The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-09
Free Whisky.
To the Editor of the Indianapoiis Jouruap

To the Editor Of the Indianapolis Jouruap
You and some of your correspondents ex
press surprise that the temperance people who
entertain such a horror of drunkenness and
labor so zealously to overcome the drinking
habits OF society, should prefer the repeal of
all laws on the subject of intoxicating liquors
to any law licensing it. In taking this posi-
tion we are aware that We are antagonizing
public opinion to great extent, as well as
the sentiment of many who call themselves
temperance men. Now, decent respect for
this public opinion demands that we should
give reason for our antagonism to its
mandate To clear our path to this subject,
we wish to relate scrap of history that is
yet fresh in the memory OF many, In the
wear 1855 after a heated canvass. in which
the subject of prohibition was fully discussed
we elected Legislature that enacted sub
stantially the Maine law by handsome ma
jority. 1T was approved by Governor Wright
and took effect on the 18th of June. From
that date till November following the law
was as fully enforced as any penal statute on
any subject ever has been in Indiana. At
that date the celebrated Perkins decision de-
clared it violation of our constitution, ex-
cept the repeating section, which the court
held to be constitutional This left lis with
ont any law on the subject of liquor, but it
also left the liquor-seller without any pro-
lection from the provisions of the common
law, securing the citizen against the annoy
ance of nuisances and the public against
places of immoral resort Really, to
our surprise, we found ourselves liz a
better condition than under the previous
license law In many towns and villages the
dram-shops unsupported by the authority
of the State, found themselves outlawed by
healthy public opinion. The temperance
people r. spted this as the best state
of things chat we could have since we could
not have prohibition. We were able to fight
the monster successfully by moral power so
long as the State refraned from lending Ter
authority to give protection and respecta-
blitv to the traffic. The Legislature of 1857
passed through its session and no effort was
made to enact any law the subject of
liqdor. Our theory was to divorce it entirely
from legislation and politics. So we had
two years more of free whisky" but at
the next Legislature 1S59) the liquor sellers
procared the passage OF license
law, framed especially to protect
their business, as all license laws from the
nature of things are. With this experience
we Wee nothing frightful in free whisky as an
alternative to our well regulated license
law"
But our opposition to license laws is not so
much matter of policy as of principle. We
believe that the sale of Intoxicating beVer-
ages is wrong per se--is evil in itself. aud all
PTS consequences-a crime aeainSt God and
humanity, and especially against the peace.
dignity and prosperity of the State To give
the testimony on which thus sweeping in
nlctment is found, would require volume.
Suffice it to say. the traffic makes drunkards
out OF sober men.--makes idle, lazy loafers
out of industrious, thrifty citizens and pau
pers out OF their innocent women and help
less children, and criminals out
OF honest mentor drunkenness is
i itself. morally, a crime. and carries with
i the possibility of every crime. Moreover,
the saloon system antagoniZes all our educa-
tional enterprises well rs the efforts to es-
iablish religion and good morals in society.
Now, TO US it seems to be i INDUSTRIOUS 6b-