Let us say in conclusion that though we hold so
strongly that the State must regain its fall rights over the licenses, we detest the notion of treating the trade in intoxicants as if it were one per se shameful and abominable, and depriving those who are engaged in it of the right to justice and pecuniary fair treatment. The man who makes and sells intoxicants is not a scoundrel, and must not be treated as if he were an enemy of the human race. If, then, it can be shown that the Bill will produce the widespread ruin in the trade which some of the speakers on Thursday night declared, its financial pro- visions must be modified. But while we desire absolute justice for the trade, we must be careful to distinguish between real injustice and a depreciation in brewery values caused, not by legislation, but the changed habits of the people in the direction of temperance.
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