:98

tition was sent to the Legislature asking for prohibition, signed by Sons of Temperance and others. It was prepared and approved by the Grand Division and ran thus:

“To the Honourable Legislative Council and House of Assembly of Prince Edward Island in colonial Parliament convened.

“The petition of the undersigned Sons of Temperance and others interested in the welfare of this Island, respectfully showeth.

“That in the opinion of your petitioners the period has arrived when bolder measures and more decisive action should be adopted by the Legislature of this Island for the sup- pression of intemperance.

“That the weapons hitherto employed by the friends and advocates of temperance principles have been powerful and effica—

\ cious, but there still remains one obstruction which these weapons are inadequate to re— move—the traffic of intoxicating liquors.

“Your petitioners submit that the prin- ciple has long been established that the Leg- islature may deal with this traffic as with other callings and practices hurtful t0 the public welfare and possesses the right to protect society from its evil consequences either by prohibitory or restrictive enact- ments. And seeing that this pernicious traf- fic is the prolific source of crime. poverty. disease and death to a large number of our fellow colonists annually, and is in a variety of other ways highly detrimental to the best interests of the inhabitants of this highly favored Island generally.

“YOur petitioners. therefore, respect- fully. yet earnestly pray that your Honor- able House will be pleased to take the prem- ises into serious consideration and pass a law for the immediate and total annihilation of the liquor trafl‘ic in this Island similar in its leading features to those recently enacted

PAST AND PRESENT OF

with the same benevolent object by the states of Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.”

The petition and the prayers were un- availing. The bill was introduced and passed the lower house by a good majority, but was defeated in the upper house by a majority of one vote. The agitation was not at once abandoned. for in the general elec- tions of 1884 the Sons of Temperance in- troduced the temperance question for the first time into our politics. A special meet- ing of the Grand Division was held in Char- lottetown in May of that year and a course of action decided upon. A committee was appointed to draft a circular to the mem- bers of the order. The circular was in time issued, calling on every Son of Temperance to drop party and support only men favor- able to prohibition. This action had con- siderable of effect, but not sufficient to war- rant the re-introduction of the bill. Still we can make the proud claim that temper- ance. yes even prohibition was first made a factor in our politics by the Sons of Tem— perance. The sons can always claim that the first determined stand against the grant- ing of licenses under any conditions was taken by them when Messers. Tanton and Chappell. the one the mover and the other the seconder, of a resolution to that effect; pressed that view and finally carried it in a large temperance gathering in Summer- side. To use an Americanism, “they set the pace," and to crown their efforts in that line they strangled the attempt at foisting a license law on this community during the session of the local Legislature in 1898.

Returning now to the records we find that the society during the years 1858, 1859 and 1860 was injured very much by matters