Blandford, Wimborne and Poole Telegram. — 1875-06-25 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

JULIAN GOLDSM ID. Mr. CARTER also opposed the Bill. Mr. ROEBUCK opposed the measure on the several grounds that it was neither wise, just, nor practicable. Sir WILFRID LAWSON supported his own Bill. They had had the licensing system in operation for a long time. They had tried to amend its original provisions. What was the result In the year 1873 the number of arrests for drunkenness in the three kingdoms amounted to 348,000. Last year there was an increase in England of 2,700 odd, and in Iceland of 1,400 odd. They had General Cartwright's experience, which was that for every person arrested for drunkenness nine escaped. He did not agree with the hon. memberfor Leeds when he was induced to cast souse slur on the licensed victuallers of the country. (Laughter.) On the contrary, he believed them to be the picked men of the country, whom the magistrates had selected for their qualifications. They hail never asked him yet—but, if they did, he should go with great pleasure—to one of their dinners—daughter). The publicans were to sell exactly as much as was good for a man, and no more. But it was very difficult to decide for oneself, and certainly more difficult to decide what was good far others. The late Prime Minister once spoke of a man who, being about to have an operation performed upon him, was asked if he had been a moderate man. " Ave," replied his comrades, "that he was; he never drank more than eights quarts a day." This showed how difficult it was to say what was moderate. Liverpool was a place where they had a strong police and able magistrates, who were determined to carry out the provisihns of the Licensing Act, Last year there were 23,000 persons arrested in Liverpool for getting drunk. How many publicans were arrested and tined for making these 23,000 drunk? Just three. Was not that an illustration of how the system worked? Again, there was no power of knowing what were thd wants of a locality. Within a circle of 150 yards around the Sailors' Home in Liverpool there were forty-six publichouses tempting men to misery. What he proposed was not to levy new penalties, but that there should be no new licenses granted in places where the large majority of two-thirds of the ratepayers were opposed to licenses. If after three years' trial it was found that more misery was caused by this Bill than by drunkenness they could then return to the old system. Compensation he held should be given for loss of property, but not for loss of a privilege granted for one year only, and renewable at the discretion of the magistrate. If a man made a considerable sum of money by a public-house let him leave it and go to something respectable; if he lost nothing by it, the depriving him of his license could do him no harm, and if he made nothing, there was no hardship in taking the business from him —(laughter). The hon. member for Oxfordshire, in opposing this measure, had said it would simply drive drunkards out of one parish into another, and they would go on and on until there would be a combination of drunkards in some place that would enjoy having them—(laughter). Such an Act as he proposed would have a great moral . effect, for the publicans would feel they had got the sword of Damocles hanging over them, only wanting the weight of public opinion to bring it down and polish them off— (laughter). Another suicide, a couple of more murders, or another penny on the rates, and they would know the Permissive Bill would come into force. The House might recollect a picture in an illustrated paper representing a half-starved man standing at the door of a gin shop, the comfortable-looking landlady exclaiming, "Joe, turn that lot out." Says Joe, "He says he has fourpence." "Then," says the landlady, "ask the gentleman what he will have to drink "—(laughter). This required no explanation. Gentlemen on the Treasury Bench should be the last to oppose a Permissive Bill. The whole of this session had consisted of permissive legislation. During the Witsuntide vacation Mr. Bruce had been amongst his constituents, where he was well received, as no doubt he ought te be— (hear, hear)—a number of the clergy were gathered around him, the volunteer force, the Bands of Hope, and several brass bands playing Moody and Sankey's hyruns,—(laughter). In the discourse delivered by the Home Secretary on that occasion by the right honourable gentleman, referring to the crime of drunkenness, asked all the wives and mothers of England to use their influence to mitigate the vice and misery produced at the present moment— (Conservative cheers). But what had the Home Secretary done for his constituents? Why last year he opened public-houses an extra two hours per day. Perhaps he would introduce another Licensing Bill—(no, no). They had heard a good deal during the recess of the hon. member for Sandwich (Mr. Knatchbull-Hugeasen). He had always wondered why so eloquent and able a man • got to represent such a place as Sandwich—daughter). In one of the representative assemblies of the United States be had heard of a drunken member who on being remonstrated with said he was never too drunk to represent his constituents— (laughter). His hon, friend, instead of being a sober and good man, should have been a regular rowdy—(laughter). The other day the ships in harbour, or rather canal, at Sandwich, instead of having their banners flying on the Queen's birthday, had been only half mast high. On inquiry being made, it turned out that the men had only half allowance of beer—(laughter). He went down to Sandwich the other day. There was the greatest riot. Sweeps and scavengers assembled at the meeting, and he could not get a hearing. At last there came four of the riothers on the platform, and one of them, turning towards a great brewer who was seated there, said, "What's to become of this gentleman ?"—(much laughter). He did not ask the Home Secretary to have in his mind the twenty-five brewers who sat in that House. Depend upon it they might build partisans' houses, they might build schools, they might lay the foundations of churches, they might introduce barbarous laws, but they would have no change of the habits of the people so long as they had a House of Commons filling the pockets of the publicans and the revenues of the Chancellor of the Exchequer— (cheers). He was followed by Mr. Alderman Cortex, Mr.