The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-04-22 00:00:00

THE PERMISSIVE PROHIBITORY BILL.

A very large meeting of the United Kir gdora Alliance was
held In Loudon, on Monday evening, at Exeter-ball by w .y
of a demonstration in favour of the Permissive Prohibitory
bill as acainst the immure of the Government. The chair
was to have been occupied by the Common Serlearit, but in
his absence it was taken by Alderman Carter, M P.
The Chairman, after expressing his regret that Mr. Bruce
had uot spoiled the meethig by adopting so much of the
Permissive principle an would have rendered the gathering
unnecessary, confessed that hewn, a goad deal puzzled to
guess what the Government meant. (Laughter.) In his
speech Mr. Bruce went an for as the moat rabid temperance
advccxte could have desired; and in aimnst every par; of
his bill he had attempted to limit the liquor troiliJ. It would
therefore be the duty of the A Illamee tu assist him in mashing
hie bill, Furl when they had dove th-t they nrouid be en-
courage! to tabs further measures for Mae purpose of driving
home the wedge .(Loud cheers,.
Archdeacon Sandford then moved a retolution in faintir of
the Permissive Bill which was awaiting a second reading on
the 171 b of cent month. The yen, gentleman said that that
excellent Mitparplessid gentleman, Mr. Bruce, was EGG wing te
please both portion, aattl,e feared teethe would end with giving
satisfaction to neither. ,Cheere.) The memoers of the Alliance
were told that they were i 1111811,211 mere used to say
that whenever he heard the cry of fanaticism he used to prtek
up his earl, for he knew that some work of God was going to be
done and, in point of fact, what mighty enfranchise iii inthad
ever been won without what some people called fanatiClDlM
The thought the circumstance that only PO member. wore

promo{ whoa Kr. Bruce brought In btu bill wars (Urines
to the Houk, of Commons. Had It hero a question of party
p,litics, or sectarian differences, or preservation of game,
instead of the aalvatton of the units and bodies of the
people the House would has, Len crammed from oue Oat
to the other (Loud cheers ) Already there were 1,400
perishes In the province of Canterbury in which there was
neither public-house nor beerelup That was owing to the
once of the clergy on the proprietors; and why, then,
should the people not be allowed to poetess a eimilar power?
Load cheers /

Dr. Lees, In seconding the motion, denoaneed as worse
than failures all previous attempts at ref 'tuning the liquor
train ,—eep.rialls the wine licence—nil which, he said, had
Introduced the frightful and demoniacal curse of dninkenness
into our homes, and had led to the degradation of oar women.
(Land cheers
. . .

no motion having been carriorl uNiohnomty,
Sir Wilfred Lswson, Al P., moved tho following resolu-
tion!

that the Government measure Introduced by the Home
Secretary, while containing eerieue proposals calculatel to
waist in reforming the Unclosing system, and there by et mt.
hishiug the evihrof the liquor traffic, cams it be accepted by
the present meeting m eattely Ina the urgent want. o the n
tbon, unless It should b 3 amended by the exclusien of the
ton year llomme, and other objectionable (lames, and by i-
corporating the principle of the Permissive Probiettory
Liquor Bill, so as to enable a large no) idly of rater:as°rs
to veto the lame of all licence" for the sale of intoxicatiog
Niters within their reepective districts."
The hon, baronet said It wee not likely that the special super-
vision:which Mr. Bence propelled would he so good as that
which had actually been thtroduced Into S mtlend, but they
knew the dreadful coutitlon in which that portion of the
kingdom stall remained. (Cheers.) The Alliance was getting
no. (Cheers.) 1,, had, in fact, got much further then many
ev..r expected they would Is .ve done, but It had arrived at
a more critical and dartgiirous point than ever; for she
steteenien had now taken possession of the question.
Ile coefessed he did not believe In statesmen ; for they hat
very little faith, and he had never kirown one oi
then, that had any enthusiasm. (Laueluer ) But they
were told that Mr. Bruce had grappled with the quire-
Von. Well, Mr. Bruce was alwaym grappling with
Something. (Laughter.) ITe was Merle preparing, or
preparing to prepare, or preparirg to prepare to prepare
some mamma or other. (L.ughter.) But people with
whom he heel grappled were sometimes not much the worse
for It; and he feared that the right hon gentleman would
find the public.' even more ugly customers than the Cub.
men. (Lmghteli.) Sir Wiltrid, In conc'usion, said that if
Or, Briton would only introduce one word more Into Ma list
of the deleterious euhstencee that were from henceforth to
be prohibited the work of the Aillauce would be at an and.
That word was—alcohol. (Loud laughter, and cheers)
Mr. Pope, le secomileg the motion, referred to the meeting
of the licensed eletuallers that afteraoon, and ridiculed
their demand for compensallou. I' a man brught a
wretched, tumble-doeni buildhig on the speculation that it
would be taken by a railway, and he talked about the caeltal
he had invested 1011, he would be told that he ought not to
have placed his money In at y such property. Ana sake
*aid to the publicans. If ihey did not know that the liquor
traffic was liable at any moment to fall about their ears they
racer bigger feels then he took them for. (Cheers.) Ile pro
tested against the idea of compensating the publicans at all,
but If they had ally jug claim be would far rather buy them
cut tomorrow then grant them ten sears' respite. (Loud
cheers.)
Tim motion was then nnaniniutudy a•lopted.
On the motion of her. Daltrey, hi P., seconded by Or.
Brewer, M P., And supported by Mr. Simmers, It was re-
solved

That the friends of the United /I illations Alliance have
reamil to cherish sincere thanksgiving to Almighty Gad for
the manifest signs of progress which abound on every side,
and that they be exhorted everywhere to keep steadily faith-
ful to the one vital principle of the movement since its
commencement—, ;z the procurement by legislative means
of the suppression of the liquor traffic by the consent and
co-operation of the perverts whom such train,: immediately
concerns."

A petition embedying the substance of the resolutions was
then proposed by Mr. Jtffety, who was rut ported by Mr.
'Mon and Mr. leaner. It was unanimously agreed to, and
the meeting separated Mier a cordial vote of thaLks to the
chairman.