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The Editor
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© F.Coakley , 2026
[from A.M Harrision's Descriptive List of Insular Societies]
This association was inaugurated on 4 February 1894, when ten Douglas temperance societies, including the Mona Union Tent of Rechabites, the I.0.M. Rechabite district, St. George's Church of England Temperance Society, Women's Branch, Manx Temperance Union, St. Mary's League of the Cross, the Salvation Army, the British Women's Temperance Society, the Nonconformist Council and the Good Templars, came together in confederation. The Confederation was brought into existence ata crisis point for the Manx Temperance movement 'in order to secure the combined action of the various temperance organisations in Douglas upon important matters connected with the movement in regard to which there is general agreemen', an attempt to mitigate what they believed to be the harmful results of the permissive licensing laws obtained by the powerful licensed victuallers lobby as Douglas became an increasingly successful popular holiday resort They made considerable progress by the close monitoring ol licensing processes and the observation of operating conditions on licensed premises but fairly soon went on to more proactive work,'an aggressive policy of temperance work' - the campaign for higher license fees for licensed premises, for example - to be pursued wherever possible. The candidates for the 1897 General election of the House of Keys were canvassed and examined on their attitude to temperance, and duly returned positive affirmation to at least some reforms. In the 4th report, for 1897, the confederation reported some success in leading the opposition to the Boarding House Bill in the new House of Keys, for which they secured the engagement of counsel, though this led inevitably to the wholesale issue of short-term public house licenses. They were also much pleased with the attachment to temperance growing among the people. It is doubtful if temperance sentiment was ever stronger in this country than itistoday. All the denominational societies are more or less active'. The last extant report of the Confederation, the fifth for 1898, described the continuing activities, both in consciousness-raising by conference, and action against the licensing courts, in which the Confederation was again represented by counsel, and where a_ petition, signed by many clergymen and nonconformists requesting the courts to abandon the issue of licenses, was presented and ignored, with impunity. The confederation by diligent examination and questioning of licensing practices had had some measurable success in opposing the grant of liquor licences and had certainly kept the forces of temperance together and focused, but financial problems were mounting and the Confederation could only continue its duties'providing adequate support, moral and financial' be given by the public. The Temperance movement occupied the moral high ground, and still remains, though small, a significant force today, but was in fact, ultimately powerless to stem the tide of cultural changes led by popular and economic demands.
M.N.H.L., Annual Reports of the Douglas Temperance Confederation, 1894-1899,
DD36/1x;
Isle of Man newspapers, passim.
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