, 1884-03-09
ruE VIEW rRonIBIroRY Law.

Much diversity of opinion appears to
exist regarding the new prohibitory
law of Iowa which was finally passed
by the legislature of that state last
week whereupon it Immediately received
the governors signature. Many attor-
neys and other well posted persons in the
state have expressed the opinion that
this measure, which has received the
sanction of law-enactment, will be rig
idly enforced in the rural districts, and
the little towns and the smaller cities
of the state, but not in the larger To-
calities. Commenting upon this phase
of the question, the Omaha Herald ed
itorially remarks that ''where a prohib-
itory law is supposed to be needed it
will prove a dead letter, as it has done
before in all states, including Maine,
and where such a law is not needed 1t
can be enforced. The philosophers of
Prohibition prove that they are incapa-
BILE of learning anything in regard to
the proper handling OF alcoholic evils"
Viewing the subject more extendedly,
the st. Paul Pioneer-Press observes:
..There are certain contagious dis
eases which, when once contracted,
must run their course before the poi5-
on can be eliminated from the
system; and prohibition seems TO be
one of them. Practical considerations
clearly demonstrated aud practical ex-
perience of the most unpleasant sort
have not banished the fever from the
blood or the decisions from the Drain
of Iowa republicans. The lower house
of the legislature passed, on Saturday,
the Kennedy bill, which will be I'M
doubleday ratified by the senate. 1t
did not Deed this proof to establish the
fact that it is impossible to reason with
the prohibitionists. AS Tar As remedy
ing the evils of the liquor traffic is
concerned, Kansas is near enough to
supply an instructive example of proba-
bic results. And a far as the effect Of
the measure in a political sense is TO be
considered, the results of the last con-
gressional election and the changed re-
lations of the parties In the present
legislature are warnings too distinct TO
be disregarded by any but those in
tent upon consummatlng thier pet fol-
ly at any cost. The absurdity of he
p~rohibitory proposition could scarcely
be better set forth than in this vote of
the house-where lfty-two members,
representing, let us say, a fraction OF
the people in proportion to their mum
Der, announced u forty.one members,
aud the portion whom they represent
that they would not hereafter be per-
mitted to engage within the state in a
particular kind of business, which has
been pursued by common consent as
long as history records; and moreover,
that their private habits, b contents
of their cellars, and the articles placed
upon their tables. would henceforth be
limited by legislative decree. III 1t
we're not, like all other fanaticism, so
dangerous by example, IL would be SUI
premely ridiculous. OF course nobody
expects the law to be obeyed, and the
first step will be TO test 1t in the courts
Equally, of course, the liquor men are
delighted at the defeat of high license,
the only thing they really fear, and the
substitution of some thing which has
been 30 repeatedly proved to be about
ten per cent tyranny and ninety per
cent pure sham. The most satisfactory
feature of the situation is that consti-
tutional prohibition Is, for the time be-
ing, entirely out Of the question; and
that this little importation from the
dark ages will be put on the statute
books. where it can be easily repealed
when the people of Iowa fully recover
their senses. as they fortunately appear
to be doing very rapidly, to judge from
the change In the fortunes OF prohibit
ton in the past two years.