Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-04-30
rcommunicated.l
License and Prohibition.

pulse was TO write to you few lines !;
but afteg thinking the matter over |
concluded to wait and see what your
neighbors would say to your views.
/ notice IN your issue Of the Odd, the
article OVERLAND So Forth and your
continents. | shall soy nothing Of
the points between you and your
correspondent. | Judge him to be
Gbunda ntly able to take care of him
self The leading thought of your
article seems to be, that prohtbt0ry
lars hare proued q failure. You say
'If 'prohibitory laws have proved a
failure in Massachusetts, what else
can be expected for the West with
even stronger laws against the traf-
ficl" and the same idea is substan-
TALLY repeated several times during
your article. Now tie question |
wish TO raise is: are you correct III
the position you have taken in rela>
tion tc prohibition Has il proved
failure in Massachusetts. in Maine,
or in any place where it has had a
fair trial? This question of vital
Importance, not only to the people
Of Grant County, but to those of our
entire State and of our entire land
There can be no controversy as to
the evils of intemperance. The ex.
istence OF these evils is admitted on
every hand. 1t is equally true, that
there is desire on the part Of thous.
ands, and perhaps millions to do
something to remove these evils, and
now that slavery is out of the way,
the public mind is being turned to
the question as it has never been be.
fore, and ere long something will be
done, or st ieasp attempted, with a
view to the removal of the evils Of
intemperance 1 do not regard you
as any the less earnest in your OPP
postioa to intemperance, or any the
lG5Rea te ia land" -66 s9aaaKsJb be F5ad
differ with me as to the hest means
to be employed for the ac9omplish>
nhent OF the object we would all seek,
but do beg of You not to be too
hasty in your conclusions and in
throwing the influence Of your most
excellent paper against which a more
thorough investigation may satisfy
you to be the true course to be pur-
saed. It is not my intention to en-
ter into a discussion of the question
now, nor can | promise that | shall
ever be so situated as to be able to
d. SO fully; | wish simply to
atate fey things that | think are
susceptible Of the clearest proof:
1st-That License Laws have in
every instance proved failures so far
as the design has been tolimit the sale
Of Intoxicating liquors, or in any
way to prevent the evils which flow
from their use
2d-That prohibition has not prov.
ed failure either in Maine or Mass
achusetts or in any other place where
it has had fair trial that the same
STANDARD Of Judgment that would
prove prohibitory laws failures would
equally prove failures the great
bulk Of the penal laws Of our statute
books.
3rd--Ihat the people of Massachu.
sets have no idea of giving up the
prohibitory law and resorting to a
license law, and that the secret mov-
ing cause Of the great efforts which
have been made in Massachusetts,
during the last winter, to repeal their
prohibitory law was not because the
Law could not be enforced and intern
perance was on the increase, but bee
cause the lar tcdS being enforced rlqidiy
and faithfully and the rum sellers
saw if something was not done to
destroy the law that the liquor traffic
would soon be among the things OF
the past, in that state at least.
let us have all that the facts be-
fore we make up our minds on a mat
tea of such practical Importance as
the enc undor discussion,
Madison Wis, April 2sth, 1867
REMARKs.-As to the evils of LIQUOR
drinking we agree fully with the
good, earnest man who contributes
the above. The man who allows a
whiskey appetite 20 steal upon him
would be far safer in life were thelep.
rosy in his blood or lhe cholera gnaw
ing at his vitals. A vhiskey appe-
tite is to the intellect what slavery is
10 the mental man. 1t gives him ev.
en- worse than 'higger on Inc brain, >
for it makes him not only careless
about country, but to all that IS holy
and good, as heartless as an ioicle.
ii is the means Of diminishing the
oxcesses and appertainings of drink :
ing that we differ about-he holding
it better to attempt majority pro-
hibition; we holding il betterto at
tempt a juhcious regulating OF
the traffic, and also such reasona>
able regulating of those who
have given up to whiskey APP
petite as shall seem most salutary for
their good.
A whiskey appetite g parallel to
any any ether quite ineurah!e dis
ease; most Of the time doctoring
makes it worse; blistering and eInet-
les but relax its grasp, and give it a
day Of rest only that more stubborn
attack may follow. Such appetite is
relative e insanity, with all the fam
lily ailments, but only less curable.-
AS,-Iup,S shoulA ho ,arox-;JaJ 81, ~ -