The Express.
London, England, 1868-03-18 00:00:00

SECOND EDITION.

nivritiAL PARIAILMENT.

ROUSE OF COMILONS--(Tims DAT).
The Sneeze took the sick at 12 o'clock.
SALE OF LIQUORS ON SIJNDAY
A great Dumber of petitions were presented to favour
of and several elMant thin ha
Mr. BEIGHT presented two petitions from Birmingham
23,000 permits, and rem-
sgainst the bill, one Mond by
jesting the licensed victuallers, and the other signed by
32,000 persona and representing the retell brewers.
11r. ROEBUCK presented leveral praetor's from the
Sheffield district on both sides, including one signed by
2.5,000 persons against the bill.
Mr. BAINHI presented several petitions from Wales,
Yorkshire, and other counties in favour of the bill.
Mr. GLADSTONE presented about a doses politica. for
and against the bill.
Mr. J. ABEL SMITH, in moving that the bill be read a
second time, commenced by expressing bow unequal he
felt to the tank which he bad undertaken • but believing,
be said, that the measure which he proposed would pro-
duce a most beneficial change, he could not
hesitate to persevere in him attempt. As re-
garded the general question of licensing, he
thought nothing could be in • worse position. (Hear,
hear.) He hoped the house would not fail to deal with
it ; but there mutt be some delay in that respect, while
the change which be proposed would produce immediate
results of great advantage to society. He assured the
house that be did not approach the question in an ascetic
and exclusive spirit, and he felt the warmest interest in the
comfort, well-being and improvement of the working
classes, and he agreed with those who said that men
could not be made moral by Act .of Parliament,
but on the other hand, be thought morality might
be strengthened by wise legislation. (Cheers.) He
sought support for his bill on social and economic,
rather than on religions grounds; but at the same time
he felt greatly indebted to those who had supported him on
account of their strong views with respect to Sabbath
observance, and he firmly believed the bill would tend to
carry out the object they bad at heart. He should have
shrunk from his task bad he not felt that the feelings of
the working classes of England generally were, on the
whole, in favour of his proposal. (Hear, hear.)
Having honestly endeavoured to ascertain the truth of the
matter, he was satisfied that the respectable thinking por-
tion of the working classes were generally in favour
of his bill, and many of them in favour of the entire
closing of public-housee on Sunday. Numbers, indeed,
objected Welds bill on the ground that it did not go far
enough. The hon. member then traced the course of legis-
lation in reference to the sale of beer in connection
with the Sunday question. The Beer Bill of 1830
was, be remarked, generally admitted to have been •
failure. The reports of committees were, he contended,
in favour of his view of the question of daring on Sundays.
Ilia bill was, in fact, founded on the report of • committee.
What he proposed to do was to abut up all public houses
in England and Wake on the Sunday so far as drinking on
the premises was concerned. leaving persons four hours,
namely, from half-past 12 till half.past 2, and from 8 o'clock
till 10 to buy beer over the counter. He would not weary
the house with details as to the evil effects of drunkenness.
Ile would Mks it, as admitted on all hands, that drunken-
ness was a great sourceof misery and degradation to the
workiug man, and also that it was • prolific source
of mime. There were four propositions which
formed the basis of him proposal; first, that
drunkenness existed in proportion to the facilities
fronted fur drinking ; secondly, that all restraints
hitherto imposed had been attended with beneficial con.
Ns-ponces ; thirdly, that • salutary change had taken
place in the wishes and feelings of the working men, to
which it would be well and expedient for parliament to
give effect ; fourthly, that it was indefensible in theory
and policy to keep open public-houses on that day on
which the effects of drunkenness were most obnoeious,
and when all other trades were interdicted. As regarded
the first proposition, be would refer to the statistics of
drunkenness in Liverpool, and compare the recorded ease
of drunkenness there with the recorded came of drunken-
ness in several other towns. After ramekin that in
Liverpool there was virtually free trade in the sale of
liquors, the hon. member said that Liverpool had twelve
times and • half as many inhabitants as North Shields,
and 17 times as many cases of drunkenness; 13 times as
many inhabitants as Teignmouth, and 24 times as many
corn of drunkenness • five time as many inhabitants
ac Sunderland, end fourteen times as many oases of
drunkenness ; four times as many inhabitants ae New-
canle, and eleven times and • half as many oases of drunk.
runvw ; nine times as many inhabitants as Southampton,
and tifty.three times as many oases of drunkenness;
three times as many inhabitants as Bristol, and twenty.
one times as many cases of drunkenness. It all
this were true his position that drunkenness
prevailed in proportion to the facilities for drinking was
established. (Hear, hear.) In support of his second pro-
position—the beneficial influence of restraints hitherto, the
hon. member referred to the questions of Forbes-Macken-
sie's Act in Scotland. where, be said, the consumption
a spirits had been reduced to the extent of eight
Per cent., and crime also had been diminished.
As 'ignited the feelings mid wishes of the working
dans., he relied very much, he said, on the fact
that the petitions in favour of the bill had
rte,.ival such an immense number of signatures. In the
lereet election at Manchester the working classes showed
that they were almost unanimously in favour of the entire
r hieing of publichouses on Sunday ; and meetings held in
carious places iodinated a similar feeling. There was •
'ethics' from 500 publicans and bicentenary in London who
said they would view the passing of this bill with great s•-
tisfactiun ; and there was also a petition from 3,000 women
le longed to the working classes, who said that women
w, re the persons most interested in the matter, in favour
of his measure. In concluding, the hon. member remarked
that there 1101,000 persons employed in connection with
the sale of liquor, and the amount of capital affectedsa=
measure was no lent than 15,000,0001., end cited t
to show the immense annual consumption of wine, ale,
aid spirits, the gross amount expended on those articles
Leine, according to the last returns, 8,800,000/. in the
year. lie asked the house to pass the bill in the name
of social, economic, and religious progress, in the name of
a vast number of magistrates, in the name of a multitude
of petitioners, and in the name of that vast body of un-
hire persons who were now exposed to so much
temptation on Sundays. He raked the house to
make an attempt with him to overcome this
enemy of their common humanity, this evil which
must be got rid of before any other great evil could be per-
anently grappled with or any great improvement in so-
ciety triton (Cheers.)
Ur. J. LOCKE, in moving that the bill be read • second
time that day six month*, said he had always thought that
:nn attempt to make people sober by legislation
mast fail, and be believed that experience had
.boron that that view was sound. The question really
before the house was that put by the Archbishop of York in
a meeting held yesterday at Hanover-square Booms ; the
•mistion was not whether or not drunkenness was an evil,
bet whether this was a bill which would secure the object.
lan comparing Liverpool with other towns, the hon. men.
t (Mr. J. A. Smith) forgot that Liverpool was under the
Lane law as all other parts of the country, and that
ilstakennese was increased by the general character of the
oprdation, which comprised persons belonging to all parts
of the world. The question was whether drunkenness
was increasing or diminishing. He believed It wee dimi-
nnhing, and his hon. friend had not quoted any statistics
showing the contrary. His hon. friend did not pen the
working classes any compliment by assuming as he
del that they could not restrain themselves. He
believer) the great balk of the working classes desired no
such protection as hie hon. friend desired to give them ;
they were not such children as some of their friends ap.
Posed to suppose. (Hear, hear.) He would ask his hon.
friend the member for Lambeth (Mr. T. Hughes), who
praised the working-classes so much, and thought they
had as much sense as he had—(laughter)—what he would
say if a hill were introduced to protect them against the
temptation to drunkenness? (Laughter.) The boa.
ioeniher was not justified in assuming as bit had does
that the working-classes were all in favour of his measure,-
he (Mr. Locke) knew many who were net. The hon. sad
learned member then referred to the bill, which, he said,
connoted of only one claims, and to the 18th and 19th
e. 118, and the Licensing Act, 9th Geo. IV., e. 61,
ender which he said the public at present lived. His hoe.
friend said in effect that the question which he was agi-
tating was a very small one. He (Mr. Lecke) maintained that
this was a most inartistic way of dealing with the =biome,
and that, instead of following the bill of 1864 his bow.
Mend ought to have found a new track. If the question
of sundey closing was dealt with at all, it ought to be In
oneexion with the whole system of licensing. There was
no Pretests for saying that drunkenness had in-
!nand ; on the contrary, it had decreased, partly
.7no to education, end partly to the bin
c'urnd Pecuniary position of the working slams ;
titan* poverty was ate of the chief causes of extra-
" drinking ,numbers of persona getting drunk merely to
da
_rrr° nue. regarded she prohibition of drinking on
tae Premises during the four excepted hours, he "braid
ties
to know wbether bin boo. Mend had paid say
pee to the inconveniences which bad arena from that
ayl of distinction hitherto. His hon. friend sosossd to
too, that all peoples lads moo ths sans
nthey must all dine and all cep at the mat "la'
hon. gentleman had been kind enough to add a }Ge-
nie that persons might have sorastblag to drink providod
tthheenie tot:kthitineal_ . Why, what Symms, was this--4c, ferns
X during their meals (Laughter.) Aber.
'eth, used to say "-Don't drink with your meals • ft Is
bit rrhalmome.''' The has, maim said they mot.