The Republican journal., 1883-02-22
The Temperance Cause Attacked by Rust.

The Temperance Cause Attacked by Rust.
The above caption does not mean that the
friends of temperance in Maine have grown so
weary of well doing as to allow rust to dim
their shining endeayor>. 1t refers to the speech
of Mr.. Rust in the Maine Senate last week on
the prohbtory amendment resolves. 1t was
the only speech delivered i'll the Senate in oppo-
>ition. and had evidently been carefully studied
and prepared. 1t must be confessed that the
effect of the speech was somewhat impaired by
the fact that the amendment with which Mr..
Rust prefaced his remarks was clearly uncon-
stituiop:l, and was subsequently withdrawn
by him.
In the first place, Mr.. Rust found fault be-
cause a constitutional amendment had been, as
he declared for the first time in the history of
the State proposed by political party. That is
not true of the prohibtorN amendment, and if
it were it is not material The amendment was
petitoned for by the temperance men and wo-
men of the State. regardless of party, and as
the Republicans, fortunately have majority in
the Legislature, the prayers of the petitioners
in Il majority. it is safe to say the petitions
would have had no effect. The result would
have been the same had the formulation of the
amendments been entrusted to "a commission,
composed of members of both political parties"
which Mr.. Rust considers the only proper pro-
cedure. The Democratic members of such
commission would most a>suredly have OPP
po-p1 he RanulliruIi- f.VnrpI ht. >IIh-
mission of this question to the people That is
all the present legislation amounts to. Ii binds
no one. and the Senator or Representative who
believes in license might vote for it as well as
the most ardent prohbioni>t. Indeed, oppo-
stion in this case. whether 50 intended or not.
implies either d>tru>t of the capacity of the
people to decide this question. or a desire TO
prevent them from exercising what under our
institutions is an undoubted right.
One reason assigned by Mr.. Rust why prohi-
bition should not be Incorporated in the consti-
tuition. i that it does not accord with popular
sentiment. He lays much stress on that point.
1t is hardly worth while to cnquir2 how he has
informed himself 50 is to be able to speak ali-
thoritatively: nor need We ask why, if his
statements be true. prehibitory laws should
have been retained on our statute books for
more than a quarter Of a century. But if we
admit that he is correct, that popular sentiment
in this State is decidedly adverse to prohibition,
should he not. in order to be consistent. have
spoken in favor of and voted for the resolves:
Holding the views he does and knowing what
he processes to know of public sentiment. he
should have left no stone unturncd to give the
people an opportunity of recording themselves
against prohibition. His taking the opposite
course must give rise to the suspicion that he
has mi>repre>cntcd public sentiment and that
he does not himself believe the statements he
so deliberately put forth.
That alcohol is useful medicine may be adj
mitted. In that case it should of course, be
properly prescribed and dispensed. Opium is
also useful medicine, and 50 are strvchnine
and arsenic. but they are labelled rs poisons
and their sale is regulated as far as possible by
law. But there are few who cannot recall from
their own experience cases where men. and
women too, have been ruined by opium or al
coho, of which doctors prescription gave
them the first taste. Mr.. Rust advocates a tenn
pcrate use of liquor us good thing. II may be
with him; but the great majority are undoubt-
eddy better off, in every respect. without it, and
there are many whom single taste leads into
excess. Is it well to throw temptation into the
way of these and of others in whom the desire
to indulge would be aroused if it were kept be-
fore them:
The evidence presented to the food value
of alcohol proves nothing. Equally convincing
proof of its deeterious effects are accessible to
every one. 'DoctorS differ on this as on other
questions. One medical expert says that coffee
is valuable stmulant and recommends its
use, but pronounces tea deleterious. Another
commendS tea and denounccs coffee. Both are
perhaps correct aS to individual eases and under
certain conditions. The same may be said of
alcohol. which is defined in Il temperance publ
cation as a'liquid poison, while another writer
tell US that it is ''employed internally as Il uoei-
t@t erctto~t to prevent fainting during opera
tons" and that it is applied externally ITO feet
which have been bstered from long walking
or tight-itting shoes" But for every argument
adduced in favor of the use of alcohol as bev-
erage or as food. one equally as strong. or
stronger, OH the other side can be presented. 1t
ed to the satisfaction Of every one. but we are
quite sure that majority of the people of
Maine are determined to put an end to the
manufacture and sale of liquor in this State
and that such will be the response when the
constitutional amendment is submitted to Them