The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-09-23 00:00:00

SOMETHING MUST SOON BE DONE.
Again adverting to the subject of Licensing, which
will have to be dealt with by Parliament rely 6../11U, The
Tinos of Wednerday, in a 'leader, ,:aya

Within tin: fact few flays we have placed before our readers
the communications of live representative t'.4-respondetits on
the question nd the Licensing System, NMI its antidpated re-
form. . . In addition to these contributions we have had
the addreews ,f Mr. Newdegate and Mr. Davenport de-
-11,1,1 at Inc annual festival ,nII the Birmingham Licensed
Vifinallere, Friendly and Protection Society "- an occasion
which naturally suggested a pertinent. if not mute impartial,
discussion of the subj, ct new Intl-re the country. Ilia
morning we published ft speech by another Member of
Parliament, lir, T. E. Smith, of a different tenour.
The Licensing Synless Amendluent Association has
proceeded a step beyond mere kliSellSSioa, and has
actually concocted a bill, which, we are informed, is to
be Introduced hest aedSloll IT Sir J. 11. Selwin If let-
-
in. In this multitude of c auisellors .we may ln,pe
ultimately to Illid wisdom, but at present we discover little
bey, aid discord. (Untie point may is there a general :let se-
Meld. XII, without exception, aelnom ledge 1110 re or less
directly that the present systami stoic tscnnonicnnnncni, and that
something must be done—fad that all coin= entirely in the
enunciation of the problem, or in the estimate of facts
actually before us, for on the vital quest' of or
den-yea:ding intentpcmince there are diversities of opinion.
Stilt inn the main [MIT a coincidence of views 011 the neces-
sity of ref,win which 4mght to Inc of considerable service in
bringing about a suitable settlement.
l'hitt there are ton, many liquor Shops in the conntry, and
that far e liquor is COadalausl tinnnin is good for the com
smilers are facts which may lie taken for granted. The next
question is how they came about and how the evil Is ta be
remedied. 3inch of thy mischief, as our readers have seen,
is ascribed with lacare or less justice to the institution of
" beet-shops,- as distinguishable front the old-fashioned
publiehoitsts. It id 110 W fail forty years since this expansion
of the trade WAS sanctioned by Parliament, and, though the
°bleats in view were imilouldunlly good, It is almost univer-
sally quest noted whether the resulta have la it been I lisastruus.
The blea vatelimilissl at the tiine was that free trade in Incur
wn .1.1 ,raditally wean tnen from the temptations of the regu-
lar tavern, w .ml,l inrntinnntr the consumption of a wholc.me
national " beverage in place of ardent apizits, would break
the monopoly of the old licensed houses, and impart,
in abort, a better character to the whole trade. The ef fnees-
Mon of llcencesfor the new shops was lodged in the bands of
the Lactase end. tun a liCeare, Spealillig, could lie
hal for asking, anybody might thenceforth sell beer who
colilti alal as sale tor it. The results ..f this experiment did
nut confirm the expectations of its promoters. The sale of
beer was increased, but the side of spirituous liquors was not
diminished. The beershops, instead of forming in meritorious
class of rival establishments, were incessantly lading ion-
veiled into taverns themselves. The licenee obtained from
the Eseise was futile a Step So tine liedare 01Saillable
tr,n3 the un,ngnotn ales, and, as the met step could tin'
taken by anybody, the applieatious for magistrates' licences
were rapidly 111111tirlitsl annnt iniportimately preferred.
The beershop, as compared with the SIIOp en here spirits
and in ine rotfid be botight as well ion beer. was an inferior
hou,,. and a leas valuable piece of property. The object,
Unref ore, of every beersiontekeeper WKS tin liceOlae the keuper
of a gen ll ill e publichouse, and thus to better himself and his
prqds together. The place, however, a hich he vacated Oil
his prn.inotion was ,0101.orearded by another beeeseller, and
so. in, the end, the liquor trade was everywhere eatelaled,

mul the competition jitsui ll g led to adintcration drinkN,
It impaired the independence .4 the publican in deal-
ing with his en,totners. Such is the retrospect now put
Inure is. A step has already been taken in rectification 44
the original err,, butt there is much store to Inc done, and
again, then clue, th.•questn,u recurs Ism, to do it.

The very term now applied to the whole question—
licensing ileform "—shows by what a common commit the
system of granting licences is held to underlie and govern
the entire controversy. Some would lodge the Power of
granting licences in the hands of an independent Board
aMminted for the purpose ; some would have this Board
elected in every district by the ratepayers themselves ; otheni
prefer a body c,inquised J. inlay of repreamitative ratepayers
and magistrates while idle of our Corremaindents suggested,
as the leading principle of the new system, that a licence to
sell intoxicating drinks should in future lie granted, not to
the house, but to the maw We are however, assured
on a secretary's authority that the various associations in
favour if temperance throughout the country bars cote
maned on the one main point of bulging all authority
in the hands of the ratepayers, represented by an elee-
the Board. That this agreement is not absolutely mil-
cereal our columns liave shown, awl perhaps the Man-
chester Union, though outvoted at the metropolitan
meeting last month, may gain noire strength than its rivals
anticipate, especially as the advocates of the Ratepayers'
Board now make little mystery of their hopes awl designs.
Theicaleulate on virtually sumiressing. sooner iir later. by
this agency, the whole trade in intoxicating drinks. Whether
they are right in tints reCkollillg is another question, Ind it
canto it eseape the notice of impartial readers that if they can
accomplish this object, or anything approaching to it by means
of their projcetc'ii Busted, they should surely be able tio 41,1 a
great deal w ithout any such agency. In fact, this is the
weak pohd of their case. They assume. 83 a matter of course,
that as soon as ever they can oldain power to elist a Licensing
Board, a Boanl wilt be elected rellecUng their opinions.
Either, therefore, they must reckon on making the votes
of a minority prevail. or they lutist rely upon a real and
genuine sympathy al the part of the majority. But lithe
balk of the populatiint in any place are actually advomites
of abstention, cannot they, at any ride, make a beginning
by abstaining of their own tree-stilt The •• temptation "
offered by 4,pen liquor shops la, we fully believe, of greater
importance than Mr Davenport made it iiitt to he, Ind it
must surely be of less haportance than the abolitionists
maintain: On the one hand, a drunkard, no doubt, will
have his drink whether the piddle] ..... sea Inc few or many ;
but, on the other hand, a rational being indisposed to spend
his money In liquor mighthe credited with resolution enough
to carry hint peat the door of a liquor shop. To read the
ftroment, if saute if slr CallesponAclAS, it alight lie sup-
wised that nine people 4nit of ten are mishit., on their own
account as well 11,1 Ma of others, fun see the liquor shims
closed, but are they IDA a little unreasonable in asking so
much in order that their own self-denial may he made
easy?

Al-lie drinks may he used and Monied. That the abuse
at present I. shameful and ruinous we do hod ,leny, lint the
use to also great. It is not every man who can dispensewith
stiimilants altogether, and it should be remembered also
that in the ease of the phorer classes the publiehonse or the
gill-palaces oilers hit only alcoholic stimulants, lint time.
thing more It in ti these resorts too often that a poor man
repairs for his only chance of light, warmth, cheerfulness,
and company. There Was a time in the last century when
the social intercourse eves of the middle hind educated classes
was comforted almost exclusively through the medium of
taverns, and the ne•etings of working flies are managed to
O great extent in the same manner now. still, the cry
which is eelioed by all immediately concerned in the welfare
and progress tit the people c4-tiles from the working classes
and that cry is for diminished temptation. There are those,
rust in no small numb.", who would extinguish this
temptation altogether, and at all hazards ; there are those
Oho would limit it more or lens effectually, and there are
those, lint not many, who ws all let things alone. The spirit
of our legislation points In this, ta in all other cases, to a
eozpprolohre Itll4i it Witt ito sell if both the Licensed
h-t urine," and their antagonists co-operate in planning a
I,klilptioliliSti flint Will wi