Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1862-04-02

we 90 u Ot propose ~ oISC"9' tA0 GUY -
of monopolies, though their history
might well make any state or city pause
before granting them.
On the other hand, let it be granted
that the sale aud use of intoxicating Fq-
uors is aorong-ilegal according TO the
higher lava traffic and use injurious
to the best interests Of society, and which
ought TO be suppressed. Who can deny
that this is the true view? Whose body
is bloated and blotched Ike the drunk
ards? Whose children 90 dressed in
rags and grow mp in forlorn ignorance
like the drunkard's? Who gives his chill
dren a birthright Of shame, and curses
the very germs of their life with moral
stupor and vicious appetitcs. as does the
! drunkard? What grave is devoid of sa-
credness but the drunkard's? Who
makes the drunkard>? Who but tho
| liquor seller? Is such q business right
and of public benefit? Who ensnares
our children and undermnes the fouHda-
tons of their virtue and self-respect2
The liquor-seller. Is bis business right?
In the opinion of the public the business
is wrong, and in their view licenses are
granted to check business, wrong in
itself, but hard to be entirely suppressed.
With this startiug-point, we may take
three sided view of the subject
l. The abstract moral view. The bu-
sincss is intrnsically wrong. 1t is not
made wrong by q civil enactment-its
iniquity springs not from local and tenn
porary circumstances. 1t is by necessity
and forever sin against Heaven. L
submit the statement, and believe that
the simple statement is sufficient, that it
is alike impious and absurd for men to
license one another to do what God has
forbidden their doing. Men who hold a
personal allegiance to divine law certain
" cannot acknowledge the supremacy Of
human legislation above the divine.
2. The poitico-moral view. BY this
1 mean the political aspect when viewed
in the light of moral truth. What must
be the result of political or civil move
mcnts which begin by ignoring the most
fundamental moral principles? If meas
ures founded on vicious principles seem.
for q time, to work out good results, who
for this reason doubts that, in the end,
these principles will not prove them
selves shifting quicksands? We have
firm conviction ttft an unfinching adj
herance to the truth is. in reality, the
safest as well as the right course, and we
see not how man can trust in Divine
Providence, or feel confident of the sta
biIity of the Divine Government, and
distrust the SAFETY of making moral
principles his guide. If truth is unsafe,
what shall we say Of faIsohood! If the
Divine law makes liquor selling a crime.
and curses the man who puts a cup to
his neighbors lips, is it safe for us to
make it a virtue? We act rs if we had
the keys of st. Peter to bind and TO
loose-forbid and to permit as we
I nease,-and seem to think that we can
lay anew the elementary principles from
which spring the welI-being or the evils
of society. We enter our strongest pro
test against this leaving out of view all
moral principles in civil legislation.
8. The purely political yiew-tho view
of mere expediency. Granting that the
traffic in liquor ought to be suppressed
as far as possible, how can this lie accom-
plshed best' Setting aside all consid-
erations of morality, and Judging only
from our experience Of the results of IL
censes, have we reason for believing that
the license system is the best means that
can be devised for reaching the desired
end We believe not. liz the first
place, the granting Of licenses debauehes
the public conscience, and This is only
general statement, meaning that it de-
bauches individual consc.enees. Men are
educated by this system for the traffic.
and the public is educated to permit tho
| CRIME, anu TO become pdrlceps cram
mas. How can this be denied? Again,
the traffic in liquor is not essentially d.
minished. The effect is to enhance tho
price of liquors to small extent, bnt not
enough to diminish their use. The mo-
nopoly grained enric' es a few, and
makes them able, as they are always
willing, to bear legal prosecution We
simply put money into the pockets Of
our enemies with which to carry on the
war against us. Licenses make the lio-
uor trade respectable by making II lucra-
tive, for money always brings kind Of
responsibility. On the other hand, what
benefit has experience shown TO spring
| from licensesl Certainly DO sane man
can urge that $40 is any considerable
part of the pecunlary loss of having a
grog-shop in the community. The
dealer pays tax of $40, but his custom-
ers seldom pay heavy taxes, to say moth
ing OF their sometime, yea often, be-
coming themselves tax upon the public.
Does experience indicate the wisdom of
bartering virtue and conscience for gold
at any price, From no point Of view
| IL xya Gee any nranondarat.nny raa.or -