The United Kingdom Alliance for promoting majorities in any district
to put down the sale of all intoxicating liquors in that dis- trict held a crowded meeting at Manchester yesterday week. " There would be," said Mr. Lawson, " as little compulsion as possible in the Bill ;" if any district "wished to have drink, pauperism, crime, and lunacy, let them have it ; but if any district wished to have the absence of drink, with propriety, sobriety, and order, then it was unspeakably unjust that they, to gratify the passions and interests of a small minority, should inflict misery on that locality.' Mr. Lawson has a somewhat different measure of justice and injustice than ours. The true object of the Bill is to sacrifice the sober and temperate, who are not afraid of the neighbourhood of intoxicating drink, to those who are. Suppose any city, de- moralized by bears and bulls, wished to vote for " the absence " of stock exchanges, " with sobriety and order," it would be exactly equally rational to grant its request. Temptations to crime should be put down ; but if all opportunities for what is harmless or beneficial, that incidentally become temptations to crime, are to be put down, the human race may commit suicide at once, for life is at an end.
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