New-York tribune., 1867-04-06
PROHIBITION AG4INST LICENSE

The whole attitude and condition OF the
Liouor Question in Massachusetts, is defined III
two comprehensive speeches just made before
its Legislative Committees. These speeches
rcprcscnt both sides of n great moral debate,
which foy months past has been gathering sub
stance and intensity, until at length the lists
ave fairly dawn. and distinguished clergy
man appears as the champion OF the Prohib-
bitionist5 on the one side. and an eminent cX-
Governor as the advocate of The License party
on the other. The Rev. DR.. Miner stands forth
rs the spokesman of q class of ideas which,
however mdcryalucd have really contained
the moral salt Of New England life. and more
or less of The national life also. He urges Tenn
perincc by law as a thing practicable and IN
every way just-aS a necessity quite as much
rs the prevention OF crimc-1s, upon the whole,
wise and economic measure, sure to pay
best in the long run, and lead TO a more en-
nghtened liberty. Mr. John a. Andrew, one of
the most eloquent and able of Massachusetts
LAWYERS, urges the License view of the qucs-
ton, in the interest of the Conservatism that
virtually cndclyOrs 70 make manifest that mod
crate drunkenness is good thns-tlat society,
for It's own business profit, may make bargain
with the rum m-dcalcrs, take It's hand from the
Spggot. and allow rum 10 flow freely. Ii means
in Other words. that The State may assume the
conduct or patronage OF tlc liquor saloon, pro
vidcd il can obtain fiit share oi the proceeds.
The so-cicd tyranny of prohibition can thus
be obviltcd, and drunkenness, - far aS 1t goes,
can be ~ lde respectable.
Dr. Miners argument takes II, through the
whole moral and sanitary range of the prohbi-
ton theory He combatS the idea that alcohol
is food and thi, with numerous array of mcdi-
cal evidences. a. TO the moral and physical
poison Of liquor. lls witnesses are not one.
but a hundred But why should We retraycrsc
this familiar ground The world knows that
alcohol Is poison The experience of ages
attests that il is the most common and pow
cIful of COrruptciS. There is scarcely u
"crimc that comes before me-" said the English
Judge COlcTidgc. that Is not, directly or in
" directly, caused by strong drink" Judge
Guncy echoes him: every crime ha, it, origin
ain drunkenness" Judge Patterson chimes IN
"If il were not for drunkenness, you and ],
"gcntlcmcn of the jury, would have nothing to
"do" Could the honest confession OF any OF
orr city Judges he obtained. who doubts that
they would respond to these? No point in The
great debate of reform is better aScertaincd 10y
liquoY. instead of being merely the associate of
vice, is it, promoter and teacher We would
not have the produce of our fields used to de-
hauch the agIculhrist, and thus ruin one crop
with another SO thinking, we hold with Dr.
Miner that the best economy i that which saves
the citizen from lending needless hand to his
own decentralization. Therefore, Prohibition
being undoubtedly practical, we regard 1t as
waste of morals and of means, as q surrender to
the most unclcan of the social devils, To aban-
don one foot Of the vantage ground gained by q
wholesome liquor law. Let the law have its
fair scope of operation; let it be even tolcr-
ably administered, so that those who do endcavor
TO carry out its provisions are not themselves
under the influence Of the vast dcbauch of Il
liquor system as powerful in its way and time
as Slavery, and Massachusetts viii bc the gamer
for its rational abstinence. 1t will save far
more in health, morals and order, than ever
license could pay it for bclraying all these at
its own eternal cost. DR.. Miner cites eighteen
reasons for the failure of the Prohibitory law,
and charges Boston with n nulliiication as arrant
as that of South Carolina. Nevertheless, Pro-
hibition has rot failed and the testimony to
this effect is vOumnOus. In this state.of things,
it is proposed to change n hcalthfu condition
into one Of license. Graft license on prohibit
"tion!" asks Dr. Miner. "Gmlt the cocuiuS
indiCuS on your pcar-trec!' -
To all these arguments, Gov. Andrew re-
spends in an effort as searching and finished as
any of his life. 1t is very much like strong
wine, and can only be sOphistically praised
for Ill that makes it good equally makes il bad
He quotes some of the most respectable of the
worlds chemists TO show that alcohol is a food
Then follows the inevitable argument about
stimulants, wrong as it seems 10 at the core.
Sun, air, and all nutrition are stimulants, argues
the champion of License. But neither sun nor
air are in any sense pOis0ns; and whisky and
rum, like mandrake and nightshade, undoubted-
ly are.
The vital argument of Cow Andrews side
of the question trenches a little on the
domain of metaphysics, He declares that in
temperance is a cOncOmitant of social misery
and not an especial cause of it. Social common
sense may be well left to answer him Was
there ever day when the concOmitants of vice,
crime, and wretchednesS were not also their
fruitful causes Mr.. Andrew may search the
centuries to show that liquor drinking has been
the same in all ages--and- what does he prove ?
Only this TO our mind: that drunkenness has
always found its warmest welcome ut a tavern,
and has graduated thence into the Jail. True
enough, the glass offers its dose and overdose
of Lethe to the oppressed children of men, and
it may be sometimes for temporary and COM
parativc good. Evil will bless, says the philos-
opher, and ice will burn. But is it not well to
reflect that the debaucheries and pronigaces of
the rich haye caused those very oppressions of