Nothing indeed could be more clearly defined than the attitude of the two great political parties on the drink question. The whole of the sympathies of the Conservatives (so far, at least, as the Legislature is concerned) are with the drink-sellers, and they have constituted themselves the champions of intemperance. The drink-sellers know this but too well. Quite recently three deputations waited upon the Home Secretary to seek his influence and support. The first two were “drink” deputations, one being from the “Brewers’ Association” of certain northern towns; and the other from the “Licensed Victuallers’ National Defence League.” The first came to ask the Home Secretary to protect them from prosecutions to which they were being subjected for adulterating beer with salt, notoriously one of the chief incentives to drunkenness in this country. The second deputation sought his protection from similar prosecutions for adulterating spirits with water. The Home Secretary told the first deputation that he was sorry he could not interfere, but he volunteered the advice to them to take a case into the High Court of Justice; and as to the second deputation, he not only gave them similar advice, but promised to save them from harassing legislation by putting himself in communication with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Inland Revenue upon the subject, with a view to introducing an “Amending Bill!” The third deputation was of a different stamp. It represented the great religious bodies of the Church of England, Nonconformists, and Roman Catholics, headed by a Rev. Canon of very high position, and it was ushered in by several members of Parliament. The object of the deputation was to ask the Government to introduce a bill for closing public-houses in England on the Sunday. The reply of the Home Secretary was that no one was more alive than he to the evils of intemperance (a profession which the author heard him make shortly before he extended the hours of sale), but he added, with unconscious irony, that he “had to look at the matter as one of practical politics and policy, and he considered it would be unwise to promote such a bill.” Of course he refused to do anything, and when one of the members of Parliament present expressed a desire to test the opinion of the House on the subject, he said. “Oh, decidedly: then I should give my own opinion on the subject.” This is the political attitude of the Conservatives on the question of intemperance, and their social position is much the same. With few exceptions, their public utterances are usually made at Licensed Victuallers’ dinners, and the question of intemperance is treated with great levity; but, on the other hand, the liberal leaders, such as the Duke of Westminster, Earl Granville, Lord Aberdare, Mr. Gladstone, and, it is needless to add, Sir Wilfrid Lawson, are all more or less actively engaged in the crusade against drunkenness.