The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1884-02-16
Tie Liquor Trams.

tlon and running more young men than
any other cause. When a young man,
nliddled aged or old man becomes so
addicted to the habit that he viii spend
his days and evenings in the saloon,
waiting for the extra drink, or becomes
SO fascinated with the twin evil Of
gambling that he will waste the quiet
hours of the night, which nature de-
sigEed for quietude and rest, fumbling
the dirty, greasy pastehoastls, he looses
his manhood and becomes unfit for the
high duties of citizenship. At the re
quest of TIL, temperance people we have
given space in this paper for the discus
sion of the liquor traffic, with a view of
agitating the question and finding a
solution to the problem of how to ale
viate the evils caused by the saloons.
We will not, as does our worthy CON
temporary, give space to these publiea-
tions and then, in order to curry favor
with some saloon men, say that we are
not responsible for these items. In
giving space to these articles We reserve
to ourselves the right to criticise or cen
sure. While sc allow space for a fair
discussion of this question, we have no
apologies to offer to any one for allow
ing these articles In our columns, as
seems to be the case with our worthy
contemporary.
In this weeks issue we have a very
interesting communication of Hon. W.
i. Benjamin, on tie license question.
Whilst the writer is very earnest III the
temperance cause and argues eloqucntly
from lis standpoint, the errors into
which he, in common with most tenn
lrrance organizations fall, and the ma
merous false premises which he is
forced to assume In older to maintain
the right of absolute prohibition, de-
monstrates that this is not the practical
method of dealing with this question.
The writer asks ''why prohibit the
drink seller from selling by the glass
when the druggist can soil the same ar
ticle and in less or greater quantities
than the saloonist, without license?'
Now this is statement Of difference
which does not exist, for when gen
tlenlan who vends drugs at Glendale
attempted to dispose of intoxicating
liquors as a beverage under the cloak of
druggist, he was called to account
before the Circuit court, only last Octo-
ber term, and had to pay the penalty of
broken law. The writer goes Oh to
state that the license cannot be for rev.
snue purposes and quotes our constitu-
tion as saying "ali property shall be
taxed equally" In this the writer
shows that he has not gwen due ronsid-
Grafton to the methods of raising reve-
nue.. Our nation, State and munici-
pality resort to other methods of raising
revenue than by direct taxation. Even
here in the little city of Rosebarg,
which is a part of the State of Oregon,
tho autLorities.resort to the expediency
of requiring license from young ia
dies for the privilege of trimming hats
and bonne;s and selling them within
the city limits. The writer concludes
that because the statute of Oregon re-
quires of saloon keeper that he get
the signatures of majority of voters in
the precinct and pay his license fee and
give a bond to keep an orderly house,
ETC., is because the traffic, is net right
and for that reason ought 20 be pro
hibited. We can neither agree with
the premises or conclusions which the
writer draws. Laying aside the ques-
ton OF right it is inexpedient to pro-
hibit the traffic in an article of com
merce Of as long standing and as uni
versally used in all countries asalcoholic
drinks. The State has the undisputed
right to license, regulate and control
the traffic the same as all other obnox-
ious trades; and it is the fault of soci-
ETY. itself that this growing evil of in
toxication is not 1essened. The laws
are adequate in great measure to give
relief. if society and temperance re-
fermers had the moral courage to en-
force the statute, or see them enforced
and would elect no one to office who
woeld not enforce the laws in these
particulars. But when temperance
reforrners and officers whose duty it is
to enforce the law will, night after
night, exhibit themselves at the gam
ing table in the public saloons, by the
side Of Cinnamon, courtesans and dead
psats, and children ere permitted to
snter and gaze upon these spectacles.
society viii have to reform itself before
any permanent reformation can Ie
looked for in the rum traffic
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