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® " o eeoik "w We Ilw m e ee Wy' E .."m' t [ i. o 9 ROWELL'S AR |. ARGUMENT \ & Liberal i. v.;&;ler in a Brilliant Speech Pleads for Abolish-- | ': {'g,,'nt of the Bar, for Moral, Social | F h. a | 7 «_ and Economic Reasons. 2 j 7 sgacue. 4 w f l POINTS OUT Th. } LOCAL OPTION | j ' WILL DISPOSE OF OTHER LICENSES. ' | I gronnsmmashsmeninamimsmmen won wmmrcrm man i Clearly Shows the Great Havoc Wrought by Liquor} | Traffic and the Many Advantages f of Its Withdrawal. ¢f Not since the memorable days of the referendaum ana Gamey debates has the Legislature witnessed such a throng as that which 'filled the floor r and galleries yesterday to hear the discussion on the proposal of Mr, N. W. Rowell, K.C., Liberal Leader, to abolish the bar in this Province. The occasion itself was noteworthy because it meant the implementing of a K. ' promise given by the Liberal Leader before the recent election, that as Es ' soon as time would permit he would declare the attitude of himself and f his party on the temperance question. That he expected opposition not ; only from the Government, but from organized liquor interests as well, he ' cheerfully admitted. "It may be that some of the men in this Province who hbave (zo-operate(l' with the Liberal party on all measures in the pasi may not find it possible to co--operate with us on this measure. Such being > so, I regret the fact, but I helieve the resolution to be right ; 1 believe it to be in the interests of the country ; and believing that, we can do naught f less than press it upon the attention of the House and the country in the hope that the House and the country will adopt it."! | // MASTERLY REVIEWV OF THE STTUATION. . t ' Mr. Rowell's speech was a masterly review of the temperance situa-- | tion. He dwelt upon the economic, the social and the scientific aspects ' of the liquor traffic, the industrial loss it occasioned, and the factor it J was in producing crime, insanity and pauperism. He showed the influence upou the home, and indicated what the drinking habit actually cost the } Province in dollars every year. He had not sought nor coveted the posi-- i tion he held as Leader of the Oppositiion in the House, nor the pisition of Prime Minister of the Province. '"To these I have never aspired : not be-- cause I did not appreciate the honor and the importance of these posi-- tions, but other walks of life would have appealed to ime more than these. The only inducement I had to accept the position, the only reason why in this House to--day 1 enter upon this contest, the only reason why I enter -- upon it in the country is this: I hope in some small way and in some smail measure to be able to contribute to the betterment of the moral, *al social and industrial condition of the people of this my native Province. I can think of no better way that will contribhute to these results than by | the abolition of the bar--completely wipe it out in the Province of 011-: tarto..""'~, ? PREPARED TO FIGHT, f "It is a matter of great gratification to us st the manner in \\'h'u-'nf this policy bas already been received throughout the country. Men of } both political parties, of all classes of life, men of all shades of opinion | interested in the moral well--being of the people, have given it strong cn-i ' couragement and strong support," said Mr. Rowell. R j "I want to say that we recognize that we will have opposed to us wheni election time comes one of the best organized, the strongest and most| l effective oppositions which can possibhly be brought forward--the opposition ' 1 ' . of the liquor interests. I am not now speaking of the opposition from th-)i & ' Government, but of the opposition coming from the liquor interests. I| expect that they will have at their disposal unlimited sources of money, that they will fight for their life, and fight vigorously. I am not complain-- ing about that--I am simply stating the difficulties which I believe will p confront us." ' GRAVE EVILS OF THE TRAFFIC. f "One of the significant signs of the times is the growing recognition j upon the part of the people not only of this country but of all the pro-- s gressive countries in the world of the grave evils of the liquor traffic,' ' began Mr. Rowell. "At the recent International Conference, held at The & f ; : dfi