Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-03-15
=. .vsWEx TO NEAL DOW.
PORTLAND, Sept. p, 1888.
.. m EDTos OF TIE

PORTLAND, sept. ~, ieoo.
70 rm EDITOR or TEE G.ruon,o WORLD
as,,. IN behalf Of the temp rancs
I'D women of this country | wish
nea neasnk YOU for your admirable article,
u Chnrch and Prohibition, III you.
LUZ sr fer September Of this year. liz
nu have the effect To call the attention
nus a,sat many iufiueu eutial people 70
entation ROW going on, among all
mo m.,,sh -apea king people the world over,
Lnth,ain protect on to society from the
pO.ndous evils coming directly and
",:.s.,Iy from the traffic IN intoxicat-
uS,,nks. without which there Can be
pkoayance. pk which intiIcts upon the
mSI wear by year and every year
Pop, syils than come from war, pss
pa.a and famine combined. thoes
"a, scourges of mankind. Iue Loa-
ssn TINES said that, and Mr.. Gladstone
u0s~ss,ad ~ it Oh the flo * Of the House Of
81 do not think, As you seem to sup
ss that prohibition Il GENERALLY Or
,slv advocated as a dogma rat usr
In "a A policy 81 far as know. 1t
c.nerally advocated oh the grouud
80 the liquor traitic IL inconsi stent
-;,b the general good. and therefore It
s's M reason to he. 1t Is believed to
.,os deadly var upon every Intere t o!
lion. state and people. 1t ~ believed
~ liys only by scattering poverty, pau
,s.y,sm. suffering, degradation and crime
,h,ouoh the land. 1t changes good cit
MI Inf h
ones. Its existence is lnseparable from
ali these evils and many others. No
corresponding good comes from 1t; in
dred. no good whatever comes from 1t,
,hile the evils caused by it are more and
srea,er than come from all other sources
q evil combined.
at il not possible to regulate 1T by
.nv process OF law 80 ~ to diminish to
,ny Improbable extent tue results which
| have mentioned. and great III my
mare that | have not alluded to. 1t il
for these reasons that We seek to protect
oor bones by the prohibition and sup
pssssion Of this great pu ollc and social
mischief. NEAL DOW.
Governor Dow represents more than
any temperance reforner the policy of
constitutional prohibitlon. We have
been asked by the editor Of The Catho-
lie World to make such a reply to tue
sboye letter AZ the earnest character
and prominent position of the writer,
Al we'll as the grave nature of the sub
ject require. The article in the Sep
tsmber number il not only judiclous
and discriminating, but has tue .rue
ring of earnest moral feeling. The slb-
isct, however, Is a vast one, and there IS
more to be said.
II Mr.. Dow does not misapprehend
the distinction Intended bet 4een dog
ma and a policy, at least ne singui.rly
fails to define his own position i'll regard
70 that distinction. A dogmt IL "A set-
tied doctrine winch calls for II furtasr
Argument, but, when rightly stated, must
needs be accepted. Tue term Is also
employed to slgulty any statement of "A
necessary truth or principle which Is
true III itself Independently OF all or
cuinstanCes. circumstances neither
make it nor can any change of oircum-
stances change it. Policy, OR the other
hand. ls practical prudence or wisdom
10 the administration of a government
or the III tnagement of other affairs. 1t
IS free to consider all the circumstances
Of the case, and give its due and pro-
portionate weight to each. The author
Of the article on " The Church and Pro
hibitlon" III the Septemb. .r number of
this review said:
Prohibition has been advocated too
much AZ dogma Father than a. "A poll
W. Its lOudest If not Its most nuner-
ous advocates indulge IN tue sweeping
ondemnatlou of every u " of alcoholic
drink III any for II or quantity except III
medicinal doses and for only sucn pur-
poses as medicinal polsons are used
and 1t is from such convictions that for
tbs most part the prohibition sentiment
seems to spring. 1t IL thus made the
oloelcal question. To be- sure. every
PRACTICAL matter of the kind is based on
some theological principles, {has rell
glOus side, Is what the writer probably
meant to say, and We may agree with
prohlbitionists that drinking may DO an
occaslon of sin. But We cannot agree
that 1t Is Il proximate OCCASION of SIN to
everybody. Not only would they force
as 10 admit that, but also that IL ls a
unful act to drink alcoholic beverages
except As one takes a dose OF strych-
nine or arsenic at the prescription of
tho physician.
The distinction here made between
dogma aud policy il distinctly enough
minated II not defined. Aud yet
where does Mr.. Dow stand? After
reading his letter carefully We confess
That We do not yet know whether he
hoids the drinking of alcoholic stimulus
Dey mr. nnf ~ HAf hs4r h..
sale OF II Is u SIN pcr sc or not. He says,
Indeed, that prohibition Is generally ad-
'ocated on the ground that the liquor
ua'hc IL Inconsistent with the general
eood, and therefore has no reason TO BE-.
Does he mean that III ITS practical work
lha, as We soc II around us, hic Fl nu,.c,
Ashows itself III this way! Or docs he
iuean that always aud by Its Very nature
MS SO, no matter how restrained, how
much limited in its extent, to w1at
hands confined, or what may DO the
ecaracter Of the population in which II
found. or the social circumstance y
snich surround II? He saws that no
Rool Whatever comes from It, Is thus
uiAin9 balance with Its evils? or does
ue mean that. We're the ev.i effects re-
uoVed' aud were 1t used only in moder-
anon, II still could dc no good? Il mod
M .'ase drinking IN all cases n useless
wing, aud in every respect? Is il even
%evli thing, and always SO!
MS pity that MIR. Dow has not ex-
NAihcd himself more clearly on these
polae' We should be glad to claim
SUI ~ standing thus on the same plat-
n Win the generality of Catholics.
Au Win by far the largest class of
,ue'ican citizens who. like himself. de
~ ' ihtemperance. he would then have
e oosndenoe of multitude of 60 ID
sno are now shy OF him: and taey
oe proud of So strong an ally III
tHW cause. There are many of Us
~ 'uihS that the moderate drinking
a, .u'ants. for those who are cap ,ble
h,ia ,iaoueralon. Is not an evil thing. We
10 he often a Very useful th,a2.
e acknowledge. however. that even
! Az ,hnoc-ntiy used IL is attended by
u.sS oanger, and always requires To bs
| sn Nan some precaution. There are
/ Ia Nno cannot use II In moderation.
C,,Ss tue language prevalent among
/ lmoies, II Is for such persons prox-
| vh;.s OCCASION of sin; that is, dasger
snS., cannot be hraved with any rea-
.noa nope OF victory; and. In accord
mos. Win an established principie Of
ms, 'ney are bound IN such case fer
This sake To abstain entirely. For
eason pledging Is SD common
Off, us. For this reason our priests
n.Sa insist that man shall accept the
e. On, For this reason also we have
W. Total ahstinapca s,.,a,;as ao1 .v.,,