The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1883-03-15

The late Mr.. Morrill,, of Maine, said
that upon the floor Of the United
States Senate eight years ago. The
liquor traffic is tremendous public
nuisance, inficting upon the commu-
nifty more and greater evils than come
from all other sources Of evil COM
bined.
i So far as I am aware, no man has
ventured to deny any part of this ire
mendous Indictment against that dev-
ilish trade. I.eall it so because it has
no other influence than to drive out
from among the people everything
good, and to substitute for it every
thing bad, 1t lives only by changing
| good citizens into bad ones, good hus-
bands, fathers, brothers, sons into bad
ones, by sending an unspeakable mis-
cry into hundreds Of thousands of
homes, which but for it would be
peaceful, prosperous and happy.
The liquor traffic disinclines men to
regular, patient industry, and finally
units them for it. It changes sober
workers in every department of life
into idlers, vagabonds and tramps;
self-supporting citizens into beggars
and paupers; lovers of law and order,
respecters of the rights of other peo-
ple,. of property and person into
thieves, robbers, burglars, incendiaries
and murderers. It fills warehouses
and prisons with multitudes of people
who but for this traffic would be peace
full and orderly members of society.
These wretches, made such by the
liquor traffic, are supported by the
sober industry Of the country, the ne
cessity for which arises solely from
the liquor traffic.
This horrid trade imposes upon the
country annually direct loss Of more
than $S00,OOO,OOO and an indirect loss
of $7O0,000,O00 more; all this waste
is from the wages of labor and from
the profits Of business" The New
York Tribune says that, and adds that
this loss and waste year by year is
more than half our national debt,
more than the total cost Of our Ma
tional, State and Municipal govern
ments in all their departments. All
this constitutes only part of our in
dictment against the liquor traffic;
the moral, religious, educational and
political evils coming from the traffic
are far greater than those arising
from mere loss Of money.
Will the editor Of the Nation deny
that all this or any part of it is true?
Certainly not. Very well, then, we
demand to be delivered from the tre-
mendous evils Of the liquor traffic by
absolute Prohibition. There is in
that traffic no quality that entities it
to life, while it is great sin against
God and great crime against society.
Will the editor Of the Nation deny
that society has a right to self-protec-
ton against any and every evil from
which it suffers? Will the editor of
the Nation affirm that society has no
right to forbid gambling-houses,
houses of ill-fame, lottery offices, and
obscene books and prints? Why may
society do that? Because they are in
consistent with the general good, and
only for that reason. But the grog
shops are thousand times more mis-
chievous to society than all those
combined Will the editor of the
Nation deny that society may protect
itself from thieves, robbers, burglars,
forgers, counterfeiters and embezzlers
of trust funds? Why may society do
this? Only for the reason that the
public good demands it. But the IL
quor traffic inficts more mischief up
on society than all these rascals COM
bined. 1t inficts upon society a
greater misery every year than all
these criminals do in quarter of
century.
The government has not only the
right to forbid whatever is inconsist-
ent with the general good, but it is
bound in duty to do so. 1t is our du-
ty as good citizens to obey the law
and not to vindicate our own rights
and avenge our wrongs by violent
means, which we might do but for our
relations to society, and it is the duty
OF the State to protect us in our rights
and ayenge our wrongs; failing to do
this, the State is false to it's duty.
| would like to know if the editor
of the Nation will deny this or any
part Of it? Very well, then, what is
his objection to the policy of Prohibi-
ton? 'That Prohibition is failure
wherever it has been adopted, even in
Maine, the place Of its birth" There
is not a word of truth in that. Pro-
hibition is now in operation in many
hundreds of localities in this country,
in the Dominion of Canada and in the
United Kingdom, and the editor of
the Nation is challenged to name one
Of them in which the liquor traffic and
the evils which come from it have not
been greatly diminished.
There is no public question now of
SO much Importance to the Nation
and the States as this, ''How best to
deal with the liquor traffic." and it is
not creditable to the Nation to appear
profoundly ignorant Of the whole
matter. The Tribune says, "a ques-
ton of this size is not to be put down
with sneer," but that is the way in
which it is generally treated by some
of the ablest papers and some of the
ablest public men Of the country.
N Maine, more than thirty years
ago the people began the work of pro-
tecting themselves, their children and
their interests from the infinite evils
of the liquor traffic, and it is not cred
liable to the Nation that it knows
nothing of the results of that action,
more important as it is in its relations
10 the interests Of the State and peo-
pie than any other policy could posi-
bly, be.
PORTLAND, Me-, Feb. -, 1888.
Sudden and Violent.
The change from the summer to the
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