THE LICENSING BILL.
[To THE EDITOR 01 THE "SPECTATOR."]
Suk—Allow_me to thank you for your courtesy in inserting my letter on the drink, question in the Spectator of April 30th. I must not trouble you further, excepting to make some comment on the editorial remarks upon it, for which pos- sibly you may find room. As I understand those remarks, you adhere to "regulation and restriction " as the proper attitude for the State to take up towards the liquor traffic. But as regulation and restriction " mean the establishment of a monopoly," you advocate the money derived therefrom being used as a " source of revenue " to the State instead of going, as it does now, so largely into private pockets. I will not dispute your position. But I do not see that alcohol sold under your suggested improved conditions- would beless harmful to the consumers thereof than it is at present. Not long since the Lancet described it as "the most powerful and fascinating means of degisAation which human nature has found to degrade itself with." It does not alter its nature according to who sells it,—" tied-house" agent. independent - publican, big brewery company, or Lord Grey and the Bishops. Believing that the Lancet speaks the truth, the " Temperance party," to whom you allude, have ever since I have been in the House of Commons given their best support to every measure which the Regulation party have introduced which gave any prospect at all of diminishing the legalised facilities for obtain- ing drink. You imply that they have given "no support to the proposals for a high-license system." At this moment I cannot remember such proposals having been brought before Parliament; and with regard to high license itself, I believe that its advocates and supporters have never been able to mention a single district where it has been tried with the result of a diminution of the consumption of drink in - such district, without which diminution all substantial temperance reform is illusory. This letter is much longer than I hoped it would be when I commenced it, but such as it is I will send it on, trusting to the charity which a well- informed Regulator will show towards a well-intentioned Prohibitionist.– I am, Sir, &c., WILFEID LAWSON. House of Commons.
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