The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-03-10
Tweaty.seven Temperance Mayors.

The ch~inx mnnicipsl yrar has tesIi-
fed Ia u very reinArkatiie manner 10
the spread Of temperance principles
ia the baud. No ever than twenty
seven cities aud buruugiis have been
represented by total %abs,ainers. 10
April the lralOus com niitee OF the
NatIuual Tent erance League invited
these iweui, .>cveu MAYORS ~ attend
n NEE ing il Exeter Hail. Ten Of
them, inrluding the Lord Mayor of
York, delivered most interesting adj
dresses, arni we have much pleasure
In copying the following summary of
their valuable testimonies from a tract
recently issued BY the National Tenn
| perance Lsagne.
The Lord Mayor OF York o.. s.
Rowniree, Esq } states that he had
been u practical absthiner all his life,
aud intended To remain I'll. He had
iutimated on the dav al his election
that II was his Intention on moving
to the Mansion House 10 continue the
practice of his W home, where no
intoxicating liquors were get before
his guests, aud after five months ex-
perience he was disposed to think that
ne came to the right conclusion. One
of his reasons for thinking sU was that
the duties of Mayor were probably at
the present time more Iaborious than
they had been at any previous period,
and required a larger amount of brain.
work than they had ever done before ;
and it was one of the teachings of sci
ence in our day, which we know bet.
ter than did any past generation. that
! abstinence from alcohol assists in
brain-work, keeps the brain clear and
helps one to meet the strain that is put
upon the mental powers. Seven.
eighths of tho crime which came under
his notice during the preceding week
had its origin in, or was connected
with, drunkenness; and as O matter
of fact, in the city of York, If 1t were
not for these cases of drunk enness,
there would DO frequently days to-
gether when there would be NO crimes
10 claim the attendance of the magis.
trates.
The Mayor of Leeds George Tat.
ham, ESQ., said that for forty-six years
he had never had drink in his house,
and he mover wanted 1t. When he
was frat asked If he would accept the
office of Mayor, he said he was MOI
prepared to act differently. In regard
to strong drink, at the Town Hal
from what he did at his own home
but five years later they unanimously
elected him, and with equal unanimity
they requested him In November las
to remain In Office for a second year
His experience had been highly sat
i~sfactory, and the municipal work o
the borough had proceeded with greaI
regularity, order and efficiency with
out tie aid OF intoxicating liquors.
The Mayor Of Hudders1eld (Thomal
Denham ESQ., had been u temper
ance man since 1884, and was thank
full for his own health and strength
aud for similar blessings enjoyed b,
those with whom he had associated
who had practised abstinence all the
time. The temperance societies hai
effected much good in Huddersield
They had created . higher moral tone
THE police we're greatly improved
aud exercised effective supervision
over public.houses. The magistrates
were refusing to grant more licenses
and were determined to reduce tn,
number. The chief-constable had tolt
him that ninety-fve per cent. of tn,
crime In the district could be traced
to drink.
The Mayor of Gateshead (E. s
Hindmarsh, Esq bad been an abstain
err all his life, a pledged t%eetotaler fol
forty-one years, and had never take
alcohol even as a medicine. He wa
president of a Band of Hope and super
%intendent of two Sabbath Schools
There was u great deal of drunkenness
in Gateshead, but the magistrates ha(
not granted a single public-house Ii
cense for twelve years. But ther'
were houses over which the magis
trates had no control, and In such case
the licenses had, unfortunately, to b.
granted. He believed in moral sua
sion, and hoped the government woul(
in time annihilate the traffic.
The Mayor of Reading C. w. Cole
brook, ESQ said 1t was a pleasure t.
bear testimony to the good effects o
total abstinence, after practising 1t f0l
thirty years. He had been unani
mously elected to fllthe Office of may
or, although the Town Council wa
composed partly of brewers and wine
merchants, and when he offered Swine
in the cluster" to his guests, they sale
the new arrangement was better thar
the old. He raised his voice agains
a condition short of intemperanct
which he thought more dangerous
the condition when men are excited
by the drink, when the mind, the rca
son and the judgement are of tn,
balance. We had to fight not drunk
enness only, but the drink which pro
duces II.
The Mayor of Wakefield wv. H
Lee, Esq said: ~ have been an alb
stainer for forty-six years. I sig nee
the total abstinence pledge In 1885
and since that time 1t has pleased III,
good people of Wakefield (thougl
there are brewers, maltsters aud pub
l%licans among them, both In the tow
and in the corporation) on four differ
ent occasions to elect me to be theil
chief magistrate, and 10 preside ovel
them; and although there Is no doub
in the minds Of any of them that
am a personal abstainer, at the sam,
j time / believe that both publicanI
and others have the most perfect con
fdence in nv judgment In the ad
ministration Of justice when case
como before me which affect thei
characters and their interests" e.
The Mayor Of Scarborough (Thoma
Whitteker, Esq had shut his moutl
10 the drink forty-six years ago, snl
il was nearly forty-four years sine,
he delivered his first speech In Excite
Hall. lie fought more elections thai
any mau In Scarborough, but they hat
not cost moro than $40 q head. Whei
elected to the mayoralty, he gave 81