phr. (political).—An epithet applied sarcastically to a political party which first came into prominence during the last Beaconsfield Administration, and which was called into being by a measure introduced by the moderate Liberals in 1873, with a view to placing certain restrictions upon the sale of intoxicating drinks. The Licensed Victuallers, an extremely powerful association, whose influence extended all over the kingdom, took alarm, and turned to the Conservatives for help in opposing the bill. In the ranks of the latter were numbered the chief brewers; the leaders of the association, moreover, had mostly strong High Church tendencies, while one of them was president of the Exeter Hall organization. The Liberals, noting these facts, nicknamed this alliance the BEER AND BIBLE ASSOCIATION; the MORNING ADVERTISER, the organ of the Licensed Victuallers, was dubbed the BEER AND BIBLE GAZETTE; and lastly, electioneering tactics ascribed to them the war cry of BEER AND BIBLE. This so-called BEER AND BIBLE interest made rapid strides: in 1870 the Conservatives were at their low water mark among the London constituencies; but, in 1880, they had carried seats in the City, Westminster, Marylebone, Tower Hamlets, Greenwich, and Southwark. A notable exception to this strange fellowship was Mr. Bass (afterwards Lord Burton), of pale-ale fame, who held aloof from opposition to the measure in question. Anent the nickname BEER AND BIBLE GAZETTE given to the MORNING ADVERTISER, it may be mentioned that it had already earned for itself a somewhat similar sobriquet. For a long time this paper devoted one-half of its front page to notices of publicans and tavern-keepers; while the other half was filled up with announcements of religious books, and lists of preachers at the London churches and chapels. This gained for the paper the sobriquet of the GIN AND GOSPEL GAZETTE.
