The Fremont County record. [volume] (Canon City, Colo.) 1877-18??, 1881-12-03
TEMPERANCE COLUMN.
Edited by w. II. Fowler.

Two weeks ago there were, in this
paper. some questions put to yot
which exhibited great deal o
shrewdness. AT the outset, it wa,
assumed that the prohibitory law il
Maine is failure, and that, under ii.
operation, crime is constantly in
creasing- No proof was offered o
this assumption. but Immediately and
triumphantly 1t was asked, as If /,
were clearly so: Why do we witness
these results? Those who are nc.
quainted with the real facts in the
case, would smile at such Ingenuity.
bnt those who are ignorant OF them,
might be caught in the cunning trap,
aud we can imagine some of them al
ter reading the article SO bold and
apparently 50 candid, querying thus
with themselves "Cun it be. then,
that the Maine law is failure, and
that 1t actually causes an increase of
crime? l wouldn't have believed
it" No! And you better not be-
lieve It, until you know it,
The questions as asked are merely
mn echo of recent discharge from
the n. Y. Sun. Most people, know
ing the habits of the Sun, deem il
unnecessary TO answer Its assertions.
Bat Gov. Dinglcy's statistics are re-
ferred TO, and the Rev. Washington
GLADDEN. is quoted as saying "Ir his
opinion and his table are both trust
worthy, then The relation OF drunk
cnness to other crime cannot be what
II has always been believed 10 be.
Perhaps the common belief is errone-
Gus. Possibly the increase OF drunk
enness tends tn the restraint OF other
crime" "If," perhaps" "possi-
bly, !" Are we TO understand that
Mr.. Gladden. is in harmony with the
misrepresentation. or that he is in
honest doubt about the questions
proposed Not nt AL. lie must be
speaking ironically, as we often do.
when we would make an opposite
affirmation more emphatic. His
words remind tue of the father who,
when asked BY his little boy for q
quarter, answered al find quar-
ter rolling up hill. perhaps | will give
It 10 you" There was no moro EN-.
phatic way of DENYING his request.
II Nr. Gladden. wanted to ridicuie
the idea that temperance pomoied
crime. hc could hardly have done II
more cfrectusill..-. At any rate he
knows, as every Intelligent man
knows, tlst sI,oiol ras The same
relation 10 crime that n match does
TO pile Of shavings. a man with
alcohol in him IS lighted ms,rh,
and be sure, If lac stumbles into a
pile of sliavings. he win make II con.
ilagration.
As, however, glance again at :he
article before ne, find that the wri-
ter does specify one fact, as IL he
would make somc show of argument
to support his position. He says I:
"Rcccnily, In one week, in the city
of Portland, out of tweniy-scren pc.
tiiions for divorce, brought by wom-
en-, ten charged halitual drunken
ness
OF course the inference lie would
law is not enforced In Maine. If not
certainly IL is not temperance in that
state which causes the alleged in.
crease of crime. The fact, ms thus
n tt
But, II VIC look nj IL in another light,
n stranger inconsistency is revealed.
In accordance with his primary pur-
pose. IL would be reasonable TO sup
pose that the writer expects us to
conclude that the law is enforced,
and, being enforced, is the cause of
more cases of divorce and greater
number of crimes. than would exist
IL rum were free II is n little mixed.
But tell me, is the fact that law Is
not enforced faithfully, any proof
that IL is unwiec!
We have law against murder, but
scarcely week passes that it Is not
broken somew here IN the state. Shall
II, therefore, be repealed? And shall
we say that its existence is the cause
oil Tie tnuTutl> uN US W tut VB'
Grafton of law, Is 1t fair to try tc
illustrate II by singling out one .city
and pointing TO the cases brought be-
fore the court In one week, or should
we rather glance over the whol,
state, and note the results through Z
series of years There can be nt
doubt as to the fairer course. and, IN
harmony with 1t. we will state few
facts, aud we viii give our authori
ties for them. Turn to Maine.
In the Lewiston (Me.) Saturda,
journal, we find the following. 1t Il
in reply to the misrepresentation o
the sun:
"But IL should be remembered tha
in New York and most other state
drunkenness Is not legal cause 70
divorce. aud consequently Is not nj
legged. II drunkenness was cnus
for divorce In ali the states we ven
turc 10 say It would 6c found tina
Maine had not suffered IN co,nparl
son. Since 1860 thrr
hns been OH the whole no increase o
crime, and II is during this period on
ly that the Maine law has been con
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