The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1883-06-30 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

CLUBS AND THE LICENSING LAWS. Attention has from time to time been canel iJ existence of drinking and gambling clubs at which id. toxicating liquors are sold at all hours of the day all night. These clubs have flourished and multiplied though both the licensed liquor trade and the temper' ance party are strongly opposed to them. But 3 Ire has now been raised which may seriously interfere their success in future. A working man's social da exists at Stalybridge' to which entrance has hidle been gained by the payment of twopence t) "steward." Cards, dominoes, and other mew amusement are provided, two papers are taken in, mu there are said to be 1,000 members. The subscriPtica of twopence, in addition to securing membership 100. manth, entitles the members to a certain amonat,! "refreshment,'' and the business of the society mainly transacted on Sundays, when the hailer 1' opened at six in the morning. Under these circa'''. stances it is not surprising that nearly every Sob/ men are locked up for being drunk ia. the street aSIC I,aving the club, and the police have at last prosecute' the " steward " for selling drink without a licen9. The defence, of course, was that the place was sea, with a duly elected committee, rules, and all other legal requisites; but the magistrates considered it oc/Y a colourable club and imposed a fine. A case asked for and refused, and for the defence it was 0. that the proceedings would be carried. further. It to be hoped that this threat will be carried out 11 that a guiding decision may be dually aniced Co-operation is a good thing, but the remark scarce*. applies to co-operative drinking.  " No, not at all; I will reprove him. When shall the, wedding be ?" _ _  "I will alk to my daughter. I will advise with Miss Hardwick," said the prospective father-in-law of the master of Brackenbury Towers. " Let it be soon, let it be soon," said the earl, rising and staggering towards the door_ "Good night, Hardwick."  " Goad night, sir," responded Mr. Hardwick, adding as the earl disapeared, " I have seen him to bed; a narrow escape of seeing him under the table. I have drank bottle for bottle with him nevertheless." "What, what," he heard the earl suddenly exclaim and then there was a hubbub of voices in the corridor, and the butler, with several other servants, followed the postillion and the staggering lord-back into the library, "robbed, that is not much; is he murdered ?" "No, my lord. it is not as bad as that; highwayman chap wor better mannered." "Oh. very well;" said the earl, supporting himself with his hand on the table as he sat down in the chair.  _ "It wor all done before you could wink. Me and Bill with our yeds in sacks and tied wi' a rope, and him, Mester Philip, wi' his purse whipped out like shelling peas." -  " Yes, yes, and no shooting," asked the earl. "Not a wad, and Mester Philip he's putting up for night wi' Mester Short, at the 'Miller and his Men.'" "Oh, very well," said the earl, "and was my gentleman sober ?" "When highwayman chap wor gone he wor sober." "Before then, man. Where did you stop on the road?"  ---"My gentleman got his dinner at Angel Inn i Chesterfield."