Punch (59.1870)

October 22, 1870.1

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

175

FREEMEN CALLING FOR FIREARMS.

Council of that influ-
ential association, tbe
Land and Labour
League, has issued
an important address
to the Peoples of
Germany, France,
Spain and Italy,
which, will probably
be read by some of
those whom it con-
cerns with the respect

LOGIC BY A LIQUOE-LEGISLATOR.

The Gentlemen of the Platform, wliose dictatorial self-conceit and
loquacity seek vent in the eloquence of aggressive teetotalism, at last find
it necessary to try and prove that " the Permissive Bill," which would
enable a majority to prevent a minority from buying what they want to
drink, is " consistent with Civil Liberty." The " United Kingdom
Alliance" has published a speech, delivered, some months ago at
Exeter Hall, by Dr. Brewer, M. P., in support of that not quite self-
evident proposition. What an argument tor a Brewer !

Whether or not the speech of Brewer was worthy of his name, it
had one undeniable merit; that of brevity. Dr. Brewer put the
question at issue, quite clearly, in few word3 :—

" The United Kingdom Alliance, say our enemies, starts with this avowed

and attention due to i intention, to prevent their fellow men from getting what they want, or at any

no h'each - loaders
have been issued to
the Volunteers. Their
call for the arms of
freemen, namely, the
most effective arms that are to be had, remains unanswered. The rest
of the Land and Labour League's " Brothers at home," are still less
likely to have any such call attended to. Said Brothers may call for
sword and rifle, which, however, will probably not come at their com-
mand, unless they themselves order and pay for them, paying also
10s. a-year each for gun-licence. Government will probably hesitate to
comply with the call for arms which are to be used when freedom calls,
by any other persons than the Volunteers, Militiamen, and other forces
who will then be called out.

rate, where they want it, and they say this is intolerable to liberty, without
which no action is either good or had, for the valued tile of all men's virtues
consists in choice and discrimination. I believe I bave never heard the oppo-
sition to this association put more concisely, more tersely, or more vigorously
than this, and, inasmuch as it is the objection which met me in the lobby of
. the House of Commons, and which came from the most highly gifted of our
lowing quiet ' appeal j antagonists, I think it worth while that we should look at the proposition in,
to its authors' fellow I something like a ' grammatical' spirit. (Hear, hear.)"
countrymen:— I .' ■ ' ..

, ' . I - All this is excellent sense, except the word " grammatical," which
„?1„IS „„>0™fi h.°wever, inverted commas apparently denote to be meant to mean
something. It is not, of course, a misprint for " pragmatical."

Dr. Brewer confutes the most highly gifted of the IJnited Kingdom
Alliance's antagonists thus :—

" First of all let us take the subject and then the predicate. I would ask,
then, who and what is the United Kingdom Alliance? Is it composed of a
body of men who have conquered the country at the point of the sword,'and
are dictating to the subjugated race conditions or laws which may probably be
good and virtuous, but which are nevertheless objectionable and offensive to
the weapons which i liberty ? Now, the whole argument, and all argument cognate with it, must
they ought to be
armed with. As yet

the common sense of
its substance, and the
unadorned eloquence
of its style. It con-
cludes with the fol-

be earnest. careful,
watchful! Call for the
arms of freemen, and
use them when freedom
calls."

The arms of free-
men at present con-
sist in part onlv of

LAST FROM A PARISIAN.

Mr. Punch extracts the following from a Jersey paper. He has
every sympathy with the advertiser, and hopes that she may obtain
much patronage, but he thinks that perhaps the terrors of the Siege
of Paris may for the moment have disturbed her habitual exactness
in composition. But why did not her reverend friend kindly look
to her advertisement ?

A PAKISTAN PROTESTAUT LADY, just escaped from the besieged
XI. citv, of long experience and great success as a teacher, is forming
FRENCH CLASSES for YOUNG LADIES of both sexes, and is also willing
to give private lessons at the residence of pupils. JVIdme. B. is strongly
recommended by the Rev. •-, and may be seen at his house.

THE PROGRESS OF WARFARE.

The army in France seems to be going up. It is not improbable
that we may soon hear of "the nations' airy armies grappling in the
central blue—"at least we read in the Times of something which ap-
pears to be preliminary to the fulfilment, of the poetical prediction just
quoted. The remarkable statement to which we refer is as follows :—

"Balloons are daily sent off from Paris, and are carried by the prevailing
easterly winds to the provinces which are unoccupied by the Germans. They
are followed by light cavalry as long as they continue in sight."

Light cavalry, of course : heavy dragoons might find a difficulty in
trolling through the air, their drill not being as yet adapted to such a
strange element.

The Best " Royal Marriage Act.''—The Princess Louise's
engagement.

fall to the ground unless this, or something like this, can be established.'

Dr. Brewer takes "the subject" and " the predicate," and then
he takes something else. He takes a point for granted, After " sub-
ject" and "predicate" comes "petitio prindpii" in the logic of
Dr. Brewer.

Civil liberty cannot be infringed upon by any body of men but a
conquering army.

That, or "something like" that, is Dr. Brewer's assumption.
The CEcumenical Council will never beat it.

There can be no such thing as the tyranny of a majority. That is to
say, of a merely numerical majority regarded in " something like a
grammatical spirit," with Dr. Bhewer.

Therefore, the majority of Englishmen did not infringe liberty when
they imposed political disabilities on Dissenters. A majority has as
much right to shut up a meeting-house as a public-house. Will the
Rev. Dawson Burns accept these consequences ?

Dr. Brewer leaves no room for doubt as to what he means by
liberty. Speaking of the physical force which he and his associates
want permission to command, he says :—

" As I say, the whole force is based on moral force, and all we ask is the
liberty of a citizen to act for himself, and that a large majority shall control
the minority, without which there is no rule or government whatever. {Cheers )
That principle is the essence of liberty."

Namely, " the liberty of a citizen to act for himself "—subject, in all
things, to the control of the majority. Is there no intelligent child
near Dr. Brewer to tell him that it is one thing to recognise the
necessity that the majority should legislate, and another to hold that
its legislation must necessarily consist with freedom and right? The
King op Dahomey is withheld from abolishing human sacrifices by
the public opinion of his subjects. If a majority can do no wrong, as
Dr. Brewer in effect asserrs, the Dahomeyan majority are right in
keeping up their " grand customs."

He who does not see that liberty consists in the ability to do what-
soever you please, provided it be not in itself injurious, ought to be
sent to Earls wood. So ought everyone who perceives not that buying
and selling beer, wine, and spirits are acts in themselves innocuous,
and become hurtful only when the freedom of doing them is abused.

If the " Speech of Dr. Brewer, M.P." delivered to prove " The
Permissive Bill Consistent with Civil Liberty," may be considered a
criterion of his reasoning powers, we can only say to our little boy :—
" Behold, my son, with what little wisdom Colchester is represented
in Parliament."__

Very Much So.

A Student of Chinese metaphysics having moistened the dry subject
with several bottles of various liquors, told a friend that " He thought
—{hiccup)—the 'shubjeck—very—{hie)—very—Confushius." _ He was
considerately put, to bed. (N.B. The Student was no relation to the
German De Wette )