The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-04-05
TEMPERANCE IN ENGLAND.
WHAT JUSTIN MCCARTHY SAYS
ON THE SUBJECT.
Influential People Strong to Introduce
Reforms in the Sale of Liquors-Be-
coming a Big Issue.

A series of public meetings, or, rather
conferences, have just been held in
Manchester, in which Lord Peel, lately
speaker of the house of commons, took
a deciding part for the purpose of de-
vising and deciding upon some course
of action to be taken with the view or
compelling the conservative govern
ment to show a little more interest than
it has lately been showing in the work
of temperance reform, writes Justin
Mccarthy in the Independent.
Lord Peel since he released hlmselt
from the laborious duties of the speak
er's office, has been devoting himself
unWeariedly to the consideration ana
the promotion of legislative measures
to combat the increase of drunkenness
drought these islands. Some few years
ago Lord Peel presided as chairman or
a royal commission which was appoint
ed to make inquiry into the whole sub
iect The commission could not agree
upon any plan of legislation, and, in
fact the majority of it's members were
opposed to all legislation which could
by any possibility be made effective IN
dealing with this growing evil. l am
only repeating what was openly said at
the time, that the majority of the COM
mission was made up of men who were
more or less under the influence of the
great capitalists by whom the country
is supplied with intoxicating drink.
1 do not believe that any of the great
commercial and industrial trusts OF
which you complain so much IN the
United States can possibly have more
influence than is exercised here in Eng
land by the brewers of beer and the
| distillers of whiskey. A great brewer
of beer or a great distiller of whiskey
is certain in England to be raised to the
peerage. 1 could name several men
! who are members of the house of lords
! at present who have acquired that dig
nified position merely because they or
their fathers were successful manutac-
turers of intoxicating liquors, and, hav-
! ing acquired vast fortunes by that In
dustry, made lavish public expenditure
of money in the patronage OF popular
Charities, and thus advertised them
selves as public benefactors. The IL
quor trade is an organization of inn
mense Importance in all parliamentary
contests, for the public house keeper Is
! in the vast majority of cases a mere de-
pendent on the brewer or the dtstiller
| and has to bestow his vote according &c
| the direction given to him by his mas
ter. Now, the powerful brewers az
distillers are generally on the tory SIDE
of politics, and the present government
has therefore a good deal to thank
them for. The late liberal government
| owed it's overthrow mainly to the earn
est efforts of Sir William Harcourt t.
introduce a scheme of legislation which
would have interfered with the proht'
of the liquor trade.
Lord Peel, who, as l have said, wa'
president of the commission to inquire
into the whole subject, drew up with hi
own hand a minority report, as 1T wal
called-a report embodying the views
and recommendations of those member
of the commission who thought with
him. There was nothing extravagan
or even immoderate, there was nothing
impracticable or fanciful in the recon-
mendation of Lord Peel. He is not
fanatical teetotaler; he is, in fact, no
a teetotaler at all, and is not the ma
to indulge in any hope of making
everybody sober by act of parliament
but he is a man of earnest purpose, o
great intellect and of comprehensive
practical knowledge, and he has loni
been convinced that our legislative wa
of dealing with the drink traffic is doin
all that legislation can do to make us
drunken people by act of parliament
His object is to bring about system @
legislation which shall discourage an
not encourage drunkenness; whic
shall put difficulties in the way of drum
/. kards and of those who tempt him
,. spend his money in drink, which sha
prevent the sale of drink to children
and shall declare it a perilous respoT
sibility for a public-hOuse keeper
make his place of business a curse
the neighborhood.