The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1882-10-26
PROHIBITION.

PROHIBITION.
PROHIBITION, unfortunately, is now a
part of politics. 1t is question that
should find no place there. 1t may be
| doubted whether prohibition aids tenn
perance, seriously SO. If it does not to
any great extent, then il is utter folly to
waste effort and impoverish good citizens
in an insane attempt to put an entire
stop on the sale of liquor. The extrem-
lists on both sides are to blame for max
ing this an issue, and one which there is
reason to believe will remain in politics
until settled by the national government.
The temperance parties have long been
loud in their demands to cut off all traffic
in what their can't terms the staccursed
stuff" It has become sort of frenzy
with them and they give no heed to rea-
son. Their minds are charged with this
one idea and it has run into mania
There can be no question if they keep
within moderation and ask for whole
some laws placing proper restrictions
upon the sale of liquor that they would
receive the encouragement of all good
citizens. Nobody can have anything but
the highest respect for the work done by
Col. Watrous in the temperance field.
He has done more for temperance than
any other man in the state, and has done
it in that quiet way; never appealing to
coercion nor denouncing brewers and
liquor dealers, which has made him
friends and won him the confidence of
all classes. There is not respectable
brewer or liquor dealer in Wisconsin who
would oppose the election of Col. Wat
rous to any Office, on the ground that he
is temperance man, and still he has
brought more people into the ranks of
total abstinence than any other man in
the state. He did not proceed on the
theory that every man who bought bar
ley was villain, every saloon keeper
desperate and every person who tasted
liquor disreputable member of society.
This is how the liquor question should
be treated. A few men doing such work
as Col. Watrous did, would do moro for
temperance than prohibition can. But
this method is discarded and it is sought
to con6scate the property of men who
have always obeyed the laws and been
good and useful members of society,"
Are there any more law-abiding, charit-
able or public spirited men in the county
than such men as Rahr Bros, Linstedt,
Schreihardt, Mueller and many others
that might be named2 Are there any
men more respectable? more prompt to
aid in any enterprise of public utility ?
And yet if we accept the doctrine of the
prohibitionists these men are dangerous
elements in society and should be de-
prived of their property. We might
name many saloon keepers, men of re-
spectability and public spirit. It is true
there are many who bring the business
into disrepute. But isn't the same thing
true of all kinds of business? Should
the profession of law be abolished be-
cause there are shysters9 Should the
ordination of clergymen be prohibited
because there are hypocrites members of
the cloth9 Should the practice of medi-
cine be discontinued because there are
quacks9
If laws could be passed pressing heav-
lily upon quack doctors, shyster lawyers,
hypocritical clergymen, and lawless
saloon keepers, society would be benefit
ed. There are many social evils to whose
| redress the legislature can address itself
| with far more benefit to good conduct,
then by meddling with prohibition. The
temperance fanatics would never succeed
in forcing this question upon the people
if they were not allotted by some hot
| heads on the other side. The German
papers of Milwaukee did more to bring
prohibition to the front than all the tenn
perance lecturers that ever spoke prohi-
bition from the rostrum. Their editor
ials we're 80 offensive that it gave de-
gree of popularity to the advocacy OF
prohibition that unaided it wouldn't have
acquired in years. The brewers and
liquor dealers are not 80 much to blame
for having prohibition an issue. 1t is
the papers that assumed to be their
mouthpiece and which could not discuss
a question in moderation but IN such an
insolent way as to make opposition q
natural consequence.
IT seems to be the custom for Irish