The Express.
London, England, 1860-04-03 00:00:00

HOMES AND WISE LIOENSES

Upon the malice far the smeunption of the adjourned
*hate on the seemed MAN( SI this bill,
Mr. CROOK nwried thetas bill be road • second time
that der six sioatha The hon. member said the Chew
cellor of the Exchequer bad informed tle house upon •
former occasion that two parties objected to this bill. He
confessed that he had no sympathies with the licensed via.
wailers. He appeared simply as anadvocate of the opinion@
which the various temperance eocieties of this country bed
explained in their petitions to the bouae. They did not ask
the government to prohibit the introduction of foreign whine
Mb England. They waived their peculiar views on the
present occasion, and took issue with the Chancellor of the'
Exchequer on his own conditions. That right hon. gentle•.
mama bed characterised the bill as • wise and good meimenre‘
and laid be believed it would not very powerful 4 affect the
use of epiritst, or even the use of beer. The ea of the
large section of the community which he (Mr. Crook) repro.
seated was, that having congested to the introduction of
foreign wines, they believed the facilities for it. distribution
sow mating wore amply sufficient. There were 106,000
pension st the present time set up by law specially to
adinianter to the eamfort, or to corrupt demoralise, and
&Mee tbe people, and this bill would add I;zgely to that num-
ber. The hill was is direct opposition to the report of the
committee of UN, which was presided over by the present
President of the Poor-law Board, with the exception of the
provieion placing coffee-shops and refreehment-houses under
the supervision of the police. The bill made the labours of
the committee quite melees, and would prevent the horse
acting upon their report at any future time ; and he won-
dered wry the right hon. gentleman had not proposed to
allow salient spent@ to be sold by every shop. The com-
mittee ..f 10Vel recommended that no intoxicatieg drinks
should be sold without a license of not !en than ; but
under the present bill • shop could be opened for the sale
of wines with • license which would not cost more
than twopence • day. The result of the committee's
report was that the facilities for the distribution of intoxi-
cating dr. uka should he largely reduced ; and in the face of
that au.l the other fade he had mentioned he appealed to
these 1. .(111 hero who were fathers of families and justices of
the peace, whether they could conscientiously give their
support to such • measure. He implored the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, on the grounds of propriety and tempenuice,
to withdraw so fatal • measure out of regard fur the into-
nate of the poor; but if be did not do so he believed that
the wisdom of the house would reject it. He moved that
the bill be read • second time that day six months.
Mr. IMOBY SEYMOUR, in seconding the amendment,
disclaimed being the representative of any temperance ems.
cialios er other body, and sail be oppoiseil the bill be-
cause be thought that upon many grounds it would not tend
to the welfare of the community. Experience proved that
threiefo,rthe, if not five-sixths, of the mess which came
lame the criminal courts of the country were referable to
the temptations, the seductions, sad the degrading in-
flamer* of licensed public-house. and beerohopa (Hear,
bear.) He submittal that neither upon fiscal, sanitary, nor
mond grounds had*. Chancellor of the Exchequer made out
a case m twee, of thebell. Mr. M'Cnlloch mid he doubted
whether infederwim, Mintroduceet into this country for of
duty, would he very melt drunk ; sod that he thought beer
would continue to be drunk by the balk of the population.
The Benooesiee newspaper, ia as article upon the sub-
net. said that there were atireat many weak wines
produced in Prance which t be made sufficiently
strong for the English palate by o introduction alcohol
in the shape of brandy. This woe the cloves foot of the
a frau. sod vemild let the people know what they had to
expert. A French gentleman examined before one of the
111109 come:Ames also mid that the French producers had no