Headline: THE TEMPERANCE IMBROGLIO
To the Editor of the Mirror.
Sir: -Your High Vale correspondent, A.E.S. Edmonds, attempts to take a fling at me in your last issue, referring to my recent lecture in the High Vale school house. I must confess to a slight error I made in filling out my first bills for meeting to be held in High Vale school house; instead of school district, and privately requesting the person to whom the bills were sent to secure a meeting place, which I did in every other case. However, the chairman of the board raised no objections; and Mr. Edmonds was not present at the lecture, therefore knows nothing personally about it. Curious, that so far as I have yet learned, none of my critics have heard the lecture and their whole endeavour thus far is deliberately misrepresenting me as one getting monies under false pretenses, and to try by bribe and by threats to prevent my continuing my public efforts. But they may as well understand that I never have feared man or devil, coone black or white, preacher or layman or lawyer. I may add for Mr. Edmonds benefit that the good collection at High Vale was $0.55 (fifty-five cents).
I am not complaining about their generosity. If Mr. Edmonds will figure out the cost of light, heat, etc. and send me a statement with the approval of the board for his actions, I will consider how to settle it.
But Mr. Edmonds comes out openly as an upholder of the saloon and bar room; our present licence system. I admire his frankness and respect him for it. But for the professed temperance supporters who try to bribe, browbeat and bulldoze and deliberately practice the economy of the truth in their published "warnings" I have nothing but an unspeakable contempt.
When "Rev." A.W. Coone prepared that letter he knew he was not telling the truth. He knew I was the only one in the Stony Plain and Lac Ste. Anne districts doing any public work, yet he says in his "warning" that "certain persons" were holding meetings. Falsehood No. 1!
He says "these persons" were holding meetings, etc. "under our auspices". I told him beforehand that I was doing this independently. Falsehood No. 2!
Before sending out this warning he had offered to appoint me to work "under our auspices" on a salary if I would call off my meetings to give him a chance to inquire into complaints regarding my work. When I refused he wrote me personally forbidding me to hold any more meetings under the threat of the matter being put in the hands of their solicitor.
Threats!! What kind of a pass have we come to! In what land are we living! Canada or Siberia! What has gone wrong with our Temperance and Moral Reform Association of Alberta! What kind of an Executive have we!
When President Miller was installed in office he said he had decided to accept the honor of presidency this year because he realized it was going to be a banner year for the League and he had a very natural desire to "ride on the band wagon". Many of us who heard this remark thought it was an unfortunate slip of the tongue. Now I am compelled to realize its truthfulness. I have written Mr. Miller several times dealing with Coone's action, among other things, but I have not yet had the courtesy of a reply. Evidently his gaze is so earnestly fixed "on the bandwagon" that the understrappers are driving the League toward the rocks.
D.H. Lent
Duffield, Alta., Mar. 29, 1915.
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Letter 1
