West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1881-03-16
prohibitory Legislation VS.. Lii
cenSe Laws.

ance to Prohibition, now so much
talked of. That paper says; 'The
very general discussion now going
on throughout the country on the
subject of suppressing the liquor
tTaffic. is developing the fact of
very pronounced sentiment
aoainst 'prohibitory laws
wen among the most earnest advo-
Gates of temperance reform, There
are thousands who were prohibi
tionists years ago, who have be-
come convinced that while the de-
mand is so general, the trade can
NOT be destroyed by prohibitory
legislation, and is the best held in
check by well regulated license
laws.
There has been a disposition to
try the experiment of prohibition
in the District Of Columbia, which
is fayorite territory for experiment.
al schemes of all kinds Upon this
\ proposition, the Washington Post
makes the following criticism,
\ which every rejecting mind will
I accept as just and true;
Il Experience has demonstrated the
i impracticability Of prohibitory leg
4 islationas applied to cities and large
4 towns. Thirty years ago the disci-
pies of Neal Dow, an honest enthu-
siast, were splitting floods of rum in
h the streets ofall the cities of Maine,
Il and locking up hundreds of liquor
sellers in county jails To-day there
is no city or large village in Maine,
where liquor is not sold. The same
facts apply to all States where pro-
I hibition has been tried.
A prohibitory law, like any 9TH
er statute, is utterly useless in any
community where it is not support
ed by a strong public sentiment
The whole bus settles down to
trials by jury. It requires twelve
4 temperance men, twelve men who
+ really want the law enforced, in or
Il der to insure a conviction A single
I opponent of the law will hang
/ Jury,
1 II is impossible to organize courts
l of justice and pack juries for the
purpose of getting series of
verdicts against dealers in liquors.
For this reason there has been an
ab8olute failure Of prohibitory laws
in all but rural communities, where
temperance sentiment is much
more pronounced than among the
mlxed population of cities.-Pan-
Handle Ne,uS,
There is such a disposition among
Fine newspapers of our State to ig-
nore the Temperance question,
from causes they could doubtless
pest explain-that it is great COM
fort to get a clipping from our ex-
changes occasionally-and we can
not do better generally that to copy
what they are pleased to say against
Prohibitory legislation, for they
Fannot possibly attempt an argu-
ment lnfavorof licensing the traffic,
Without admitting the curse and
9mmltting logical suicide.
The above comments and quota
ions, copied in full from the Neaos,
penleS enough truth, and admits
enough fact, to satisfy any honest,
reasonable mind Of the righteous
ness OF the cause of Prohibition
ana an honest man wants no fur
Aef hight on great moral ques-
Ton, to enable him to decide, than
Know on which side the right is.
The Nsws says, it cordially agrees
With the Registers views, We pre-
'uAe 1t does, much in the way the
DaA said his prayers-by posting q
printed copy on the wall, and jump
~ INTO bed with, "Lord, them'E
ny sentiments" 1.-THE Nelos knows
'e Regjster's views on the liquor
0estlon, he is wise above all his
Achanges, 1t declares for temper
"ee and talks for the traffic, admits
ne curse and pleads for it's cause
'nents the plague and fosters tn
llllglOn- 8 to its dnnlnratinr