234 BRITAIN FOR TUE BRITON 



The Govcrinneut derives about thirty-six niillious iu 

 revenues from the manufacture and sale of intoxicants ! 



The brewers and distillers are amono" the wealthiest interest 

 in the land, while several of them are multi-millionaires ! 



" Another great factor in the situation is the enormous political 

 power possessed by those whose interests are wrapped up in the liijuor 

 traffic : the brewers, distillers, and licensed victnallers ; and this is 

 a power to be reckoned with, in Parliament and out of it. They 

 are well organised into businesslike and powerful associations, and 

 many of their representatives occupy seats either in the Lords or 

 Commons. The political party which shows them most sympathy 

 naturally gets most support, and they are strong enough to make 

 their influence felt in all the councils of State. 



" Here we are dealing with one of the strongest forces in human 

 nature — self-interest. This rules the situation, and we cannot get 

 away from the fact that, however pressing and calling for reform the 

 people's business may be, it requires a man of more than ordinary 

 greatness to put public interest before private gain." '"' 



Between the ineptness of past Administrations on the one 

 hand, and the powerful influence of the brewing and distilling 

 interests on the other, the people are between Scylla and 

 Charybdis. They have suffered terribly in the past through the 

 incapability of the one and the cupidity of the other of these 

 two forces, and they are suffering to-day, and yet when an 

 attempt is made to relieve the situation to some extent, the 

 party out of office, hoping thereby to catch the vote of brewers, 

 distillers, and licensed victuallers, and a host of others 

 interested in the drink traffic, howl and rant and stump the 

 country denouncing vehemently what they call the " Confisca- 

 tion " policy of a Eadical Government. 



How THE Opposition " engineered " the " Confiscation " 



Bill 



Apologists for the present iniquitous system profess to be 

 the poor man's friend by raising the cry of " Why rob a poor 

 man of his beer ? The poor man has as much right to his drink 

 as the hotel visitor or the club lounger." 



Nobody wishes to deprive a man of his beer, or of any 

 reasonable facility for getting what liquor he requires, but 

 there is every necessity to curb the licence which has grown up 

 and around this liquor question. 



It is not an uncommon occurrence to find four or five 

 public-houses in a small village of 25 to 30 houses ; to find 



* " Drink and the BritiHli People," p. 14, Sir W. E. Cooper. 



