The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-08-29
The Scott Law.
srnrv. !. c. JACKSON, .a., COLUMBUS, o.

As q restrictive measure il amounts to
little at the present rates of the tax. For
revenue purposes, it is estimated that twill
bring in nearly $2,000,000 over the entire
State. If the tax was made $500 it would
amount to prohibition in many small
places. But in our cities it would restrict
the number of drinking places only-not
The same effect would follow at 81 900, or
any other sum, in lsrge towns and cities.
The tax feature is, therefore, mainly a
source of revenue. But shall we oppose 1t
because it does not restrict or prohibit, at
present, and is not likely 10 do so soon
IT seems to me that is unwise. Doing so
does no good. The tax has not made the
traffic any wtrse. To defeat it can not
make matters any better. Whe,eve-, there
fore, public sentiment is not strong enough
to suppress the trsffic, if it does exist, and
will exist, why object 10 it. 1 can con-
ceive of one reason only, namely, the fear
that il may foster a sentiment favoring the
federation of the traffic for the sake of its
revenue. But is that likely to be SOL Not
while there are waichmen on the walls,
who viii never hold their peace day nor
night Can the revenue, which acts as an
equivalent 'for part of the expenses which
the traffic causes"-can that compensate
for the broken hears aud blighted cha-ac-
tens which it producesf Can it restore the
diseased 10 health and the dead TO life?
Can il pay for the Iuin of homes and the
loss of sous taat rum causes? Never,
then, will revenue amount to an apology
for the evil in the minds of an intelligent
people. We can go on educating and or
ganizing public sentiment for its overthrow
as before, using every argument We have
ever used. Then when that sentiment be-
comes strong enough, under the McCop-
nellsville ordinance feature in this same
law the saloons can be completely closed
up. This has already been done in Me-
chanicsburg, Ada, De Graf, Bell Center,
Racine, Reynoldsvil,e, st. Paris, New AL
bany, Sunbury and other places, while
many more are preparing to do the same.
1 am ioclined, therefore, to regard this
law, upon the whole, with great favor. 1t
is certainly wiser for US dispassionaiely to
admit its benefits, as well as expose its de-
fects, than to depounce ii jndiscrjminately
BY so doing we viii not forfeit the patience
of those whose ideas are not ss far advanced
as our own. We may chee,su'ly acquiescs
in every forward step, however small, and
still work for absolute prohibition as the
ultimate goal. Meanwhile every munich
pality that can possibly do so ought tc
adopt the McConnellsville ordinance. This
will make that feature of the law popular
and render it fatal to any party to dare tC
repeal it. Also, the exemplifcation Of 10
cal prohibition, under this form, will com
mend the virtue of universal prohibition
Kansas and Iowa both prepared themselves
for general prohibition by working up tC
1t from local option. The brewers are al
ready feeling painfully the effects of thii
inciplent prohibition. Mr.. G.. ]. Hoster
one of the large brewers of this city, has .
letter in the Sunday Morning News o
June 3rd, in which he says, "Ifyou woulC
read our, as well as other brewers, dali,
correspondence from throughout the State
you would be easily convinced that we hav,
all reasons to be dissatisfied, and have gooC
ground for opposing that law (the Scot
law, not on account of the tax it imposes
but ON account of the obnoxious McCon
nellsville ordinance that is embodied in il
1t is q daily occurrence for brewers VIII
are doing business throughout the State Il
receive word from their customers in small
towns that saloons have been closed up en-
tirely. To person living in large city
where he can take his glass OF beer in
saloon undisturbed, this Scott bill does no
seem so bad; but if he should find himsel
in smaller city where fanaticism reign
} supreme, he would get a different opinio
of it altogether, when he finds himself de
prived OF the privilege of enjoying hi
J glass Of beer in a social way, as heretofore
in saloon. 1t is this hidden prohibition
that is injuring our trade 80 extensively.
: Amenl So be It'll Now let every preacf
|, er and temperance worker see to it this
J that ordinance is adopted in all towns an
villages, aud by these gradual inloads pres
the siege ION to Richmond" 1t does al
somewhat, indirectly, to this end, to tax
all we can off of the profits of the business
by way of tax, in these cities where we ca
not yet enforce entire prohibition. Th
} outlook is cheering. Let us make th
: ] most of itl-Western Christian Advocai,