The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-11-06
THE MAINE LIQUOR LAW IN ROCK
ISLAND.

Some months ago a society was formed in |
Rock Island managed and Offered exclu- |
sively by republicans, and engineered by the |
Rock Island Union, a negro suffrage paper. |
The society adopted the following:
PLEDGE.
ssI pledge myself that will not buy sell or use
a beverage, any spurious o malt liquors or
wines; that | will use my influence against the
sale or use of such liquors as beverage, and in
favor of temperance and sobriety; and that will
not visit any drinking saloon for any social amuse-
ment whatever"
1t will be seen by the above that all who
join the Temperance alliance" are pledged
not to buy, sell or use any malt liquors.
What are ''malt liquors ?" Why, ale and
beer, of course. They are not only pledged
not TO buy, sell or use ale or beer, but they
are pledged to use their influence against the
sale of beer.
They are also pledged not to visit any ga
loon.
1t Is the intention of this republican Maine
law ALLIANCE" to carry on the agitation IN
I'll they can prohibit the sale of all intoxicat-
ing drinks, ale and beer included. They are
lying still lite. until alter election, in or
der to get the votes of the very men whose
business they will attempt to destroy just as
soon as election is over.
The Union says:
The liquor dealer is no more honorable than the
highway robber or the murderer-and differs only
as to the time and means to accomplish his OBJ
ject.
The same paper says:
1t Is not our intention TO cease advocating re-
turn to sobriety the part of those who drink To
excess because few Germans people of any
other nationality will be deprived OF a social en-
Joyment. We wish to educate this class OF people
az to the idea that even beer does them good
and would be better for the immunity If It were
banished from all places of recreation.
These extracts are enough TO show that
after this election it is the intention Of the
repu hlicaLs to make the prohibitory law an
issue.
To know how it would work, let us look
little at affairs in Massachusetts, where they
have taken another turn of the screw on the
prohibitory question The Boston Courier
says
We have now a state constable, with TWEEN
ty assistants In Suffolk county, ami some
thirty or forty others for the remainder of the
state, whose nominal duty Is 10 see TO the en-
forcement OF the laws of the commonwealth
but whose chief duty Is to enforce this par
ticular liquor law The state constable has
$500 year, his assistants $1,000 a wear
each. besides which, there are office and tray
elhng expenses, ana clerk hire, which will
make the machine, manned 10y the present
force cost something like $50, 900 to $4,000
annually.
There are people who have given the sub
jec, a very close attention who say that 10
enforce the PROM bItOry liquor law. even par
TALLY, that Is, only 60 far IS complaints goes
viii require one. at least. il not two deputy
constabies in each town, and for large places
from ten 10 one hundred in each town or city !
Ii W. take the smallest figures allowing the |
state constable force Of five hundred depu-
ties,-we shall have a. the expenses of his |
department, something ike 100000 per |
anuum. But, II Is added after his expense |
has been incurred defendant, in every case !
viii plead NOS guilty, and demand the right |
OF trial They viii DO this under the protec- |
ton. advice, aud at the charge OF the associ- |
atoms cf persons interested in the trade |
which viii be formed, unqu sstiOnably, in self |
defence, for the protection of their rights |
their property, and their business, upon |
which they have paid the L. ) government |
taxes. These eases will crowd every court !
in the commonwealth 10 the exclusion of all /
other business; they will be closely contested !
and argued at every step; if convictions fol- /
low appeals will be taken and meanwhile !
the places that were closed will be reOpened. /
and the business Will flourish IN unrestricted 1
vIgor.
That this will be the course that will be /
taken, ant the result that will follow, we
are not prepared to say. IL the enforcement
of the law brings defendants BY the thous-
ands into the courts. defendants who will !
have thousands and tens Of thousands Of SYM
pathIzers, II will simply show, what has been
contended for the last fifteen years, that il is
party and not pu bic opinion that desires 10
sustain the law; and q Laws without public
opinion to uphold 1t is worse than a hlupder
For our own part, we are satisfied that intpm-
perauee has greatly increased under he pro-
hibitory liquor law. But, as its defenders
assert that the law is sufficient to restrain
the traffic if it can only have fair chance,it
may be well that the present opportunity has
been granted them to put their theory 70 the
test. There is one great obstacle in the way
OF the accomplishment of permanent good by
this law which it, defenders do not seem 10
have considered at all. Suppose you shut up
TO day, every place where liquor is sold :
Drinking appetites and habits remain and
until the apDetites are destroyed and the hab-
its are reformed ways and means will be
found to crafty them, in spite Of all the laws
you can crowd upon the statute book If we
would strike at the root of the evil we must |
use reason aud persuasion upon the commu
nifty at large, and patient. persistent kindly
efforts upon the individuals who have begun
a career which. if persisted in, leads 70 pew
erty, crime and death.
Right TO Vote.