THE LIQUOR PROBLEM—WANTED, A COMPROMISE. (To THE EDITOR or sus
"Seecraroa."1 SIII,—It is to be fervently hoped that your powerful appeal to the " extreme Temperance Party " in your issue of the 14th inst. will not fall on deaf ears. Coming from one who has so persist. ently championed the cause of Prohibition, and who was present at the historic interview at Downing Street on the 5th inst., it deserves the most serious consideration of all who are sincerely anxious of really furthering the Temperance Cause, regardless
of party or theory. I shall be obliged if you will allow me to make three observations on the present position.
(1) We have never had in this country such an opportunity as the present for dealing effectively with the drink evil. The drink has so gravely aggravated our war problems that there are thousands who will help on the Temperance Cause to-day because they believe it will help to end the war. We have no reason for believing that these can be counted upon to support Temperance Reform when the war is over. Even religious journals, who have given scant support to Temperance in the past, are to-day supporting the movement with great ardour. If the present opportunity is lost, it is morally certain that much water will flow under the bridges before any political party will champion the cause of Temperance Reform. The hour for Temperance Reform has struck.
(2) The proposals outlined by you are, I am convinced, the maximum that can be got out of the Government. Three Govern- ments in succession have repeatedly refused to prohibit the traffic, and one presumes that there are adequate reasons for that. Sir Alfred Mond, Lord Rhondda, and others, prior to taking office, signed the Memorial in favour of Prohibition. One assumes that they would have persisted in the demand after taking office if it were. practically possible. The suppression of some twenty thousand public-houses at once, and the possibility of closing all in areas by means of veto, would be an immense contribution to the solution of the drink problem: a victory without parallel in the history of Temperance Reform in the country.
(3) It should be clearly understood that the one difficulty now comes from " the extreme Temperance Party." Sir Thomas Whittaker, in his speech at the interview with the Prime Minister, and Mr. Arthur Sherwell, in his speech at the House of Commons in February, offered no opposition to Prohibition if it were feasible. It now remains for the Prohibitionists, having failed in their demUnds, to support, or, if not actively to support, to offer no active opposition to, State Purchase. Should the present unique opportunity be lost, it would be a calamity of the first magnitude to the cause of Temperance; should it be lost through the misguided action of the Temperance Party, it would be one of the ironies of history.
Mr. Leif Jones, speaking some years ago, said : " We have made but little headway in a hundred years. I do not want to depreciate what has been done, but the tide has not been rolled back, for we are consuming to-day, per head of population, very nearly as much alcohol as seventy years ago." It would be sad if Temperance effort in the future were as barren as in the past; and strange if that barrenness were due to the President of the
United Kingdom Alliance.—I am, Sir, &c., J. T. MITS. 10 Finchley Road, N.W. 8.
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