The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-09-30
The })eoples & olumn
3---:--=J--;,s -
Prohibition as a Moral Question.

1t is perhaps useless to make any re
ply to John A. Calhoun for his criticism
of some remarks OF the writer, in TIL
Wig Of the 9th inst, on the status o
Prohibitionists in some of the States o
our Union, and not in Ohio in particular
His letter is an answer to itself. AS w
have argued from opposite premises it i
not surprising that we can never agree
and l have only written for those who ar
capable of understanding christian sid
of an argument.
Truth is comparable to a straight line
and in a question involving moral princ
pies is the only correct road to follow
When man once leaves this track ano
starts out into the labarynth Of policy
and expediency there is no rule by which
to tell where he will go.
There is not an argument in his YER
bose letter that is not equally applicable
to the present condition of things il
Pennsylv ania, where many of the best
and oldest Republicans in the State are
now compelled to vote against old party
associates to correct popular abuses. IT.
as he asserts, the temperance men OF
Ohio hold the balance of power, (and we
have no doubt of it,; have they not the
right to vote their own sentiments, just
as much as the Independents of Penna..
even if the immediate result is a Demo
cratic victory? And is it consistent OF
fair for any temperance man who has not
yet had his eyes opened to the light of
truth, but sees things through old party
glasses darkly, to charge these men with
being in league with the worst clements
of society?
For one am sorry that such an one
as j. A. c., should expose his orn Inca
pacity to understand the situation SO
much as to class Sunday lao and Ii
cense lac together. High tar ard Sun
day closing this year, mean severer re-
striction next, and prohibition inside of
ten years. Here he has coupled three
distinct and opposite propositions in one
sentence. AS far as j. A. c., himself is
concerned | should never have taken
time or trouble to answer such transpar-
ent fallacies as these. But there are yet
others left in Cecil who have not had the
same opportunity Of knowing better, and
also generation growing up since these
questions were ventilated, for whom this
argument may be of use. This is our
excuse for making this reply.
First then, We have not heard of the
men who are opposed to the absolute
prohibition of the liquor traffic on one
day OF the week, who lay any claim to
being men. The Sunday closing i'll
wolves the very principal of absolute pro-
hibition; or the right of the State to
close saloons on one day of the week, for
the good of society, once admitted. it
carries with it the right to close them
entirely when public safety requires it.
This is a step in the direction Of "prohi.
bition inside o! ten years." And it is
equally capable of demonstration that
a high tax or any other license law is
a big step in the opposite direction. One
sufficient proof that it is SO, is the fact
that the . Liquor League" are in favor
of it. They are able and willing to pay
taxes in Ohio as they were in Maryland,
knowing that it will not decrease their
sales much and will enable those that
sell to realize a better profit. A high
tax will keep the business in the hands
of few more respectable, and thus cur
tail the evil, is the only Argument in ia
vor of such law. Liquor men favor
any law that will have the effect of quiet
ing the popular conscience and stop
further trouble to hem All they want
is to be let quietly alone. This was the
advics given by one who seemed to fully
the question, a distiller, whose
letter was recently published in the
Wig. The National Convention of Lii.
quor Dealers, whose session has Just
closed in Cincinnati, in express words
favor ''judicious license law There
Is then perfect accord on this second
point, between the expressed purpose of
the republican party at present in Ohio,
and their opponents Of the liquor dealers
A strange coincidence this, one par v
propose a tax that the other freely offers
to payM
So far from a license lac being step
toward prohibition we see THAT it is the
very measure proposed by the enemies of
that devoutly to be wished for consul
nation.
They that are whole have no need of
a PHYSICIAN and the sicker the people
of Ohio are. the sooner they will apply
for remedy. To extend the mantle OF
law over the hideous vices Of intempcr-
lar Indignation.
To the average mind it is only neces-
Sary to prove that business is luutW,
to have what they consider sufficient evil
dence that it cannot be SINFUL.
We know that lotteries were never sup
pressed by licensing them, and yet large
part of our people cannot see the sin of
them. For all this, the strong arm of
law is now held for their entire suppress
sion. Even the National Government,
that in ordinary cases has no scruples as
to what is the nature or effect Of bust
ness from which she derives revenue, has
put her prohibition on it and places lot
terry circulars on par with obscene lit
erature and refuses to allow them to en-
ter our mails, or to deliver letters to par
ties known to be in such business. But
lotteries are not suppressed entirely! and
is the drink curse lesser evil, that ii
should be licensed.
With the Prohibtionists as a "politi-
cal party" in Ohio, the writer has moth
ing especial to do. There are, however,
thousands of good men equally strong in
their convictions, who have never been
counted by their votes in any party, be-
cause they have never seen the necessity
OF making this a separate issue. But
when this question is forced to IL vote is it
not better that the proposition should be
fairly put, can the Republican party hope
long to ride two horses.'
To favor license is bid to hold the vote
of the foreign element thai has hereto
fore supported them. To favor temper
ance is bid for the votes of those of
this class who have always been in the
Democratic ranks.
| have been life long Republican and
am not ashamed of the part l have TAX
EN- in securing the success of a Local OPP
ton law in Maryland. No perceptible
progress was ever made here by all the
many devices to regulute the liquor trade.
and like attempts will be equally futile in
Ohio.
Every argument that J. A. Calhoun
has brought forward, was proved untrue
here years ago, and have been dead and
buried here under the weight of such
popular majority that no one here was
equal to the disgusting job of digging
them up.
We hope to see the Republican party
every where stand on a true temperance
platform, and to this end we are still
content to labor and to wait. q.
Cancers and Other Tumors
are treated with unusual success by Worlds