The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-01-16
That Jewel Of Mine.


To the Home Journal:
My attention has been called to a
criticism q suppose that is what it is
intended fOr,) in your columns OF one
Of my articles on Prohibition.
| had no intention of nor do pur-
pose to enter into any argument on the
subject. 1t Is. at bottom, a matter Of
feeling, in which all good citizens agree,
that the liquor traffic is productive of
great evils which need some remedy.
And since 50 much good ink has been
split on the extreme view of what is
the best remedy, it did not seem amiss
to suggest more moderate course Of
action. | do not presume to lay down
"a code" or commandments" y; | mere
" suggest what seems to me Il more ra-
tional way Of dealing with the evil.
But, since Mr.. j. p. Francis has
called my consistency" in question it
may be well, with your permission, to
say few words more. If he means
that because live in a community pro-
tec:ed, or as he puts it "having the fire
put out" by the four.mile law, | must
necessarily approve Of that law, and am
really protected by it, he is merely mis-
taken in his facts. do not approve If
that law, and it does not prohibit 50 far
as | can judge from daily occurrences.
There is just as much liquor drinking
here now, and just as much drunken
ness, as there ever was-taking into
consideration the gradual and natural
improvement in the class of people who
come here to live and the wedding out
of the worse class by the progress Of
events. If | am inconsistent in OPP.
posing the general extension Of law
which has proved to be local failure,
so mote it be.
But, says Mr.. Francis, "such laws
would fill your already crowded peni-
tertiary, jails, and asylums, etc" "in.
crease expenses" and make enormous
taxation" If he had been careful he
would have noticed rs he wrote his fifth
section down, the words "hard labor"
If he had stated my proposition exactly
he would have said nothing about Eat
the expense of the State" None but
pauper lunatics are so taken now.
lie calls these "a list of incrompre-
hensible regulations The fact is, only
three of them are new all the rest are
either endorsements or extensions of cx-
isting laws, or else principles Of common
law. They are none Of them "sump.
tuary" in the ordinary use Of the term,
and none of them begin to offer one
tenth the compilation" or "restric.
ton" that prohibition must involve.
Wherever that has been tried or exists
there is an army Of spies and spies to be
maintained; constant, violent, and
frequently unjustiiable violation of the
old principle that "a mans house is his
castle; IN increased tendency to violate
law, owing to the patent injustice of the
one law.
If, AS he thinks, passing prohibition
law would involve nothing further, let's
have 1t. But, unfortunately, so far as
many of us can see that would be a
small part of what is to be done. The
enforcement of such Il law is a subject
upon which it would be well for these
gentlemen to study. The more espec-
ally since they have SO signa!ly failed in
many localities to enforce the four-mile
and similar laws.
Limitation, not suppression, is the
natural law, and it will ultimately pre-
'ail, no matter how much men botch
md balk its working with their puny
Iams Of license or prohibition.
Probably when men quit eating too
luch they will stop drinking too much.
Until then let us give nature a chance
nd no! be eternally taking physic.
VIM. NJ. HARLOW.
Sewanee, Tenn. 1
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