The drink traffic and the permissive bill : from Fraser's magazine, Feb. 1872 / reprinted by the United Kingdom Alliance.

Date:
1872
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The drink traffic and the permissive bill : from Fraser's magazine, Feb. 1872 / reprinted by the United Kingdom Alliance. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    General Operations.—The Council of the Alliance set themselves vigorously to the work of enlightening the public mind, of creating a correct public sentiment upon the liquor traffic, and of organising the same, so as eventually to embody it in a legislative enactment. The methods adopted by the Alliance to promulgate its principles and promote its objects are:— 1. Lectures and public meetings. 2. Essays, tracts, placards, handbills, and periodical publications, including a weekly organ, the Alliance News (price 1 cl.'). 3. Petitions and memorials to Parliament, to Government, to local authorities, and to religious bodies. 4. House-to-house canvasses, to ascertain the opinions of heads of families and other adult members. 5. Conferences of electors, ministers of religion, Sunday-school teachers, the medical profession, and other important bodies. The public meetings held by the Alliance have been usually convened in the largest buildings in the cities, towns, and villages; have frequently been called and presided over by the local authorities ; have been freely open to all classes ; discussion has been allowed and invited; resolutions have been submitted, embodying the principles and aims of the Association; and in nearly all cases have been affirmed- by enthusiastic and unanimous votes of the people. . ^Resolutions and memorials from public meetings are being continually sent to the Home Office and to various influential members of her Majesty’s Government, urging them to bring in a comprehensive measure, dealing with the whole licensing question, and giving the ratepayers of each parish a power of veto on the local issue of licenses by a vote of two-thirds. The Permissive Bill.—At the Annual Council Meeting of the Alliance in October 1857 a draft of suggestions for a Permissive Prohibitory Liquor Law was adopted, and put into extensive circulation. At the Council Meeting in 1863 the draft of a Permissive Prohibitory Liquor Bill was agreed to; and in the Session following, a Bill, similar in character, was submitted to the House of Commons by Wilfrid Lawson, Esq., Member for Carlisle, and Thomas Bazley, Esq., Member for Manchester. The Preamble of the Bill sets forth that— ‘ Whereas the sale of intoxicating liquors is a fruitful source of crime, immorality, pauperism, disease, insanity, and premature death, whereby not only the individuals who give way to drinking habits are plunged into misery, but grievous wrong is done to the persons and property of Her Majesty’s subjects at large, and the public rates and taxes are greatly augmented; and whereas it is right and expedient to confer upon the rate¬ payers of cities, boroughs, parishes, and townships, the power to prohibit such common sale as aforesaid—Be it therefore enacted,’ &c. The Bill itself provides that, on application of any district, the votes of the ratepayers shall be taken as to the propriety of adopting the provisions of the Act; but that a majority of at least two-thirds of the votes taken shall be necessary in order to decide that question in the affirmative. The Act itself would, when once adopted, prohibit within that district all traffic in intoxicating liquor for common purposes. The first reading of the Bill, though opposed by the friends of the liquor traffic, was carried by a large majority, after a brief debate. The second reading, as expected, was defeated by a large majority, although forty members voted and paired off in favour of the Bill. This was a much larger number than had been calculated upon by the pro¬ moters and movers of the measure. Petitions in favour of the Bill were sent in bearing upwards of 482,000 signatures ; whilst the opposing petitions were but few, and chiefly emanated from the interested traffickers. In 1869, on the motion for a second reading of the Bill, 94 voted and paired in its favour (an increase of 54), whilst 200 voted and paired against it (a decrease of 97 hostile votes), reducing the majority from 257 to 106. In 1870, on the vote for second reading, 115 votes and pairs were recorded in support, and only 140 against, reducing the hostile majority to 31. In the last Session, Sir Wilfrid Lawson again divided the House, on a motion for a second reading of the Bill, when 136 votes and pairs were given for the Bill, and 208 against it. Nearly 4.000 petitions (including 1,041 from corporate bodies, officially signed) were presented in support of the Bill, having nearly nine hundred thousand signatures.