The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-06-17 00:00:00

THE PERMISSIVE BILL.

On Tuesday night Exeter-hall was crowded from
floor to ceiling, the occasion being the usual public
demonstration in favour of the Permissive Bill before
the Parliamentary debate upon the subject. The meet•
lug wa., besides being large, exceedingly enthusiastic,
and the large array of members of Parliament was
greeted with warm cheers. Sir Walter Trevelyan
presided.—After a short introductory speech by the
Chairman, Cardinal Manning, who was received with
warm cheers, rose to move the first resolution, which
ran :

"That the legalized extension of the liquor traffic, and the
alarming prevalence of drinking habits under the present
licensing system, supply conclusive evidence of the influence
of ill-advised legislation in facilitating the national demora-
lization, and furnish cogent reasons for demanding the im-
mediate passing of the Permissive Bill, which would give
power for the removal of public temptations to drinking,
and thus offer suitable expression to an enlightened public
opinion in every district of the United Kingdem."
The time, he said, for uttering commonplaces on the sin et
drunkenness had gone • and he would say on the common-
place part of the quest‘on that this sin comprised all sin,
for a man whose head was made to reel with drink was in
a state to commit any wrong. He proceeded to refer to
the Bills at present before Parliament relating to the
liquor traffic in England and Ireland and Scotland, and
said that he hoped the Scotch members would sup-
port this Bill, for he had noticed that no section of the
Parliament was so successful in getting measures through
as were the Scotch On the question of the Sunday
closing. In Ireland rerolution, reference to which was
received with cheers, he said that it had been seen that the
police charges were greatly reduced on the day when the
houses were partially closed, and it this was the fact it was
wise to move to close alZogether. He congratulated the
Irish nation upon the carrying of this resclatien in the House
of Commons—not only that they had carried it, but because
the resolution contained the principle of the Permissive Bill,
being the embodiment of acting upon the popular vote.
(Cheers.) The resolution, however, was not a Bill: and it it
were a Bill, that would have to become an Act; so that they
were what seemed to be still a long way off from getting
what the people of Ireland demanded in relation to the
liquor traffic; but he trusted they would never rest, but by
a thorough and Christian agitation obtain such an expression
of opinion from North to South end from sea to sea as would
affirm the principle of the Permissive Bill. (Cheers ) He
congratulated Sir Wilfrid Lawson upon two things—one that
he had got beyond the argument that permissive legislation
was bad legt lation. That was buried, and a great tombstone
was laid upon it. Tae Education Act was founded upon that
principle, and we have new a etateemen who affirmed that per-
missive legislation was the best legielaticea. (Cheers.) In Hyde
Park the other ("Ay he ventured to say OA the Permietive Bill
aimed at givirg to the poor man by right of law what the rich
man had by right of property. The rich noon might clear from
his estate everything which affected it: but a poor man, who
might be struggling to bring up a family morally and soberly,
might be cursed—(cheers)—by having a publichouse placed.
on each side of his dwelling, and he was. at present, power-
less to defend himself. A critic had called this argument In
question; but all that was claimed for the poor man was
In no way to be likened to Communism—it was a claim merely
that the poor man should in this matter exercise what was
certainly the principle of the law of Eneland. He had bought
a book which was a code of the law of England, and turning
to the law on "Nuisance," he found that it was unlawful for
a man to establish any 'noxious trede." (hheers ) It was
unlawful for a man to brirg any tumultuous multitudes on
to his lands to annoy his neighbour (Caters.) A man
could not even have a pigeen match in his own grounds if he
made a nuisance to annoy his neighbours (Cheers ) If a
man set traps " with baits of strong odour (cheer), whereby
his neigeb ur.' domestic creatures were caught, he was act-
ing unlawfully." In all these cases the person so acting could
be indicted. (Cheers.) Now, it was thus seen that the law
of England extended even to give a man a right to deal with
what went on upon his neighbour's lard, and ri the law of
England gave this power, was not the publican's a noxious
trade? (Cheers) Did it not bring "tumultuous multi-
trades" together, and these, too, of a disorderly character?
(Cheers.) Did it not sicken men and women by the loath-
someness of its character? (Cheers) It did not snare
domestic creatures, but it snared the sons and daughters of
the poor man; it spread a moral pestilence areund and by
that wise law of "Nuisance " under the law of England
he claimed that theme powers shottla be extended
to the publichouse, that the ruin and wrong
wrought by these places should be dealt with by those
who suffered from them, sted thus give to the poor man by
law what the rich man had by right of property. The
Cardinal pulsed in review the criticisms of The 2'imes on the
Hyde Park demanetration, and then proceeded to declare
that the Permissive Bill was not a tyranny, for two-thirds of
the retepayers would no more constitute a tyranny on this
quetflon than a majority on another question constituted a
tyranny, or that the husband and father constituted a tyranny
over wile and children. What was demanded was, in truth,
that wise legislation should be carried into those regions of our
public life where unwise legislation had carried pestilence
rine death. (Cheers.) The Bill was not coercive; but it was
to deal with an evil which was growing up stronger, and was
more and more increasing day by day. The trade was increas-
ing, and the money in it was increased. The Parliament, in its
dealing with it, was like a witness who was under influence,
and whose testimony cculd not be altogether received.
(Cheers) And every Government. too, was an accomplice,
and the Crtancellor of the Exchequer was an eider and
abettor. (Cheers.) While money could be raised by the
liquor traffic with such facility as it was raised, neither
Parliament nor the Government would be willing to do much
to abate this nuisance. And more, he did not think that
Parliament could do it Ho knew only one power which
would do it—the vote of the people ol England ; and to this
he confidently looked for the adoption of the Permissive
Bill. (Cheers.)
Sir Wilfrid Lawson, M.P., than rose to second the resolu-
tion, and was received with warm cheering, the whole
audience rising te receive him. He said he thought that the
gentlemen who managed the affairs of the United Kingdom
Alliance generally managed their programme pretty well,
but in one respect he thought they could make an improve-
mene—that, instead of he 'ding this meeting the day before
the debate on the Permissive Bill in Parliament, they thould
hold it the day after. To do so would suit him individually,
because during the debate he should have someting pleasing
to look forward to (laughter) ; but as matters row managed
he came to this highly delighful and lively meeting to go
thence to the wet blanket of the H ,use of CODITIIOII3.
( Laughter and cheers) The United teingdon Alliance had now
been in existence for upwards of 20 years. It had incurred
and borne the sneers, the scoffs, and the jeers all this time;
it had been bullied and ecorned, bat—here it was that night.
(Cheers) It was here wronger, more popular in the country,
and more determined to win the cause than at any previous
time in Re career. (Load cheers ) Why was that? Why,
because the Alliacce had run "straight." (Cheers) He was
talking in Darby language when he spoke of running
"straight.,, (Laughter.) They had turned neither to the
right nor to the left, but, hetet g set an object before them,
they had stuck to it He then read the principles upon
which ths Alliance was founded in 1553, and said that,
looking upon the liquor treffic as a moral wrong, they
adopted the principle of bat ke—that a moral wrong
could never be politically right, and that the risme prin-
ciples which governed the good citizm should govern the
Cabinet and Parliament. In asking all good citizens to
join in procuring the enactment of a Bill which should
place the removal of these evils caused by the liquor trafiVs
in the hands of the people they hail asked no man his creed
or politics, and they were now supported by all—by Roman
Catholics, Episcopalians,
Presbyterians, High Churchmen,
Lew Churchmen, Broad Churchmen, No Churchmen, by
Libsrals. Radicals, Conservatives, and Home Rulers, by
bone fide drunkards. Good Tempters, tipplers, moderate
' drinkers, and immoderate abstainers. (Laughter and cheers.)
Now, the meeting might fancy how this display would be
met. He dared to say that the newspaper critics were
already writing their leading articles, and, with that
skill which no one admired more than he did, they
would turn his statements against him, and would ask
what the fanatic had done in the twenty-three years of
work. (Cheers.) There was a good point in that,
and they
might make the most of it but let them re-
member that good works always took a long time.
Wilberforce did net effect his work in a day. (Cheers.)
The Bill was not the Bill of the United King-
dom Alliance, but his, and they supported him because it was
a Bill calculated t ) give a blow at the Velum' traffic. (Cheers.)
The simple purpose of the Bill was to say that the magistrates
who had the power to grant licenses should not grant a
licence if two-thirds majority of the people living there said
they did not want the drink shops. This was the whole of
the P rmiesive Bill. (Cheers.) He was now more hopeful
than he was in tee morning, for on going to the House he
found that Sir Alexander Gordon had given notice of amend-
ments to move when the Bill went into Committee.
(A. laugh) He begged to say that if it would help the Bill he
would accept the amendments, for, as fur as he saw, the
differences were so small that he thought of the old lines—
' Steange such difference should be
elsvixt tweedledum and tweedledee."

(A laugh ) He went on to state that he was receiving sup-
port from all parts of the country that the Archbishop of
York spoke nearly as strongly as Cardinal Manning upon it:
but the House of Commons when he told them that the Rill
would not stop publichouses unless tte p^opie wished them
to be st,ppeu, were afraid that the people would act upon
the power. (Cheers.) At still greater length the hen. mem-
ber went into the question, raying that the 110,000 drink-
shops rah ed for the revenue £22,000 000, and he concluded,
amid cheers, by declaring that he would act upon the words
of Mr. Gladstone when he rezined upon the Reform Bill
being thrown ,ut li, 1,-,68, and would loot forward to the
time when victory wou'.d shine upon the banners ot the
Permissive Bill.
Alderman Carter, M.P., supported the motion, which was
carried with one dissentient.
Mr Sullivan, M.P., then proposed the following resolu-
tion :
" That, while cordially recognizing the value of all legisla-
tion by which the sale of intoxicating liquors would he re-
duce 1, and especially of laws prohibising the Sunday sale in
Ireland and in England, this meeting cannot accept any pro-
posal as fully satisfactory which does not provide for the
effectual protection of localities against the aggravated and
Inevitable evils of the liquor tri.flic, and it, therefore,
earnestly invokes the aid of all patriotic citizens in securing
the enactment of the Permissive Prohibitory Liquor Bill of
Sir Wilfrid Lawson."
He said thet Parliament could trust the people to decide
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