The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-27 00:00:00

large, let it be changed; but how it should be carried on
was a matter of policy and not a question of principle. A
friend of his, one of the truest thinkers and most honest
politicians of the day—Professor Newman—had made some
remarks to this effect ; that he did not expect if such a bill
(the Permissive Bill) were carried that it would stop all
drinking; there would be habitual drinkers, no doubt, who
must be allowed to get drink, but not in the existing mode ;
and that mode being done away with a less injurious one
would be discovered. That mode of legislation did not ac-
cord with his (Mr. Taylor's) views. He conceived the pro-
per way would be to get a better mode first, before the pre-
sent one was done away with. He admitted that the amount
of drinking was injurious to an unhappy extent ; he ad-
mitted that the traffic was a dangerous one, and beyond all
others required watching and care in its modification ; but
he would not pledge himself to say whether the present was
the best mode—or, if they liked, the least injurious—in
which the traffic could be conducted; buthe would pledge
himself that if any other scheme were proposed he would
consider, to the best of his ability, whether it was a less inju-
rious mode than the present one. He was entirely opposed to
the present system of licensing--(hear)—it was utterly inde-
fensible on any principle whatever, and if for no other rea-
son it was so from the utter impossibility of the magistrates
to decide what was necessary to the public requirements.
He had not the least objection on principle to any limita-

tion of the number of people who sold liquors ; but he took
his stand upon what he considered to be the right of every
Englishman to judge for himself, whether in the majority
or in the minority, what he should drink ; and if the State
wero to step in and prevent all ordinary commerce in the
matters.which he desired to be brought to him, the State
did an act of tyranny—nor did it tend to the benefit of the
country. There were certain times in the life cf a nation
when all ideas of constitutional right appeared to sinkbefore
the presence of a crushing and gigantic evil. If, for in-
stance, as they said, England was now suffering from an
increasing amount of drunkenness,which was getting worse
and worse,the question presented itself whether they should
damage themselves by legislative tyranny, or be ruined by
drunkenness. It was a serious question to be considered,
and he appealed to them as moderate men whether the
reverse of that was not the case—whether withthe gradual
increase of education and with the spread amongst the
people of the facilities for higher and better means of ex-
citement and stimulus than those lowest ones of the senses,
the evil of drunkenness was not decreasing. The present
state of the people in this particular, he contended, con-
trasted markedly and satisfactorily with their condition
and habits a century ago, when it was considered the
proper thing after dinner to lock the door and see half the
guests, if not all, under the table. He also alluded to the
vast improvement in this direction during the last thirty
or forty years, in a small town in Essex, where he car-
ried on a business. Therefore, he argued, it was not a
fact that the intelligence of the people was not answering
to the improved end hig-her eirlpgrtuiliff"WS-Vei:eaien
to them; and consequently he submitted there was no case
made out for violating all the ordinary rules of constitu-
tionalism. It did seem to him that the proper mode for
raising and improving the people and eradicating the desire
for the lowest modes of stimulus and excitement was to
produce, and reproduce, and increase, and bring within, as
far as possible, the grasp of the working classes, intellec-
tual amusement and recreation, and all other kinds of in-
nocent stimulus.
A conversation ensued, in the course of which the Rev.
Mr. TOWNSEND said he should like to know whether Mr.
Taylor was prepared to vote for the second reading of Mr.
Lawson's bill next session ?
Mr. TAYLOR replied that his friend was looking for a
miraculous case of conversion,which really had not occurred.
Mr. Taylor also said that he was not prepared to submit or
suggest any measure; but if in a neighbourhood where there
were 20 public houses one would practically provide that
any who persisted to drink should not be without when he
wished it, that would come within his principle.
Mr. MART—If you admit the right of the people to limit,
have they not an equal right to prohibit ?
Mr. TAYLOR—Upon that point we come most satisfacto-
rily to an issue. I think they have a right to do one, and
clearly no right to do the other.
A resolution was then proposed by Mr. HOWELL, seconded
by Mr. Coox, and carried by acclamation :—" That the best
thanks of the deputation should be given to Mr. Taylor for
the courteous and gentlemanly manner in which he had
received them."
It was strongly stated by several of the deputation that
the teetotallers would support the election of Mr. Taylor,
and not divide the liberal party.

DOUBLE SCREWS.—The double or twin screw
principle reached its present maximum stage of de-
velopment in England on Wednesday in the trial trip of
the iron double screw steamship Louisa Ann Fanny down
the Thames between Gravesend and the Maplin Sands.