The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-06-15
Compulsory Temperance.

The Cincinnati Gazette has lately had a
series of articles on temperance legisla-
tion"--the experience Of Massachusetts, In
enforcing temperance by prohibiting the
sale OF Intoxicating drinks, and upon the
subject Of temperance legislation generally,
aud upon the need Of personal reform and
of a social influence against drinking, in
stead of casting the whole burden of pre-
yention on the law. We copy the follow
ing regarding Especially taking into
consideration its Radical source-as worthy
of serious consideration:
The sum of all experience is that pro-
hibitory laws are Intellectual. The question
Is whether we will be satisfied with that
semblance Of duty which Is put on by en-
acting prohbitory laws which we know
can not be enforced. and which could not
remain on the statute books IL a serious at-
tempt were made to enforce them
I'm Massachusetts, prOhibitory legislation
was enacted by party which had no iearh
of losing it, control Of the state Govern
ment thereby. The enforcement of the
law had as strong moral backing as 1t can
have anywhere. a police was created to
hiring prosecutions, aud extraordinary
rules were enacted to make process sum-
mary and insure convictions. Yet large
| marty Of the most earnest friends OF tenn
! perance confess the failure OF the law 10
CHECK drinking, and they think the sale and
drinking take worse form on account OF
the legal prohibition.
In this State prOhibitory laws are easily
enacted. because no one expects them 10 Of
enforced. 1t IS probable that determined
attempt to enforce prohibition would
change the government of any of the large
| towns, and the political control OF th'
State. In other words, that any city
government, which enforced prohibition
would be turned out at the next election
and new officers put in who would abandon
the law; aud that the party which enacted
prohibitory laws, and tried to enforce them
would be turned out of the control of legis-
This is not because the majority of the
people are bent on drinking. But there Is
| a large and respectable class who regard
such legislation as an infringement on
their natural liberty. There is a political
marty that would be glad to secure the sup
port of these by giving them all they ask
and that would seek restoration TO power
at the cost OF any social, as they have o.
natural, destruction. And In the division
of parties, they who oppose this invasion
of their liberty would make balance O
power. Thus we should have agreat pub
| lie calamity, besides the failure i'll promo
itory legislation.
| But there are other difficulties than this
land one of the chief is the fact that while
drinking moderately or occasionally IS no
lheld to be crime, and is the general Gus
tom society will not realize that the sell
ling of drink is crime, and the law viii
mot have that earnest popular backing
which is necessary to enforce so harsh
law. TT is easy to pass laws and create officers
but all this will fail if the law is not backed
by the social condemnation OF the oiiens
which is legislated against.
The testimony before the Massachusett
Commission showed that where prohloi
ton was enforced most energetically, tn
procuring took the worst form. Privat
stores of liquors were laid in; clubs wer
! formed to procure supply, aud indiVidu
ais of the lower class bought supplies an,
sold privately to their neighbors. 1t is wei
known how legal prohibition which doe
| not prevent indulgence drives it to NOR
degrading conditions.