means upholding a trade which is the most destructive of all trades to those engaged in it. In the Registrar-Genoral's report for 1885, he states that "the mortality of men who are directly concerned in the liquor trade is appalling." In his report for 1897 the same official states that "the mortality of persons directly engaged in the trade con- tinues to be enormous." It is proved that in the three years 190(1-1902. that whereas 121,352 occupied males had a. mortality of 4,804, the same number of brewers, inn-keepers, and inn-servants had a mortality in the same period of no less than 8,486, an excess of 3.1;82, Freedom of drink, in ni)- opinion, simply means freedom f t,he drinker to destroy the liws of others as well as Jm own. 0 freedom! What crimes are com- mitted /t Iiy sacred name. It may he new& to Mr Evans that the Strength of Britain ioyement wa.s out to secure prohibition, and I may say that I have yet to learn of its collapse. He uses the silly assertion, unworthy to be called an argument, that prohibition has failed to prohibit. I may inform him that there is a. law on the Statute Book of England which prohibits j murder, and that the law against murder has failed to prohibit that crime. Does Mr Evans suggest that the law prohibiting murder should never have been passed? If so, why does he not advocate its repeal? I again repea.t that when the prohibition law fails to prohibit, that failure is due to Mr Evans' friends, the drink traffickers, who have continued to evade the law. As to the statement of the Deputy Judge Advo- cate General, I have no doubt that- he is entitled to his opinion, but one cannot forget the piteous- appeal of the thousands of Canadian women who petitioned His Majesty, that their loved ones in this country should be saved from the horrors of the. drink curse. As to prohibition in Toronto, one finds that letters were sent out to the men of that citv, a-king for an expression of opinion as to the results of Prohibition. Out of 400 letters received only nine gave an adverse opinion. The manager of the largest departmental store in Toronto says, "I am connected with a business where we employ 18,000 people. I must say we have never had as little trouble withem people" as we have had since the bar has beean abolished at Toronto, and I am quite sure we will never see a bar in Toronto again." Prohibition must come, though drink advocates rave and toss .themselves about, for it is the onlv system worthy of a Christian naticn. I am, yours etc.. Bronllys. D. RnEs.

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New Parliamentary Register…

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