Mr. Johnson-Ferguson, M.P., who is the Liberal repre- sentative of
the Loughborough division of Leicestershire, has incurred the wrath of the Liberal Association of the Loughborough division, by making a speech at a Lough- borough licensed victuallers' dinner in which he treated the total abstainers in a somewhat jocular fashion, and assured the licensed victuallers that so long as there was no excess in drinking, he did not think the Liberal party in general were prepared to interfere with really moderate drinkers, and that be did not see that they would have any quarrel with licensed victuallers who did not en- courage excess. The Liberal Association of Loughborough regarded this speech as certain to offend a substantial portion of the Liberals of that constituency, and therefore made it a ground of offence against Mr. Johnson-Ferguson, who on Tuesday night addressed a meeting of his constituents at Sheepshed, declaring that he had made this speech in the hope of convincing the licensed victuallers of his constituency that their prejudice against the Liberal party was ground- less, and that the Liberals had no disposition to treat licensed victuallers as their necessary foes. He was extremely well received, and declared that he had no intention at all of resigning his seat, or bringing on a by-election. On the con- trary, he only used the right of speaking quite freely his own mind, which was—that he desires to restrain the abuses of alcoholic drinking, but not to interfere with the individual responsibility of those electors who approve it moderate use. Then fore, though he could not remlin a member of a Liberal Association which desires to interfere so greatly with his liberty of speech, he has no reason at all for severing his connection with his constituents or for looking out for a con- stituency elsewhere. Mr. Johnson-Ferguson will probably be all the more popular in his constituency for his independence, and may gain at least as many even of Liberal votes as he loses, by this breach with his would-be masters.
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