The Portland daily press., 1881-02-09
lSt. Louis Globe.1
Prohibition.

We have long been of the opinion that moth
ing but an amendment to the State Constitu-
tion could prevent the Democrats of Missouri
from drinking too much whisky, and il is very
gratifying to us to learn that several represen-
tative Democrats in the General Assembly
have come around to nn- Of sisiuhrug. In
dAsr~!- v,or the impossi bility of restraining
the bibulous propensities of their party by any
milder methods, they have worked themselves
around to the heroic resolution to prohibit by
constitutional amendment the manufacture
or sale of liquor within the limits of the State,
and thus they hope to keep the party moder-
ately sober. If thereby they do not wholly
succeed in extirpating drunkenness, they will
probably console themselves with the expe-
rience of that pious old topper who represented
that he had prayed to the Lord to take away
his appetite for drink If it was going 10 do him
any harm, and who boasted that he had there
by shifted the responsibility. If the amend
ment should be submitted to the people, and
should be rejected, typical Democrats who find
that their devotion to whisky is doing them
harm will have the consolation of thinking
that they "have shifted the responsibility"
Inasmuch as prohibition was not one of the
issues in the recent legislative elections. we
have no means of knowing how the members
OF the Assembly stand on the question. Just
at present it looks as if the intention of some
of the ''reformers," at least, was to eke out the
scanty per diem of a legislator from the en-
forced contributions of the brewers and distill-
ers, who are in good condition to be victimized.
For the sake of public decency as well as OF
their own interest, we hope that the intended
victims will not "come down" with cent. II
they should raise q fund and succeed in avert
ing hostile legislation by the means which are
usually employed In such prevention 1t will be
taken as an admission that they are at all
times ready to be bled, and they may expect
in two years from now to undergo a fresh at
tack under additional disadvantages It would
be great deal better for all parties to allow
the question to be settled by the Legislature
on its merits.
1t is not at all likely that the proposed
amendment would be adopted, but it will
not do to say that such thing is i'm
possible even in strong Democratic State
like Missouri. The weakness which Yields
to the temptation of drink is closely allied to
that moral oowardice which is always ready to
excuse itself by throwing the blame on some
one else. People who are drunkards through
their own weakness or cowardice are always
ready to believe that it Is the temptation which
ruined them, and that If the temptation could
be removed they would be out of danger And
In this country legislation Is recognized as the
universal panacea, the remedy for all evils in
society, morals, puDllc AFFAIRS or private life.
SO great is this confidence in the efficacy of
legislation that the people who have never
been able to conquer their passion for drink
will be the first ones to believe that they may
be cured by statute or an amendment. When
we add to the influence of this cowardice the
cowardice which breads to oppose anything
that is labelled reform" and the honesty OF
those who think that prohibition is practical
BILE, and the shrewd calculations of those who
argue that they will be able TO get their rations
anyhow, we have combination of influences
sufficient to account for the enactment of pro-
hibition laws in almost any State
1t is however, o little bit distressing to think
that the only result of prohibition would be
that while Missouri would endure all the evils
OF liquor, 1t would get none of the benefits.
AT present the industries connected with brew
ing, distilling and the liquor trade employ
thousands OF honest workmen, enrich the State
by millions of dollars of investment, and re-
duce the burden of taxation all of which bene-
fits would disappear under prohibitory law,
while drunkenness would still remain, as 1t
has always remained, in spite of prohibitory
laws. Ii we could only get the people of Illi-
nois to pass prohibition law so that they
would have all the drunkenness while we
would have all the profit, there would be much
wisdom in that. But since we cannot do that;
the best we can do is to let prohibition alone,
and content ourselves with being not much
better than the rest of the world.