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Tom Monto

1919: MP endorses rum ration and representation of extreme views

Updated: Jan 25, 2021

MP George Andrew (Winnipeg Centre):

"I would just say one word as to the rum ration in the army that has been criticized rather severely by the extreme teetotallers. In my humble opinion it saved tens of thousands of our men from the grave, and perhaps worse. After a man has been out in the water all night and comes in chilled to the marrow, there is no place in the wet trench where he can run up and down to stimulate his circulation preparatory to going to sleep. A little shot of rum at that time restores his circulation and soothes his nerves, and he gets to sleep without any trouble.


I won't speak much along the lines of the "swing of the pendulum."... If you go too far, the pendulum inevitably swings back the other way.


On the danger of going to extremes, the subterranean [illegal black market] traffic has already been mentioned. It is everywhere springing up, and it is a frightful price to pay for temperance; indeed it is too big a price to pay if you are going to build up a body of law breakers.


My hon. friend from Brandon (Mr. Whidden) said we should be the dumping ground of the worst elements and the worst type of business men of the North American continent. He was referring to the possible situation if Canada went wet and the United States went dry. I understand that the hon. gentleman lived over there for some years, and is therefore probably better posted than I am, because my visits have been few and far between. But every time I have gone over there I have met some of the best business and professional men imaginable, and I do not remember one who did not take "a little drop" for his stomach's sake.


When my hon. friend was talking, I could not help thinking, as I remembered the moderate men I had met over there, that I would be tempted to trade off the hon. member and all his followers for them, and give fifty cents to boot.


But on second thought, I concluded I would not do that.


And on third thought I decided that probably these extreme men were filling a very useful purpose in life, because unless we had extremists at the top and the bottom there would he no sane middle course for this Government to pursue. (Hansard, May 27, 1919)


(TM: the last comment could be taken as defence of proportional representation. representation of the extremes on each side - or, better to say, the representation of the diverse opinions held in society on both sides of a government - gives validity to a government running down the centre, where general public satisfaction usually lies.)


Thanks for reading.

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