McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-10-16
LAST OF THE LETTERS.

Being That of Mr.. Ddnieis, the Prohibition
Candidate.
William Daniels, nominated for vice presi-
dent on the prohibition ticket, in his letter of
acceptance, says: The necessity for the pro-
hibition of the liquor traffic is based upon the
well-established and conceded facts that this
traffic is the producing cause of large part
of all the crime. poverty, insanity, suicides
and diseases that exist in the land; that it is
the great diSturber of public peace, as well as
the destroyer of domestic peace and happi-
ness; that it renders life, liberty and property
insecure, and imposes upon the community
heavy burdens of taxation, without equiya-
lent or consent, upon the ground of its iegiti-
mate tendency, being the produce of ideneSs,
vice and debauchery, and to create nuiSances.
The supreme court of the United States and
the highest courts of the state have decided
that laws entirely prohibiting it are constitu-
tiOnal. That idleneSs, vice and debaucnery,
being cankers on the body polite, endanger-
ing its very life. there must of necessity be an
inherent power in it to remove it in order to
prevent its own destruction. In such deciS-
ions as these the highest courts have also held
that these laws are for the protection of so
ciety and not for the regulation or control of
the conduct of the individual, and hence in no
sense partaking of the character of sumptu-
airy laws, as they are so often falsely and
knowingly styled by, the liquor leagues and
politicians of one of the great political parties,
and that neither are they restrictive of per-
sOna liberty, except in so far as they re-
STRAIN the individual from lnnlctlng INJURY
on others or on society. In all such cases
public safety must be supreme. The
writer discusses at much length the growth
and extent of the prohibitOry sentiment,
which he claims has not been properly util-
lied. He states that the decentralization from
drink is on the increase, and that unfathful
officials fail to enforce the law regulating the
sale of liquor He says the policy of both the
national government and the great majority
of states is that of licensing and fostering this
traffic. To change this policy, and the govern
ment policy especially is the imperative duty
of the hour, and to effect it requires the
agency of political organization or party
just as other great reforms necessitated like
support for their accomplishment. 1t, there
fore, becomes a national political issue of SUI
preme Importance, and cannot be relegate1 |
to states alone, at the bidding of any political
leader or leaders, no matter how disturbing
this element may be to the parties or poll |
ticians. Both the existing political parties Op- |
posed, or ignored, this great issue, and their |
candidates for president and vice president
did likewise. Necessity, conscience, loyalty to |
God and humanity, therefore, compel us to as |
sumo the position we have assumed. Lastly, |
the movement offers grand opportunity for |
burying forever the sad memories and bitter |
hatred of the war, and uniting the hest ele- |
mentS of the Christian and moral people |
throughout the land against the worst, and in !
an organization that will know no north, !
south, east or west, its great purpose being |
the protection of the home against the |
saloons.