The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1888-07-07 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

DEAKIN AND THE DRINK CURSE.  TO THE EDITOR OF THE BIRKENHEAD NEWS. Sis,—ln your issue of Saturday, Jane 23rd, is an account of the Licensed Victuallers' Picnic to Chirk, I note that in the after-dinner speech by Councillor Deakin, responding to the toast of "Prosperity to the Birkenhead and Wirral Licensed Victuallers' Association," he said, "Now, however, when those aliases were withdrawn, they felt themselves more free to speak of them as they affected their interests. They might acknowledge that those clauses dealt exceedingly hard measure to the licensed victuallers. In the test place, it provided that they should no longer look to a magisterial body for the renewal of their licenses but to an electoral body, subject to the various moods that from time to time might influence voters. That was not palatable to the majority of licensed victuallers; more than that it provided that compensation was to come out of the pockets of the licensed victuallers themselves." Later en in his speech, 'Still they would rather have a settlement from their friends than MIA themselves to the tender mercies of the party who seemed to have thrown themselves into the arms of the licensed victuallers' natural enemies—the teetotal party." I read, after a few more remarks, "At pre. sent, there was a large demand for alcoholic liquors. No one would suppose that that demand would suddenly cease, because s Party had declared that public-houses should be shut up." Then Mr. Deakin, after stating that the importation of foreign wines and spirits would not, under present circumetances, be put an end to, nor brewing cease, draws a dismal picture, in which the demand for intoxicating drinks is supplied "by those who would be willing to carry on a secret and illegitimate trade, and under the absence of all those restrictions as to police supervision, limitation of hours, dzunkenness, gambling, and other kinds of vice, the illegitimate trade would be carried on under the entire abrogation of all those safeguards which the experience of centuries showed were desirable for the regulation and supply of alcoholic) liquors. It would not tend to improve the morals of the country." Now, Mr. Editor. although I have not Picked the bone clean I have tasted the quality of the meat and arrived at the conclusion that it is not merely tainted but putrid. Here is a man holding a prominent Position amongst us advocating a cause that, uncinizzled and nnchalued, according to his own admission, "would not tend to improve the morals of the country and would produce drunkenness, gambling, and other kinds of vice," ending a long speech with an exhortation to those interested in the sale of the producer of drunkenness, gambling, vice, and Immorality :—" To discuss the matter amongst their friends, to talk it over with their customers, and to support the various organisehone in their endeavours to do what might este to the general benefit of their body, regardless of pains and expense, and when the time came they would receive justice tempered with mercy. He exhorted them not to mead idly by and see the bread taken out of the mouths of themselves, their wives and children. (Loud applause.)" I take it that the justice tempered by mercy !nestle transportation for life instead of hangmai as murder, although mainly the result of tilc consumption of alcoholic drinks, is not 14pecified by Mr. Deakin in his list of crimes. '•hat which makes a country like ours Unmoral, drunken, vicious, dtc., should be swept "ray witbout • moment's consideration. As le the vastness of our monetary loss, five choonutdtrreydB millions invested in sapping a morality must produce • fearful state of things to contemplate, and a careful Iruen of the papers day by day will show e who never before gave the matter a "m,Sht that the result is proportionate to the 9itconsequently the more money invested „, the drink traffic the lower the morality ' the people. Mr. Deakin's bugbear 7-the teetotallers—are justified in fight. '°g this moneyed monopoly, productive of p"eh fearful consequences to millions, nfortunately the sale and manufacture of enoxicants has resulted in enriching those mterested, enabling them to obtain titles, Lem. in Parliament, and prominent positions, (5 Such an extent that their bare weight wn into the balance for either political te'tY will tend tout the opposite party in a ?priority. Mr. Deakin, although aware of i°ll fact, wishes to preduce from behind the „Lieounter' in the smoke room, and bar parlour, s array of crusaders bent on perpetuating :7 liii 41! which consigns many of its customers scaffold, gaol, asylum, or to poverty, ;Tell% wretchedness, and death suicidal, ',;lough not generally recognised as such. P.tee wonder Mr. Deakin objects to the great be; Lees, the people having the power to vote te abolition of this scourge as any a t ' i relmen_t they may recognise it in its true , ter, and effect • revolution productive n.eneal results to themselves, but if the .Of n • of the people is allowed to decide as to 1101,0112ment of a nation it can be sorely  trusted with the same functions with regard to a trade. Giving the magistracy credit for being wish. fal for the good of the oommounity, I think this is a matter that ought not to be left in the hands of e few, but subject to the popular vote.  Now, Mr. Editor, I am not • teetotaller, so cannot be ',ceased of bigotry, yet I never saw so forcible an argument in favour of total abstinence as that catalogue of comseqoences dependinLon the unrestricted sale of intoxicants. with all the restrictions on the intoxicating drink trade, the daily papers show how fearful are its effects on die people. I trust that in the near future alcoholic drinks will be sold in the drug stores, labelled as poison, specifying its effects on humanity, viz., murder, suicide, insanity, immorality, vice, and death from an undiluted overdose. The dose and manner of using in drowning or other cases where beneficial. To prevent drunkenness, drunkards should be consigned as madmen to the asylum for • period. Grown men would not then boast in the bearing of impressionable men of how drunk they had been. This boasting has led many a young man to cross the line of safety and ruined his prospects in life, entailing misery, if married, on wife and children—Yours &c.,