PROHIBITION. 
 
 GREAT SPEECH OF 
 
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 Campaign Tract No. 2. 
 
 At a public meeting held in Sherbrooko, P. Q., 
 under the auspices of tlie Quebec Branch of the 
 Dominion Alliance for the Total Suppression of the 
 Li({uor Trafiic, Sir A. T. Gait, who presided, spoke as 
 follows: 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen, — I think we may con- 
 gratulate ourselves on the crowded audience we have 
 bo-nijjht. It is a pleasinf^ sign of sympathy with the 
 earnest efforts put forth by the friends of the temper- 
 ance cause to extend to the Dominion of Canada the 
 benefits of recent legislation on that subject. When 
 my friends in Montreal were kind enough to ask me 
 to give them my assistance in Sherbrooke with refer- 
 ence to this movement I very gladly acquiesced. 
 They were good enough to think that I possessed 
 some small amount of infiuenco in the Dominion, and, 
 ladies and gentlemen, I felt that if I am happy enough 
 to have any influence in our common country, that that 
 influence is largely due to the confidence with which 
 I have been honored by the people of the Eastern 
 Townships, and esirecia/ll}'^ by the ,peQpl(?, of Sherbrooke, 
 for many years. ('A;p;pflittee.)i i.tV UKiiiofQiro, there be 
 
 Published by order 'aS the. Q^iM">t1c j'r,Qv;ir<ciiil Ailiun<fe*SXeCf.ti\c. 
 
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any one place more than another where it is my (hity 
 to appear pul)licly to give my adherence to this cjreat 
 and good cause, 1 think tliis town of Sherbro(jke is 
 that |)lace. (Cheers.) I do not ])ro])ose tiiis evening 
 to make any api^eal to your .s\an|)athies. The 
 cause which is advocated liere will find other and 
 more elo([u<Mit gentlemen to make those appeals. 
 Fortune has generally required me to deal with any 
 subject on which I had to speak latber with the hard 
 facts that surround it, rather with tlie reasons which 
 attend it, than with those passions and .sympathies 
 regarding it which others may, perhaps, have a greater 
 gift in exciting. What I propose is to show the 
 process of reasoning in my own mind by which, after 
 a comparatively long life, I liave come to the conclu- 
 sion that it is the duty of every good citizen to promote 
 this pre-eminently useful work. (Hear, hear.) I have 
 been .struck, as we all have, with the fact of what we call 
 the hard times, undiu which we have suffered during 
 the last live years, and under which the country is 
 still sufiering, and 1 have noticed that the con.sequence 
 of these hard times has been to produce on all hands, 
 on every side, and in every family, economy. Economy 
 has been found to be absi;lutely necessaiy as the oidy 
 wholesome and reliable cure for nmch of the distress 
 which previous extravagance had brought upon us. Be- 
 lieving that to be the case, I could not lu.'lp considering 
 w^hat was the most costly article of consumption in this 
 country, — the one which we could most easily spare, 
 the one which costs us the most in its indulgence, and 
 I did not fail tt) find that it was in the use, — in the 
 consum])tion of intoxicating liquors. (Hear, hear.) 
 Reference was made last ir.,dit by our Cjiairman, Mr. 
 Brooks, to the amount of revenue that is derived from 
 spirits and wines and beer. The amount is not quite 
 so large as he stated it, but still quite large enough to 
 excite the apprehensions of everyone who is opposed 
 to seeing the resources of his country wasted. Last 
 year the official reports show that the amount of 
 revenue raised from the three articles I have mentioned 
 was $4,367,()Q0 Now^ itj wjll.be .observed, ladies and 
 gentlemer). that it is: i)bt/ the jfti'npAi^it of revenue that 
 is raised apor. these articiieswhibh' 'is the measure of 
 their cost to the ,c.oamtry;-H<''^ryv fs^j: from it, that is 
 
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 only the j)ro|)f>i'ti()n which is t.'ikcii hy thi' Government. 
 That amount must be multi|»lic(l at least by four to 
 ascertain the real cost of those articles, especially that 
 of spirits. It re{»rescnts a consumption, ami I may 
 say, with scarcely an exception, a useless consumption 
 of at least SKi.OOO.OOO per annum (hear, hear), an 
 amount which is very nearly e(iual to the whole 
 amount of the commercial failures in the country on 
 the avera_i(e for the last five years. While 1 am 
 speaking on this suljcct of the revenue derived from 
 these beverages, T may take occasion to remark that 
 though the amount is not so lar^e as it was stated last 
 night, when it was put at six millions, it isijuite large 
 enough — for it is four an<l a half millions — and that is 
 one of the difHculties which have in the future to be 
 met with in advocating total prohibition. Now, there 
 is another point mentioned by my friend, Rev Mr. 
 Duff, last lught, which I think T may say two or 
 three words about. In his elo(pient remarks he 
 referred to the amount of revenue raised from ardent 
 spirits, and in terms whieli were probably understood 
 by the audience, and were so understood by me as 
 charging upon the Government wliat really amounted 
 to a great sin in obtaining this money (hear, hear). I 
 am quite sure that that could not have been what Mr. 
 Duff ])ropo.sed the meeting should understand. The 
 truth is, that far from the Goverrunent being blame- 
 worthy in raising that amount from spirits, they are 
 acting precisely in the diiection that is most in the 
 interests of temperance. The more money they 
 raise from spirits the more expensive those beverages 
 become, and clearly the less they are within the reach of 
 the poorer classes of this country, and I should be glad 
 if, instead of four millions and a half, the Govern- 
 ment had been able to raise twice that sum. (Hear, 
 hear.) If they could raise twice that amount to-morrow 
 from this particular source it would be unquestionably 
 a move in the right direction, and one for which instead 
 of blaming the Government we should sup{)ort it, for 
 we should be glad to know that so large a portion of 
 the taxation necessary to the Government of this 
 country is drawn from s. source which our object 
 should be to dry up, since it is drawn from an article 
 of consumption which is, in very many respects, and 
 
perhapH wholly, injurious to the wt'll-bcing of society 
 at large. But to return to the question of the cost to 
 the country of the consumption of ardent spirits and 
 other strong drinks, J have stated that the loss in actual 
 consumption cannot be put at less than 1$1(»,()U(),- 
 0(M). But all of us know — painfully know — that 
 the direct cost represents but a very small 
 part of the indirect cost. Tlie indirect cost is, 
 in its influence upon society, infinitely greater, 
 infinitely more onerous, than the direct charge. 
 I would gladly see the whole of the sixteen millions 
 thrown into the St. Francis River if 1 could Ite sure 
 that in doing so wo had wi])ed out the infinite evils 
 that arise from the consumption of those articles. 
 (Great applause.) Now, the position of this country, 
 — a country struggling to establish for itself a pros- 
 perous future, where we h;ivo to develop the present 
 natural resources of the country, under great difficul- 
 ties — a country under these circumstances cannot 
 wisely aflt>rd to waste anything. Our ])usiness should 
 be, as far as possible, to retain within our reach 
 all the sources of wealth and of industry which 
 we are able to secure, and, therefore, if wv fin<l 
 that one particular cause prijduces enormous waste t(» 
 the country, an enormous waste of money, an enormous 
 waste of energy, and, I am sorry to say, an enormous 
 destruction of intellect, then, I .say, it becomes the 
 duty of the Government and of every good citi/en, to 
 do their best to diminish that waste and correct those 
 evils. (Hear, hear.) If we examine the course of the 
 temjjerance (|uestion in the past — and I remember 
 perfectly well myself the phases it has taken — we find 
 that it commenced with arguments. Avith public ad- 
 dresses, with appeals, and, in many cases, strong a]i- 
 peals, to the sympathies and passions of the peoj)le. 
 From that point, as soon as it had established itself in 
 the nunds of a ceitain number of the community, it 
 then assumed the form of organization, and temper- 
 ance societies were established. At rii'st they did not 
 go beyond piohibiting the consum])tion of ardent 
 spirits, and afterwards the more energetic of their 
 members went to the extent of the total abstinence 
 societies, and in that way public opinion was educated 
 up to the point when legislation was resorted to in aid 
 
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 of the ett'ortb which V)t'nevolent geutlenion Imtl uifulo 
 to correct this evil. And it is in that way that we 
 have reached the point arrived at to-night of' dicussing 
 the Canada T('ni|)erance Act. Indeed, it is qnite use- 
 less, if we should attempt it, to outrun puhlic opinion. 
 If there is one thing more mc-essary tlutn another in 
 reference to any social reform or any social (piestion, 
 it is this : Tliat you should convince ])ultlic <»])inion 
 that you are right, and then yon will carry it wilh 
 you. If you do not do so, one of two results will 
 follow — either you will sur})riHe a victory from your 
 opponents — and that will be followed by a reaction 
 and defeat— or you will fail altogether to t>btnin the 
 victory. It must be by the intelligent education of 
 the ])eo|)le on these subjects that you can create such a 
 iiublic sentiment as will enable vou to give effect to 
 the legislation that you obtain fVom time to time. 
 Now, I think, with regard to legislation, ami to what 
 is known as the Dnnkin Act, that tlie advocates of 
 tem))erance luive gi'cat reason to be thankful for the 
 progress that has been made under it. 1 am aware 
 that in many districts it niav not have worked alto- 
 gether well, but still the fact that so many counties 
 and so many townships in Ontario and Quebec have 
 put, themselves voluntarily under the operation 
 of the Dunkin Act, I think is one <.i" the strongest 
 evidence's possible that ]iublic oj)inioTi In these <li.s- 
 tricts was runiiing [larallel with the thought of those 
 gentlemen who have from time to time l)C('n the 
 organizers of this movement. vHear, hear.^ We have 
 now reached the point, as I said befoiv, of the Canada 
 Temperance Act of last session, and I am ha)){)y 
 to be able to announce to you that at the close 
 (jf my few remarks, you will have the pleasure of 
 listening to an explanation of that Act by the Rev. 
 Mr. Gales, which I am sure will be exceedingly inter- 
 esting. It is now sought to give effect to that legisla- 
 tion through what is known as the Dominion Alliance. 
 Now, this Alliance is only, as it weje, in the process of 
 inceotion ; it is not alto<'ether or'^anized oratixed fact 
 yet. It is in the interests of this organization in the 
 Province of Quebec that this meeting is being held 
 here to-nigh \ The Dominion Alliance is not a Temper- 
 ance Society or a Total Al}stinence Society, but it is one 
 
the ol)j».'('t of which is to in('hi<le ♦^vory <>»(! who desiros 
 to Hoe tho use of, and the trattic, in intoxiiatinjjliqiiorw 
 banished from the country. A.s I understand it the 
 object is to make the |tlatform ho bioad that every one 
 can put liimself in hne with it. Perhajm a ^'ood many 
 of my friends iiere may be s»n'])rised to sec; nie presid- 
 injij at a tcmpcrati'-e meetinj^ (applause), but I lope as 
 I ^Viiw older that [ may j^row wiser (h)ud cheers), aiid 
 that, at any rate;, in rej^^ard to any jtcxkI object, I hope 
 J am never too old to h'arn. (Hear, hear.) When tlu- 
 (piestion has been put beibre me, and 1 liave been told 
 that I have a moral (bity to perform, or can s( rve a 
 moral purpose by beeomin^' a mendjer of a total abstin- 
 (;nee society — and that is a (|ueati(m which I have 
 revolved in mv own uund very seriously for several 
 years past — I have .saitl this: I am jieifectly willing 
 at f)ncc to t^ive up the use of intoxicating drinks il" you 
 will guarantee to me that it will do any good 
 (hear, hear); if you will only guarantee tliat my doing 
 so will be the means of ])reventing my friend from 
 getting it, whiitlier he likes it or not. That is the train 
 of thought which has passed through my own mind, 
 atid, no doubt, through the minds of many other men 
 lik(! myself. The sacrifice of their own enjoyments, 
 I ]iave no doubt, many who do not belong to a tem- 
 perance society will gladly make when they under- 
 stand that in givingupthatwhich they may notconsider 
 hurtful t(» tJKMnsclves, they really producer a good result 
 to other individuals. (Hear, hoar.) Now, lam bound to 
 say — and I hope my friends from Montreal will not hud 
 fault Avith me for saying it — that I think the j)rinciples 
 defined on the Donnnion Alliance cards go a little 
 further than they will carry everybody with them. 
 In the remarks which fell from Mr. Dougall last night, 
 which I think were exceedingly sensible, and they 
 certainly commended themselves to my judgment, he 
 spoke of the desirability of carrying eveiyone with 
 them so far as they could, and gradually ]»reparing 
 for something better in the future. Now, if we examine 
 this question of Intemperance I think that ninety-nine 
 men out of a hundred, and all the ladies, will ai^ree 
 with this proposition : That the great and crying (jvils 
 of Intemperance are rather to be traced to the use of ar- 
 dent spirits than to the other fermented liquors. That is 
 
my own ohsorvatlon. It may he i^uito true, as is aJIe^e«l, 
 that the taste tor anient Hpirits is increaMed hy in- 
 dul^'ciici' in <ith('r li(iu()r,s ; but the ;^'n'at and crying 
 evils, tlie ciinif, the domesti** (riindty to wives an(l 
 chihlren,— tho.N*' I'vils, I helieve, are to be traced in 
 all cases ratlier to an indidgence in ardent spirits tlian 
 to others more innocuous. I helieve th(! gentlenjen of 
 the Dominion Alliance will carry ten persons with 
 them in favor of jirohihitin^ the manufacture and 
 importation of spirits to five persorjs who will support 
 them in endeavoring to prohil)it all kinds of liquors. 
 That is my impression, and I merely throw it out in 
 conse((uence of the remarks that fell from Mr. Dougall 
 last night. It niight he well to follow a similar course 
 to that followed by temperance societies when they 
 werf' first initiated. If 1 mistake not, that was their 
 original starting j)oint — that tht^y only prohibited the 
 use of ardi^nt spirits. I think that when you propose 
 to the nation at large to deal with this subiect it would 
 be well to be guided by the experionce of the past. 
 When you have struck <lown the greatest source of 
 the evil it will be comparatively easy for you to carry 
 public opinion in any further steps you may find it 
 necessary to take. (Hear, hear.) If I have said a 
 few words whicli may perhaps be considered a little 
 discouraging, though I do not regard them as such, I 
 would like to say sometliing which I think is rather 
 encouraging. In that respect I wish to deal with 
 two great objections which an; raised to the Al- 
 liance and to the object that is ultimately sought to 
 be attained. Now, these objections aie, tirst, the diffi- 
 culty whi(;h the Government of the country would 
 experience in replacing the revenue that would be lost 
 by the ]>rohibition of the traffic ; and the other objec- 
 tioi\ is that |)rohibition is incompatible with what we 
 regard as true British freedom. With reference to the 
 first, I think I may say that it a change were macie by 
 prohibiting spirits in the first instance and afterwards 
 fermented liquors, the change would be more gradual, 
 and consequently the difficulty of meeting the loss of 
 revenue would be diminished. But I am quite pre- 
 pareil to sustain this statement, after having had a good 
 deal to do with the question of revenue and the raising 
 of taxation. I am quite prepared to assert before 
 
thia midionoo to-nif^'fit that the Finance Minister wlio 
 should siicoopd, by prnhihitLnt^ tlio trattic in intoxica- 
 ting,' Ii([nors, in rcstorinL,' .Sl<i,()()(),()()() now lost to tho 
 people of tliis ('(^untiy and wholly waste(l,- tlie Finance 
 Mnister who shoulil Hucceed in doin;; that and should 
 also save tlie indirect loss that arises froni the injmy 
 that is done to society hy it, — 1 say lie will liavo no 
 dilhculty wliatever in raisin*^ tlu' snniot money which 
 ai)poars in the fii-st instance to he thus lost to the rev- 
 «Miue. ( [jDiid che(!rs.) The?-e can he wo doul»t wliatever 
 ahoutit. One ol'thc^ l)u;^hears jihout taxation with which 
 wo are met is that of direct taxation. Now, 1 will 
 venture to say this: that when you have ediwrated the 
 people of this country u]) to the ))oiijt of jirohihitin;^' 
 tliis traflic, you will at the same time have educated 
 them uj) to the jioint of pnyintf dire<;t taxes 
 sufficient to meet this deliciem-y. Anotlier oVijec- 
 tion is that we would not ho exactly fr(»e men. 
 Well, now, that is a point up(m which I take the 
 liherty of differinir entirely from those who urnre it. 
 The law now restrains (»ur lihorty in everythincr that 
 is injurious to us — in most things at least. Liberty, 
 as f understand th(> true definition of it, is freedom to 
 do good. As a necessary con.^equenco of the ability to 
 do good, you must hav the prevention of evil. There- 
 fore freedom is in harmony with everything which 
 goes to suppress vice in the community. Besides that, 
 we have a case in point which must be familiar to you 
 all. Wc know that for the last two humlred years the 
 Indians have been prohibited from using liquors. 
 Then; have been penalties attached to the people who 
 sold it to them, and why ? Because in the eyes of the 
 law they were regarded as minors, as children unfit to 
 take care of themselves, and consequently they were 
 by law prevented from taking that which was injurious 
 to them. No one supposes that this prohibition has 
 injured the Indian ; on the contrary, it is known that 
 that is the only way by which any portion of that 
 race has been preserved in North America. It is 
 solely owing to their having been prevented from 
 using intoxicating liquors that there are any of them 
 alive to-day. Another objection is often raised, on the 
 ground that the nation has no right to interfere with 
 vested interests. In reply, I affirm that there is 
 
nothing in the luanut'actiiiv or .sale of liquor which in 
 any ri'Kpeot, dirt'erstroinany «)ther hrancliot'conunercial 
 industry. We see sugar reHneries, cotton and woollen 
 factorie-*, and nil otlu-r mechanical industries, cx|)os«.'d 
 to hazanl and loss by changes in the fiscral syst<.>ni of 
 the country, hut no one ever dreams of their owners 
 having any claim for indemnity ; and 1 wholly fail to 
 discover anything in the cause of a distiller which 
 entitles him to different an<l UKjre jjeTieious treatment. 
 IJis investment nuist ^hnre tlui saintr risks that are 
 encountered by evt-ry other meml)er of the com- 
 munity. The conclusion at v/hich I have arrived 
 myself from a Homewhat lengthened consideration of 
 tliis Nuhject is tliut tin; only idtimate safety is un- 
 doidjtfdly to he I'ound in the inifcct carr}'ing out of 
 the views of tlie Dominion AHiimce. (Hear, hear, and 
 api hnisi'.) Hut, at tiio same time, I perceive clearly 
 (iiiuu^h that ])uhlic opinion is not yet ripe for that 
 measure. It must he brought uj) to that, and in order 
 to bring it to that point we have before us t(»-day 
 th(! ( 'unadM 'I'cmperance Act, which is reganled as a 
 very <;oiisideral)le step in the direction j)urHUed as the 
 out! most '\n the inttrests of society. I cannot fail to 
 see that while the present Act is in itself wise, it is at 
 the same time the best preparation for future progress, 
 which will be carried out, perhaps, after we are gone. 
 It is a (piestion that will live, an<l we have evidence 
 that it will grow. (Hear, hear.) 'J'his growth may 
 be slow, but at the same time as long as it appeals to 
 the soun(i common sense of a community such as 
 ours ; so long as its advocates depend upon facts and 
 1 arguments that cannot be questioned, then I venture 
 
 I to say that they must in the end and finally succeed. 
 
 (Hear, hoar) 1 have, therefore, no hesitation whatever 
 •■ in personally urging upon you as your Chairman this 
 
 I night tt) give all reasonable support in the first place 
 
 j to the o)>jects of the Dominion Alliance, and next to 
 
 ' the more immediate point of putting in force the 
 
 Canada Temperance Act. Now, there is one other subject 
 which, as I may not address you again very soon, 1 
 may refer to. Mr. Dc)ugall told u^' last night, and with 
 a great deal of truth, that a work of this kind cannot 
 be carried on without a certain pejunia^y.Tinjypik't.* It 
 requires more thau.tfli^'. .'ao»«il suppori.,; jutjuv .tnaji the 
 
 I • • ' . I , • . . . 
 
 . ■■•*it,i ..III.,** 
 
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 intellectual support of its friends ; it requires the 
 pecuniary aid of those who desire to see its objects 
 promoted. I agree entirely with him on that j)oint, V 
 and in case my friend Mr. Dougall should ask me what ; 
 my sympathy is worth, I may take this opportunity 
 of saying — and I hope I am not the first who has done 
 so — tha*^ my sympathy /f)n this occasion is worth a 
 subscription of one hundred dollars. (Hear, hear, and 
 apj)lause.) Thanking you for your kin^ attention, I 
 will call upon Mr. Gales to be good enough to give us 
 explanations of the Canada Temperance Act. (Loud 
 applause.) 
 
 
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