The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-09-16
CLARK PIERsoN, Editor.
LAMBERTVILLE. N. j.
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 1885.
WISE WORDS.

t. L. Cuyler, D. D., to the New York
Independent It is well worth reading
and thinking over. That Prohibition
should be the ultimate result of temper
ance work nearly every one will concede,
but prohibition that prohibits cannot be
brought about until there is great deal
more moral courage to fight the illegal
rumseller and such strong prepondera-
ting sentiment in favor of temperance
that men will fear to violate prohibitory
laws. While aiming for this, let every
halfway help be used-even "high Ii
cense." If it helps, so much the better.
If it fails, it drives on to the goal prohi-
bition. DIR. Cuyler says:
AS Prohibitionist feel entirely con-
fident that Temperance Reformers are
committing most serious error in giving |
such excessive prominence to the civil and
political aspect of the Reform. The temp
tation to do this is peculiarly strong. The
drinking saloon confronts us on every
side, as the 0isible embodiment of the
drink curse it flaunts its bloody flag 10
our faces, and it seems to be a very short
and summary way of disposing of it, co
pass stringent laws for its suppression
This temptation is made stronger by the
specious assertion that Negro slavery was
removed by political party. The sim
pie truth is that the Free Soil party, by
the election of Lincoln, drove the slave
oligarchy up to tho point of committiqsg
suicide by armed secession. If the rum
oligarchy were now confined to single
section of the land, and if it should in
sheer desperation, fire on the flag, and at
tempt to destroy the nations lite, then it
would speedily be laid in the same tomb
with the defunct institution of slavery.
But there is really very slight analogy
between the political conflict with the
drink traffic, and the political conflict
winch was waged under the banner of
Free soil, free speech and free labor
Negro slavery was essentially temper
airy civil institution, the creature of un-
just civil law. The dramshop is not n
temporary institution created by statnte :.
1t is the creature Of The drinkin0 qtsaoe of
society. No fool would ever open liouor
saloon, and get out license for II In anv
community in which there was no demand
for strong drink.
Set it down as an incontroyertibIe trnth
that liquor saloons are not the creations
OF license laws, or of any other civil enact
ments. CThe original purpose of requir-
ing license was to limit the number and
curtail the mischief Of dramshops.) Drink
ing saloons do not owe their existauce tn
few lines on statute book; no. nor are
they to be entirely and permanently up.
rooted oy simply enacting few opposite
lines on statute book. If SO, the problem
would be very simple and manageable,
The liquor traffic, whether IL be conduct.
ed by the hogshead or the gill. whether
IN the marble hotel or the yilest cellar ia
the creature ofsthe drinking usages. To
night dramshops without any moral efforts
to keep people from drinking intoxicants
would be as ridiculous folly as it would
DC 10 organize police forces and build tails
without ever teaching human being that
IL Is crime to steal. The only way to
reach an evil is to 60 to its foupt- head
Inc iount-head Of liquor selling is liquor
uflnklhg. Deeper down than any civil
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS high license, low
license, or no license-lie the dyinkino
0sages, ana every remedy is transient and
superficial that does not reach them.
do not dispute that the saloon tennis
thousands to drink intoxicants who might
not be tempted otherwise but 1t il also
true that even the worst dram. seller does
no. open saloon from sheer malice to kill
OH his neighbors. He opens il simply to
maze money by ministering to appetite,
ana oy supplying his WHISTLES and wines
10 us customers, and commonly he has
no scruples as to increasing the number
OF his customers. Those customers be II
understood, are sharers and partners In
ms crime. II he opens hell, thew feed
its hres. 1t is time that Temperance adj.
vocates ceased to denounce saloon keepers
as iiends and to speak of their customers
40 poor innocent people who never 90
voluntarily to barroom counter. If
oram selling is sin, so is drunkenness.
shops. 'i' u'"n
:, The most effectual way to break nm the
hq9or traffic is to get away it's customers
anu slarVe IL out. Here lies the wisdom
ea,'ng couhter-attractions to the sa-
loon, whether it be the attraction of home
or coffee tavern" or ANYTHING else
that tends to keep men and bows from the
slaughter houses. But 1t is certain as
gravitation that If any large number of
persons in any community are determined
70 nave intoxicants they will somehow
panage 10 ger them, even if we pile our
tIohioitory laws as high as BROOKLYN
prdge towers. They will get them either
~ s.eaitny evasions of law, or by import
ing liquors for their own private use. or
" some other process. Righteous and
oenencial as are laws of Prohibition when
wen enforced, yet to rely on law alone.
without any moral efforts against drink
.pg would be as insane as to dam up a
torrent at its mouth while neglec.iug TO
ury up It's fount-head. That fount. head.
we repeat again, is the drinking usages.
wnicn demand, which create, and which
maintain the hotel bar and the dram sbon.
rrohioitory laws help us, and many good
people claim that ''high license laws aid
us also but the one permanent cure for
gram selling is to break up the habit of
gram drinking. lfnobody wants whiskey,
NOBODY will offer wbskey. This is the
happy case in the town of Bassbrook,
i Ireland, where four thousand sober, SEN
s,oie people keep everything like liquor
shop out of their town. Prohibition 10
automatic in stlch con,,,,,;tx