St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-12-13
Does Proh1bttIon Prohibit .
Editor DEMOCRAT ::

for wine and strong drinks as a DeNer-
age, usually say that prohibition does
not prohibit that people will drink as
much or even more under such law
that it will be sold covertly, etc, and
therefore it is a failure. and hence
should not be cOuntenanced.
Now let US apply this method of rea-
soning and see the conclusion. Is it
not true that law, however well execu-
ted has never entirely ruled out or
destroyed any sin or crime whatever
For instance we have a Statute against
theft, and officers to execute the law
and yet some people steal. OF course
then this prohibitory law, (for such it isl
against theft is a failure and therefore
should be abolished. And then it
tramples upon the liberty or freedom OF
this same class of persons; and Of
course should not be endured by the
public.
Again, we have statute against muir
der; but somehow this law is verv
commonly violated and therefore it
should be repealed as it fails to reach the
end in view. Now, as this may be said
of every other law, we must conclude by
the same parity of reasoning, that the
whole civil and moral code of law is
signal failure and should be unhesita-
tIngly set aside. And then we would be
without law and without order. And
ere long, the huge crashing and des-
tructive wheels of "The Dark Ages"
with increased momentum and result
would be upon US.
However, the question should not be
asked, (and is not asked except with
reference to the Prohibitory liquor law
will this statute or that law entirely
abolish this class or that order of crime?
but rather will it not have a tendency
greatly to reduce it If so, then it
should be adopted. And this is true OF
the "no license law" that it will and
does reduce the sale of alcoholic liq-
uors, and therefore lesseds crime i'm
mensely where it is as we'll executed
as any other law.
Now if this be so, then we should by
all honorable means adopt this law,
and see that our officers of justice exc
cute it thoroughly. And now we pro-
pose to prove Ghis assumption or posi-
ton by testimony.
Governor Dingley, in his address to
the Legislature of Maine, in 1874, said ::
''This system has had trial of only
twenty-five years; yet its success IN
this brief period has, on the whole been
so much greater than that of any other
plan yet devised, that prohibition may
be said to be accepted by large major
ity of the people of this State as the
proper policy towards drinking-honses
and tipping shops, where our proh1bl-
tory laws have been well enforced, few
will deny that they have accomplished
great good.n He goes on to say much
more to the same effect. In 1875 in his
address to the same body of Legislators
he says that the prohibitory laws had
been "more generally and effectively
| enforced than ever before, and with
corresponding satisfactory results in
the diminution of dram-shops and in
temperance"
| Gov. Dingley, in 1874, said to the
Commissioners of the Canadian Par
lament: 4hat, "all organized opposi-
ton to the law has died out. That two
thirds of the people at least, heartily
approve of it as the best system of re-
striction of the liquor traffic yet de-
vised.n
He goes on to say that "The city of
Lewiston with Auburn) with a popula-
ton of about 10000, has not single
dram-shop. Secret drinking has not
often taken the place of open drinking
Hon. VIM. P. Frye, Attorney General
OF Maine; u. S. Senators Hon. L. M.
Morrill,, Hon. H. Hamlin, and others
speak in about the same manner.
Hon. Horace Greedy once spent three
days in Maine and never saw a single
glass of liquor, or man under its in
fluence. At the Augusta House where
the Governor and most of the Legisla.
ture boarded, there was not drop Of
liquor to be had, and "the use of tobac.
co had almost entirely ceased"
In 1883 the Hon. Neal Dow, Of Pc y
land, Maine, published an article ipA III
New York Independent (April 1877 il
which he says:
I