The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-02-21
That Convention.

That Convention.
The mass temperance convention
which met at BOnebrake's Opera House
last Saturday afternoon for the purpose
of organizing a County Temperance
Union, was fairly attended, and its pro-
ceedings will be found in another col
umn.
a reasonable amount of enthusiasm
was manifested, and it is fair to pre-
sumo that this enthusiasm, characters
tic of all such gatherings, gave birth to
a belief that the prOhibitOry law was to
be lastingly enforced in Dickinson coun-
ty. That such a belief existed is proved
by the fact thatnearly $S00were pledged
to locally enforce the law. Just how
this money is to be used, however, is
not SO plain, since the State is undenia-
bly, responsible for all costs incurred in
efforts to enforce the law. The County
Attorney, an able lawyer, and honest,
is not likely to be complimented by hay
ing outside aid thrust upon him in the
prosecution of liquor cases. Such a
course directly implies a doubt of his
honesty, and clearly presuppOses be-
lief in the minds of the prohibitionists
that his abilities are not above mediOc-
rity. But it would be uncharitable to
suppose that the money pledged will be
uselessly frittered away. If $500, or
twenty times that sum, would perma-
nently enforce the prohibitory law in
this county, the REFLECTOR would
give $25. to the fund, as did Messrs.
HART and WILSON. Such speakers as
Mr.. CAMPBELL, however, are not calcu-
lated to increase ones respect for the
law and its defenders.
Mr.. CAMPBELL is an aggressive
speaker. He is large man and prob
ably eats a great deal of beef, and his
nature partakes something of the quail
ty of the food he eats. Hence, they very
bloodthirsty character of his buster
ing remarks. In the course of his
harangue, for that is the most dignified
term by which we are permitted to call
his talk, he related an incident which
happened in a southern county, where
two brothers expressed a willingness to
help "pulverize'' the liquor power with
shot guns. The speaker then said he
was in favor of using all legal means to
stop the sale of liquor, and if they failed
then FORCE must be used. Place
great emphasis on the word force, :"
and the inference is plain that the word
meant shot guns in the speakers mind.
The sentiment was applauded. Here
we have a temperance leader who advo-
Gates the breaking of one law to enforce
another. With this sentiment in his
mouth and heart, is he any the less guilty
of crime than the saloon keeper? Is
he not more guilty? The sentiment IA
vOrs sedition and anarchy, and encour-
ages the saloon keeper in his unlawful
acts. The REFLECTOR is 10th to be-
lieve that the men who applauded the
utterance fully realized its enormity.
In the eyes of the law, it is the inten-
ton more than the act which constitutes
a crime. Mr.. CRAWFORD is clearly as
dangerous to community as the saloon
keeper.
The resolutions adopted by the
Convention are good ones, and if the
Union succeeds in enforcing the law,
the REFLECTOR is free to admit that
its belief in the practicability of prohi-
bition will be known quantity. But
where the law is so unpopular that jul
ries will return verdicts of mot guilty"
in the face of direct and convicting tes-
timony, as has been witnessed in our
Justices courts, the REFLECTOR fears
that the law is years ahead of the peo-
pie.
Never, in any State or community,
has the writer seen or read of such NOR
al obliquity, such complete surrender of
manhood and principle, as this prohibi-
tory law of Kansas has brought to light
and in many cases created. And the
more the law is pushed, the greater the
effort to enforce it, the more alarmikg
and widespread does this evil appear. |
It is impossible for mind that has not |
been prejudiced by suffering, to not
the impossibility Of the pro-
libition of Intoxicating liquors. There
S no kind of use in trying to legislate
way a mans likes, dislikes and appe-
tie. Experiments in this field of legis-
alton were tried before America was
.nown, and they were all failures. 9th
r states of this Union have tried what
Kansas has been trying for the past
hree years, and the trials were failures
Tithout exception. Kansas will fail,
s other States and peoples have failed.