The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-10-08
pabius Is prohibition.

i man VINO taxes uAu1 " te1oA, IL 9 t-e..--
almost brutal, We were going. to say
and to quote passages from the Bloie'
doubles culled by the aid OF a coneof-
dance, in the support OF his PeculiaI
views, whatever they are. de has moi
| favored rs with an expressionof opinion
as to whether he thinks the liquor
traffic should be controlled at all, OF
/ whether he thinks it the province and
duty Of the legislature of the state TO
take cognizance and control OF those
trades and that business which are con-
Ifessedly injurious to the people, we
are informed that Fabius was steady
/ in his advocacy of the Railroad super
vision Law" and justified the most ex-
treme views on this subject. Now,
saving the constitutional questions arls-
ing under the charters of the railroad
companies, upon what theory did Fablus
proceed? Was it not because OF the
supposition that the people were being
oppressed or injured by these corpora
tons? The object of the constitution
was to establish justice, maintain puottc
order and perpetsdte ciril liberty. In view
of this the departments of government
we're organized with defined powers and
jurisdiction, and the declaration made
that the enumeration of rights, in the
constitution shall not be construed to
| DENY or impair others retained by, and
inherent in the people" For the tegdt
right to prohibit the liquor traffic. by
legislative enactments, we need not !ook
into the Bible, and we are surprised that
.Fabius should have thought it necessary
to take up his concordance. As he
prefers ''the appellation of whisky
demagogue to pulpit, long-faced phari-
saical hypOcrite latter being the
| appellation he chooses to bestow upon a
Baptist clergyman of piety, talent and
position, we invite him to cease all
uncouth attacks upon worldly minded
reverend gentlemen" to smother his
wrath, gather understanding awhile,
and enter the arena of debate with
''laymen" who may discuss the question
with him without the embarrassment OF
having been called of God Ito preach
the gospel" and who knew how to keep
him ito his corner" As Fabius chooses,
however, not to appeal to the constitu-
ton or the courts for illustration or au-
thority in support of his views" but,
'for the benefit of the reverends," to fly
to the Bible for comfort in his distress,
we propose to drive him out of that
cover. When we have done that, we
shall hope to meet Fabius in an encoun-
ter upon the legal aspects of his case.
As to this we do not propose to take
assertion for argument, invective for
reason, or rodomontade for fair discus
sion.
The question, as he states it, reads
thus as it true that intoxicating liqu-
ors are a curse and an evil?" While
we might object that he swings away
from the true prohibition
still keep him to his platform. The
temperate Senator of over sixty years,
as We take it, affirms that Intoxicating
liquors are blessing to the world at
large and peculiarly comfort to the
"99." This he believes and teaches be-
cause he is a hater of false principles,
religious bigotry and political fanati
cism, and the opposite belief and
teaching involve just what he hates.
The grand reason assigned for his be- |
lief is found in certain isolated passages |
from the old and new Testament scrip |
lures. Isaac said to Jacob, when bless |
ing him, God give thee plenty of wine;
therefore, Intoxicating liquors are bless
ing. Passing over several of his illus |
trations from the Bible which any school |
boy would understand, he refers to Solo,
man, who, praisiDg God, said: "He
causeth the grass to grow for the cattle,
and herbs for the service of man, that
he may bring food out of the earth, and
acife that naaketh glad the heart Of man"
and hence concludes that Intoxicating
liquors are not a curse and an eUiL. Fabius
might have quoted from the proverbs of
Solomon, the matured opinion of the
wise man-look not upon the wine when
it is red within the cup, for at last it
biteth like a serpent. 1t might suffice
as an answer to the suggestions based
upon scripture quotations, that "wine"
is referred to and not the Intoxicating
liquors Of the present age. And this wine,
not used as beuerage specially, but as food
very much like coffee, and tea and
milk. If we could go back to the wine
days of remote antiquity,
and forever exclude the poisonous malt
and alcoholic liquors of modern times,
we hardly suppose ''prohibition" would
have a footing among us.
But let us look little into the Bible
for our lessons. On the creation of man
ample provision was made by God for
all his wants. He had food to satisfy
hunger, water to quench thirst, con-
genial companion in his wife, and God
with whom to hold spiritual converse.
Strong drink and Intoxicating wine are I
not to be found in the catalogue of /
mans requirements and Were not pro- ,
vided. 1t was not until the subsistence [
Of the food that we hear of Intoxicating {
wine; and with its advent, as if TO I
direct the intelligence Of man to the c
woes that were to follow its introduc-
ton, the record contains this scrap of
history: "And Noah began to be hus-
and he planted a vineyard
md he drank of the wine and was
iruaken." Here this wine is mentioned :
'or the first time in the Bible, and is q
with the mental and moral n
iebasement of great and noble char
Icter." We think Noah's drunkenness v
vas accidental. He was hushandman, {,
nd possessing vineyard, would doubt a
ess use the grape juice as nutritious
nd refreshing beverage. Doubtless a :.
owl of this juice was allowed to fer >
1ent and to be converted into an intOr- -
'GttnS tcine; and, in this condition, was ~
rank by Noah, when weary and thirsty, NJ
Tithout knowledge of the change that ~
ad been wrought in it by fermentation. c
The second reference to wine as an sc
lteEtcdttng beverage, is associated with 1
OTIS revolving crime. He had fed Dl
,om SodOm, being the only good man .
! the city; he drank the intoxicating y
: fermented wine in his mountain or
Istness; and with the vision of the n
lrning city before him, drunk with Gu
inc, committed q crime that might it,
ave caused the Sodomites to blush. de
his was another practical lesson, which tta
abius seems to have overlooked, in his
lste to find scripture authority to show
at Intoxicating drinks were not an evil
It blessing to man. lu
Listen to this, Fabius. 1.-The Lord
axe unto Aaron, saying, do not drink M
nc nor strong drink, thou nor thy en-
rs with thee, when ye go into the :
oernacle of the congregation, lest We i'd
p" Lev. *. 8, II. And of the an
lzarites, total Gbstainers, Jeremiah says: :
Ter Nazarites were puTer than snow. Lar
~ were whittier than milk, they were STA
IRE ruddy in body than rubies, their "a
fishing was Of sapphire" Lam. W. :
mpson, Samuel, Daniel, Shadrach. an.
'shach and Abednego were Nazarites. w
Lring the bondage in Egypt and the Sei
ty years wandering in the wilderness :
lsraelites we're trained abstaineys. Ne Ne
ey had 1s0snG from heaven for food ~ M
Ter from the finty rock for drink, and w ~
8 brief period the flesh of ouails 'o'
en- they lusted after flesh. When ~,
y invaded Palestine they were a dis e M
lined army of hardy and sober people Re,
!, guided by their intrepid generals AN
eb and Joshua, it is not wonderful
t walled cities fell before them. They Co,
quereo talf heritage that produced say
abundance corn and Qrdpes. dates and Graf