The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-04-01
THAT QUESTION OF PROHIBT.
TTON

EDITOR TELEGRAPH: Il have the
privilege as we'll as pleasure of bein g
a constant reader of your valuable pa
per, though not subscriber. In your
issue of the nth inst. you had an arti-
Gle with the above caption, to which l
ask permission to reply.
You begin by asking the question.
Is the passage Of the prohibition law
the wisest thing to do under the cir
cumstances ?" In answer to the above
you say that the law cannot be enforc-
ed in certain sections, and mention
Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha as
places of that character. 1t is to be re-
membered that the cities named are
but a small part of the State of Wis
consin, and, while prohibition could
not be enforced in those, it might be in
the ninety and nine other towns and
cities. Because prohibition cannot be
enforced ina few places is not an argu-
ment against it when it can be enfOrc-
ed in the many. Let me ask you if the
law prohibiting theft is enforced to the
letter in the above named cities. If it
is not, and there are thefts committed,
why not advocate law licensing few
persons to steal to prevent violation
of the law?
In answering the question you pro-
pound you are not to be guided by the
status of affairs in Milwaukee or any
other city whose interests are bound
up in the liquor traffic, but the state as
a whole and the people at large.
From the statement of your opin-
ions as to prohibition, it seems we agree
this far; if a prohibitory law will pro
hibit. then that is the law we want, and
our opinions differ only in degree, and
we separate upon the question. can it
be enforced? We might say. to begin,
that in the true and proper meaning of
the term the sale of intoxicating liquors
will hardly ever be absolutely prOhib-
tied any more than theft. arson, forgery
and murder, each of which has the pro-
hibitory law. Keep In mind the fact
that every law for the prevention of
crime, written or unwritten, from
Moses commandments to those of the
present day, is a prOhibitory law, and
say as did Moses, Thou shalt not kill"
"Thou sh alt not steal" There are also
violations of these laws which go un-
punished; but the fact that there are
prosecutions under them every day is
proof that they are effective and pre-
vent crime in proportion as the pun
ishment Is sure. Just so with law
prohibiting the sale of Intoxicating
liquors. In any city or town, where
the punishment is sure to follow vio-
lation. the traffic will be prohibited
except in such cases as you mention,
" In surreptitious and dark ways" /
have facts to prove the above from
witnessing such cases in the State of
Maine.
Articles are afoat in newspapers
stating that prohibition is failure in
that State, but I know such statements
to be false. Statistics show that in
1879 there we're but seven kegs of beer
manufactured in that State, and not
barrel of distilled liquors; and in 1873
none of either is reported. Having
been a resident of the State of Maine
for 25 years, had the best oppOrtun-
ity for seeing the workings of the law,
and / found this to be true. that in the
small country towns the illegal sale is
almost entirely unknown and drunk
enness is seldom If ever seen; and so
little liquor is sold even legally that
boys grow to men and do not know one
kind of liquor from another, either by
sight or taste. ! knew this from sx-