The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-06
INTEMpERANCE In INDIANA.
What Shall Be Done by Voters and the
Church for Its Suppression?
An Argument in Favor of More Rigid Re-
straint Of the Liquor Traffic-High Lii
cense Partial Remedy.

Inc following ADDRESS, prepared Dy hon John
II. Stotzenberg, of New Albany, was read to the
convention by Rev. w. N. Webbe:
A great majority of the people of Indiana
ardently desire the suppression of intemperance
and the only question is what sensible and
practical plan in aid of temperance can be form
ulated. enacted and enforced? That is the pres
ent vital temperance question, and the voters of
our State have the power and the will to curb and
RESTRAIN the liquor traffic if such plan is prop
ery and fully set before them.
L do not ignore the declarations and the
methods of the socalled Prohibitionists, but
do not regard them as practical workers. They
are entitled te praise for their honesty sincerity
and fervent zeal. but all these praiseworthy at
tributes are misGirected. Placed as they now are
in party by themselves, they will sooner or later
see their ina bility to accomplish any substantial
good The masses have confidence in the
scheme of prohibition and will refuse to be
stretched on that Procrustean bed. The great
political parties will not unite with the Proh-
bltlonsts. They regard such alliance the
sure forerunner of disaster and defeat. 1t is a
source of regret to the thoughtful and prudent
friends OF temperance that the talent and elo-
quence of the fervid and earnest men and women
who are thus striving after the impracticable
and impossible, scannot now be utilized for the
promotion OF temperance plan which shall be
successful, continuous, efficaciou3 and powerful
for the good of the people
There are in Indiana too many drunkards and
too many liquor saloons, and they are increasing
too fast for the public welfare. For the last six
years too little attention has been paid by the
law makers to restrictions upon the traffic in
intoxicating liquors. During all these years the
political watchwords have been prohibition and
antl-prohibition, and, pending this contest moth
ing practicable has been accomplished The
General Assemblies of 1881, 1883 and 1885 were
too cowardly and time-serving to pass restrictive
measures, and that of 1885 even refused to pro-
vide by law for the teaching in our public schools
of the evil effects of alcohol on the human sys
tenn.
1t almost seems as If the leading politicians
in the various parties, because prohibition is not
popular, believe that practical, aggressive and
restrictive temperance enactments will not suit
the people. But they are mistaken. The Gen
eral Assembly of 1887 ought to be. and (if the
people are properly instructed it will be, com
posed of legislators who will not be afraid to
pass advanced temperance laws.
That is what we need in Indiana. We must
have something more severe and restrictive
than the present liquor law. We need, and the
people ought to demand of the next General As
sembly, well-guarded license law with a
reasonably large license fee much larger than
the one now collected. 1t ought to contain Sc
we're checks and penalties, and it should be so
framed as to give those locally interested voice
in the selection of the license.
1t shall also heavily punish the drunkard and
the man who sells liquor to the drunkard, the
unlicensed liquor seller, and the licensed who
violates his license. The punishment now is
vision should be made for the enactment and en-
forcement of similar restrictions in all cities and
towns by appropriate ordinances. Had such
law been passed in 1881, or at any subsequent
session, 1t would ever since have been sustained
by public opinion, and drunkenness and de-
bauchery would not have shamelessly fiourished
as they do now
The true friends of temperance in all the po
litical parties must shortly unite on such basis
as this, and L maintain that it is the best and
surest course for them to pursue. They cannot
brighten the drunkard repress intemperance
with brass band or by a flood of eloquent in
vective. Neither will statistics, however alarm
ing and appalling, produce the desired result.
Temperance reform must be conducted on
business principles. The leaders must be men
of common sense. Let the friends of tenn
perance throughout the State put their cause in
the hands of committee of wise and discreet
leaders.
Let them vote for no candidate for the Legs-
lature in 1886 who will not openly pledge him
self to vote for advanced temperance legislation,
in the interest of the diminution of crime and
paupersm, and the punishment of drunkenness.
The sentiment of the great body Of the voters of
this State is on the side of temperance reform in
practical direction The wives the mothers
and the sisters ready to cooperate
There came into the parish church the other
night, during divine service, family of strangers.
consisting of husband, wife and several chill
dren. AS they passed out a lady remarked to
me, II see that you are to address the conven-
Llon on temperance. NOW, Cner0 is Inc family or
a drunkard / can tell that he is drunkard by
his clothing and appearance, and by the shabby
genteel dresses of the wife and children
And it was so. The drunkard vile wretch that
he is, carr les the seal of condemnation, like the
mark of Cain, on his face. For him we need not
waste pity but the wife and the children cry
unto us all for protection; and society must pro-
tect itself, for the wife may die of broken
heart; those girls may starve do worse, and
those boys may become drunkards and outcasts
too Aud han IN hnW nho+ g.. k&
is temperance address of itself.
and dA' Nation Nat to '0AG reform OF S pn naass
the drunkards and check the growing evil of in
believe that it is the true one: 1--WE cannot
have things in this world just we want them,
but we can gradually and constantly, by the aid
of the church and the power of the State, get the
liquor traffic under control, and by the force of
public opinion we can make drunkards as odious
and detestable as petty thieves or traitors to
their country are"
While such movement need not be a party
movement, the politicians and parties cannot
stop it.
In the infancy Of railroads. Stephenson was
examined by committee of the House OF Com
mons as to the feasibility of running a train over
and along iron rails at the speed of twenty miles
per hour. One of the members who had no faith
in railroads, asked him this question, What
would be the result if locomotive running at
that rate of speed should strike cow2" His re-
ply, delivered in terse, broad Scotch convulsed
the committee: ut wud be bad for the co.,"
1t would be just as bad for the politicians if
they attempt to oppose sensi BILE, practical and
constitutional plan by which the voters of this
State shall seek, in 1887, to control and restrain
the liquor traffic and make drunkenness con-
temptible and loathsome.
The experience of States and nations demon
strates that the reformatory liquor laws must be
such as the people will bear The law is an edu
Gator as well as chastiser. That was the great
Solons idea as the aw-giver for the Athenians.
That was Gods plan as to the Jews. Habits
can be changed for the better through the me-
dunn of laws that the people can endure. Cam
den in his history of Queen Elizabeth, asserts
that the English, in their long wars in the
Netherlands, first learned to drown themselves
with immoderate drinking, and by drinking
others healths to impair their own although, of
all the Northern nations. they had been, before
this most commended for their sobriety. The
vile habit chacked hx restrictiye statntes