The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-12-09

@NA
rs brandy, whisky and rum Outlawed, and
beer and wine divided as substitutes, it
was believed the best pos iDle law provi-
ded. stringent provisions were made against
selling even beer and wine to minors. intoXi-
Gated persons, or persons in the habit of be-
coming intoxicated. Under this law the
saloon-keepeT was required to keep u quiet
orderly place, selling nothing but beer and
wine, and these only TO persons of upright
walk and conversation. The argum mt in sup
port OF this law was plausible, and seemed 10
nave good foundation in the experience of
other co ntrieS, and il was finally adopted in
the firm belief that it would prove panacea
for many of the evils of intempcrance. Mu-
inequalities could still prohibit thu sale of all
liquors; the Temperance soc cites we're to
continue reforming inebriates and ple1gng in
dlVidualS to total abstnench, and no m eans of
moral suason" was to be left Unemployed
Many of the original PrOhib tonsts had no
faith in this law. They commended it would
prove a cloak for the evils il a med to prevent;
that nothing short of entire Prohibition could
reach the end desired. Almost from the out
set they could point to the confirmation of
their fears. The great body of thu p .ople held,
however, that ii would take time to effect the
change, and steadily rpSist2d the frequent at
temps to repeal the law and return to extreme
prohibition. After twenty-fOur years of trial,
however, they were brought TO face tho COM
plete failure Of the experiment. 1t was found
that saloon-kecpers engaged in their business
Tor the sole purpose OF gain, and that avarice
never permitted the restrictions of the law to
stand in its way. At least four-tifths
of the saloons Systematically deted
was sold, and sold to minors, to intoxicated
persons, and persons in the habit of becoming
intoxicated. The use of beer and wine seemed
but to create an appetite for the stronger
drinks. The privilege of selling these bcver-
ages was used as license to deal out anything
the most depraved appetite could demand.
The violation of law was systematic and noto-
rious. The courts were burdened with liquor
prosecutions, and the costs in many of the
counties became enormous The most ener-
getic attempts to enforce the law led t. but
partial success. Under this statute the liquor
traffic held sway to work evil cont nually. 1t
led more or less directly to crime; breaking
the order of the streets at night; throwing
open the doors of iai and alms-houSes;
bringing poverty to many family and
dlShohored death to many q Wet m. The
law was violated in the Hppling-shOp and
oVadcd in the courtroom The saloon re
wrote the definition OF perjury, and taught its
customers, when in the jury box or ON the wit
neSs-stand, to aid in the evasion Of the law.
The forbidden liquors were sold under the
names Of those permitted, and witnesses would
declare they were unable to tell which they
had bought. Jurors We're found to sympathiZr
with the witness who was not an expert in
chemistry The partial license law, which had
been adopted with such hopes, was torn and
dishonored in every part, and men usually
truthful were taught new code of morals
so far as its enforcement was concerned The
saloons were sheltered behind tho presump-
ton of legality: the privilege of selling beer
and wine was the cloak un ier which all the
manifold evils of the liquor traffic were secret
ed and protected
detying the law, the s8lOon-system aspired to
become an org lniZed force IL the pol tics of
the state. 1t had greatly extended its power
during the long experiment of thu Wine and
Beer law. II had long been confined t. the
cities and large towns, but the rapid extension
of the railroad system furnished quick trans
pprtatlon Tor liquors III bulk to every part of
the state, ana the saloons thus began to thrust
their malign influence into the rural com
munitieS. The managers of the liquor traffic
no doubt, realized the alarm which the extern
"a a Nh tam tNvtas ant to-
made every effort 10 band thems lives into q
strong political force. Their vote was to be
solid against any man who demanded the en-
torcement OF the law. Witnesses, prose-
CutOrS and all who sought to uphold the State
were prescribed. Ii was in this State of affairs
that the great mass of moderate-mnda I'd peo-
pie were converted to the support of rigid
Prohib ton. They found the situation to
be precisely what Governor Foster says
it now is in Ohio, viz: that the people
"must control the saloons or the salOOns
will control them" In Iowa the ga oons
assumed this bold front, in face of the
fact that strict Prohibtory laws had passed
the Legislature in 1851 and again in 1855, and
the principle had been approved by popular
vote. All that had been granted the saloons
was matter of confessional matter of grace
and tolerance; but they seized upon and used
1t with intolerance and defiance. They ap-
pealed to the sword to perish by it.
The managers of the liquor traffic, of their
own choice; took the broad way leading to de-
structon; They not only determ ned to punish
every "itizon who den,nnded the enforcement
Oh inc ibWs out AT last feSOlut ly lnStSteI II1C
the people should not have the opportunity TO
express their will in reg lrd to tn liquor traf-
tlC. With threats and defiance they opposed
even the submisS on OF the question to a vote
Of the people. Thus their ton could not b.
regarded merely as the eyas on of police
regulation, but became defiance OF one OF the
hr't princip es OF free Jvernment. They de-
n ell the right of the people to express their
sovereign will, rs they had always deted the
law of the majority The late President Gar
field with his power OF touching the heart
n fsy.Wv i
thought of all American j. @ was i'll this
sentence from the Pilgrim covenant, made on
the "Maytlowcr;" We gre b FORE God
and each other, that.the freely cxpr 50 ID will
of the ma orty shall he the law of all, which
we will all obey" 1t is easy to trace tn idea
into Iowa by direct impOrtgti N; no power had
ever quest oncd it successfully here; and
when the liquor traffic made its etance open
and absolute, the people determined not to
endure it, There cOult be no evils in Prohibi-
ton so great as those from which they sought
cs ape. They might not be ahIc t. enforce
the Prohbitio against the sale of liquor any
more than they had be II able to put an end to
burglary aud murder; but they could, at least,
place the denial of the right of the majority
to rule whore it belonged as an OifensC against
the fundamcn al principle of the state.
Would Prohibition prove imp )ssible of en-
fOrcement; such hnd been most alphabetically
tru of the partial license law. Would its viO-
lation tend t. disrcspcct for all law? Surely
its effect could be no worse than the partial
License law in every day of its history through
twenty-tOur long years. The people found
the argument that Prohibition would be vio-
lated and create diSreSpect for all law COM
plctely answered in their own experience.
The only towns in the State where the law had
been dccCntly observed and respected were
those which, by local option" were already
under absolute Prohibition. Where saloons
were tolerated at all it was found that four
tiths of them violated the law consta ltly and
systematically. The evidence was com lete.
The liquor traffic had dcfed all cont OIL aud
the people accordingly passed on it n iudg-
ment of death.
Surprise has been expressed that such a re-
suit should be reached in a Stlte hav ing
voting population at least ona-fOur Ii foreign
born. 1t hal been falsely charged that the
fOrctgn-bOrn citizens were the chief support
ers of the liquor traffic. In truth a majority
of the salOOn-keepcrs are natDve-born citizens.
The defiant attitude of the on-keeperS
aroused the indignation of the fOrcgn-born
citizens as much as any other class of the com
muntv. The election returns have demon
strated that thousands of this class voted for
Prohibition. In some counties three-tourthS
of tn m were for the amendment. The elcC-
ton returns show just this: the fOrtign-born
voters can be depended on tn oppose Prohibi-
ton only in localities where they are mhsSnd
people were an exception u this rule, for I'M
der all circumstances they were unanimous
in demanding the abolition of the LIQUOR traffic.
OF some other natiOnaliticS we have cOmmuni-
ties in Iowa whore children of the second gen
Grafton on this soil speak the language, wear
the garh and adhere to the customs of the
tathcrland. These localities were MI solid
against Prohibition, largely II IA thought, for
the reason that in these Communit es there .-as
less of the evil of saloons run on the "AmcFt-
can plan," and less of the defiance of law
which aroused such great Indignation else
where. But the election demonstrated very
clearly that fOreigu-bOrn voters arc not SO
bound by traditions or old coun ry customs M