The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-08-05
THE DEMOCRATS AND PROHIBITION

+, prOnOunCementSO OF us representative bodies, 4
, opposed to prohibltory Legislation. No demo
cratic convention has ever pronounced In ia
vor Of such laws, no democratic state has
prohibtory law, and no democratic legislator,
has every enacted such a law.
The position of the democratic party, ground
ed as it is on the Jefiersonan principle tina
That government is best which governs least,
cannot be otherwise. The essential democratic
idea is to favor the largest liberty of the indi
vidual, of communities, of states The prohi
bitlon idea is essentially communistic. hold
ing that society is everything, the individual
nothing. The state, according TO that idea
must prescribe and enforce what the personal
habits of individuals shall be, that society may
thereby be improved "Such a monstrous
principle" says John Stuart Mill, "is far more
dangerous than any single interference with
liberty; there IS no violation of liberty which
1t would not Justify; 1t acknowledges no RICH,
to any freedom whatever except perhaps, to
that of holding opinions in secret without dis
closing them"
The tendency of the principle is thus 10 en-
slave thought and degrade manhood. This is
exactly the effect prohibition is charged with
producing in states where IS has been attempt.
ed to be enforced. Speaking of the result of pro.
hibition In Massachusetts, where after several
years of trial it has been abandoned, Gov. An.
drews SAID of 1t:
"The law produces decentralization and disre.
spect for the law that cannot be enforced. 1t
demoralizes jurors and witnesses. 1t demon,
allzes the buyer and seller of liquors, inducing
them to resort to all manner of frauds, tricks
and evaslons to do unlawfully what they can,
not do lawfully. 1t is injurious to the com.
merce of the people to be always violating the
law; and so far as liquor drinking 10 con-
cerned the law has done no good"
Samuel j. Tilden, while Governor of New
York, being solicited to favor a prohibition
law for that state, laid down the true demo.
cratic doctrine on the subject when he SAID:
Such Legislation springs from misconcep-
ton of the proper sphere of government 1t
is no part of the duty OF the state to coerce the
individual man except SO far as his conduct
may affect Others-not remotely and conse.
quently-but by violating rights which legis.
lation can recognize and undertake to protect
The opposite principle leaves no room for in.
dividual reason and conscience, trusting moth.
ing to self-culture and substitutes the wisdom
of the senate and assembly for the plan of
moral government ordained by Providence"
But it Is said, and Neal Dow is largely quo
ted In proof, that prohibition is successfully
enforced IN Maine. Six months ago the New
York Sun sent one OF its ablest and most
trusty attaches to Maine to make full inves.
tigation, and three months ago he made his
report. 1t covers some four closely printed
columns Of that paper Of April 9th, and is
crammed with the most astounding facts, trac.
ing directly to prohibition not only most re-
markablc increase OF pauperism and crime in
the state, but demonstrating that, in the cities
at least, there Is more drinking than In any
other cities of the same size in the world THE
truth reveals" says this reporter, summing up
his facts as given in detail, that the people
of Name, deprived of the lighter drinks that
temper the habit elsewhere, have fallen back
on illicit whisky; that the percentage of drunk
cnness is greater there than In the license
states; that the amount of pauperism is heavier
and rapidly increasing; that crime is advanc-
ing at a fearful rate; that the death rate is
heavier than IN the license states; that there
are more suicides, insanity, ldiocy, blindness
and bodily defects and that the disregard for
the law has cngendered contempt for all law
and advanced general decentralization.
There Is abundant evidence at hand, but we
have no time or space now to give il, TO show
that the operation of the law tends even more
strongly in the same malign direction in
Kansas
The democrats Of Illinois have frequently
expressed willingness to stand by the socalled
"Reddlck law" and we believe 1t to be the
best temperance law in existence. 1t so well
settled truth as 10 have become automatic,
that no law can be enforced where public
opinion is against it, There are undoubtedly
many localities in Illinois where public
opinion strongly predomlnates in favor OF
prohibition, while there are many other local.
ties-notably the cities-where public opinion
is strongly the other way. The Reddick law
recognizes this fact, and meets It by embody-
ing local option clause, so that localities that
favor prohibition can have it by voting for il,
while others that want to license the sale of
liquor can do SO under the best license law we
have any knowledge of. We believe when
the question of prohibition comes to be sub
mitted to vote Of the people of Illinois, to
which the body Of the democrats will make no
objection, our people will realize the fact that
they are better of as they are, and will vote
it down.
The Chicago Journal Indignantly rises to
remark, that ut Is hard thing to say, but we
are fully justified in saying it, that the present