The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-04-06
License or No License p?
DO PROHIBITORY LAWS PRO-
MOTE TEMPERANCE?

New England, the headquarters of the
so-caIled temperance reform, after full trlai
of the "Maine Law" and all sorts OF like
prohibitory laws, has been compelled to con-
fess failure and worse than failure, with re-
gard to them all. The subject is now be-
fore the Massachusetts, Legislature to repeal
all prohibitory liquor laws, and the amount
of evidence in favor of such a movement ap-
pears to be overwhelming. Clergymen of
all religious sects, mayors OF cities, Judges
of courts, physicians in high repute, and pro-
fessors of the best medical colleges in the
state, many of whom were foremost IN the
old temnerance movement,-all recommend
it. We give brief extracts from some OF
the testimony offered, that our readers may
iudoe of the present status of the temperance
cause at its fountain head. We do this that
we NAV help speed the time when our re-
formists may cease beating the air, striving
to no purpose, and may unite upon plat
form which is reasonable and which shall
commend itself to the sound judgement as
the conscientious endeavor of all good men,.
John Neal, who, it is well known, has al
WAYS been a jealous friend of temperance,
and who has made many sacrifices on be-
half of the cause, contributes the following
to the Portland Press:
GA great question is about being decided IN
Massachusetts, and will soon be decided here
law or no law. 1t stands thus: Shall we have
prohibition or tieenseE Prohibition, when Is MOI
now never was, and never viii be effectual, II We
NAV Judge from past experience; or wholesome
guardianship under the name OF license.
But would you license an acknowledged evil
Yes-if licensing amounted to a wholesome guar
dianship and served to lessen the evil and pro
tect our drinking population from unwholesom
ard poisonous liquor, deliFum tremens, tn
potter's field, the poorhouse, and the insane asy
ium What! do evil that good may come of it
By no means. Licensing is not necessarily a.
evil--at the worst, it IS but soterdtfon-Words ar
nothing. What cannot he cured must be endured
In other words, let do the best we can. IL
not prosecuting offenders now, we do in efec
license the traffic, and that in the worst possibl
way, without any compensating advantages I
the community; whereas, by legal permission
a revenue would be secured, and most eficieI
body of unpaid policemen would be engaged, an
instantly on the alert and working night and da
to enforce the law and secure themselves in the
monopoly. Think OF thls-and away wit
.oerds."
The following are brief extracts from Il
testimony taken before the Massachuset
Legislature
DIR. Edward Fl. Harvey, Professor of Mater
Medicd in Harvard College, said that for thr
years he lived in wine growing countries, and h;
seen very little intemperance in any of Them
Alcoholic drinks are administered by the profe
sion generally. Oftentimes wines supply I
place of food, but this he said, depended up'
the condition of the persons taking it, and for
practical purposes these wines may be consider
as food in certain cases. In regard to the diet
tic use of alcohol the witness testified that sor
individuals who were in what was thought IA
health, needed some agent to aid alimentation
alcohol being such agent. The Doctor class
liquors. tobacco, tea, coffee, all under the saI
head as stimulants. He considered both occ
sonai inebriety and regular dram drinking i
injuries. So far rs he could observe the witne
looked upon the drinking usages of society as
matter to be regulated by the will of individual
and not governed in any other way, althoul
those usages did not conduce to general healt
In community of 200, 600 people, where on
half were entirely abstinent and the other hi
took couple of ounces of sherry wine day, I
abstemious portion would be more healthy tn;
the other. ~
DR.. j. B. s. jackson, Professor of morbid ans
omy, testified that in certain cases of lung dj
ease, alcohol was used incidentally
Professor Horsford, of Cambridge, testified tb
he considered alcohol as food, because it preseyv
the tissues of the body, and thus virtually an
Piled tissue, animal food would do. In Gro
examination, Prof. Horsford said that during /
residence in Germany the general beverage "
wine, but he had never seen but one man drul