The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1885-08-06
B. GLIB ON PR0IlIBIt0V.
NO NECESSITY oRANew PARTY
Extreme Demands OF Over-fsalous TEN
peranee Advocates - What HIS
tory Teachss-The Last Legis-
Iature aud the Issue.

Extreme Demands OF Ovsr-fsalous TeIu-
perance Advocates - What HIS
tory Teaches The Last Legis-
Iature and the Issue.
DALLAS, July s9.-J, II, Sawyer Denton
DEAR SIR;-Your favor with On
closure Of newspAper clippings re
ceiyed and should have been replied 10
vt nm earlier date. Your sen'iments
ON -. prohibition question are well
woI of earnest thought, an have
received nv careful confederation, '
don't suppose there IN hnv man living
who has at heart tho good OF bis Fellow
man but what desires 10 see society
rid of the evils Of inteDlpeTnncr'
Drunkenness ~ Decreasing very rap
idly all over tno United States ana
especially in tho South, and the
reformation IN Texas IN thiH fespte.
has been wonderful. II the friends oil
temperance could agEoe on u poilcS
that would destroy az restrict 10 mar
rover circles tne pornicinuS influences
incidnuI 10 the I3rall OF alcoholic y
quors, much good would DO accom-,
plished anu much expense 81
government saved. Such pol
ICY Can no iustihed ~ 4
police regulation and in really not g
sumptuary law in Democratic sense,
The greatest difficulty IL tho largest
nuIuber OF prohibition leaders arc toe
radical in tnOlI demands, ana Tor this
reason viii IN all probability oeioli
any moderate aud elective iepisla-
ton, and b. denouncinC local option
and other mode rate and gradual
reforms will check the good that Is be-
ing done. There ara II great many
st ong local optionists that take nc
stock in these prohibition leaders ard
who believe that the haste 10 form a
new party il not 40 much IN the inter
est of tho suppression 81 tho whisky
business as in tho interest ot certain
men desiring office. Their speeches
aud literature are ali directed against
whisky and saloons, YET when II
comes 10 legislation Uney demand and
absolute prohibition Of even wine and
bser which contribute but little II any
thing to the evils of intemperance.
The amendment TO the constitution
demanded by the new Prohibition
party at its organization in Dallas and
the one which WAS defeated in tho last
Legislature actually prohibited ciii.
zen from making wine out OF HIS own
grapes and drinking it on his own
table; in fact, under that amendment
no old woman in the country could
have made blackberry cordial except
ia violation of law. IL Is clear to my
mind that no such legislation will ever
prevail very long at a lime in free
country, and / can easily see in this
question where legislation, instead OF
being fair and wholesome, may become
tyrannical and undemocratic. i he.
lieve that the present local option con-
stitutionsl provision, if properly en-
forced, is the best legal aid TO the tenn
perance cause that can be devised.
Religion and the church by the incul-
cation OF moral ideas has done much
for society and the better enforce
ment of law, but the iron hand OF the
law has never yet been successful IN
incu eating, preserving or enforcing a
moral sentiment.
We can't reasonably expect sudden
and radical change in the habits and
opinions OF the people, and the change
to be effective and permanent in re-
suits must be based on genuine re
form in public sentiment and not the
result of spasmodic agitation or legis
lation.
1t is easy enough to shape legislation
for the suppression OF those evils
which all enlightened citizens agree
are wrong, bus these social and quasi
moral questions are moro difficult Of
solution, and the best interests OF so.
ciety require that all political action
on them should be the result of cool,
calm judgment.
The histories of other countri' s
anu even some chapters in the history
of our own country teach us that some
times one element of society may be-
come so anxious for the moral reform
of eno her element as to feel justified
in the most extreme measures. be-
lieye the best interests OF the people
will bs subserved and Tho final settle
ment OF the matter more permanent
and harmonious, If in dealing With 1t
we pursue the course pursued in Geor-
gia and other Southern States, and
confine ourselves to local option, NJ
least until there is a genuine reform in
public sentiment strong enough to
give reasonable assurance that the
people really desire and will enforce
general prohibitory legislation.
Those who favor prohibition from a
sincere desire to see ths min
nimum Of intemperance reduced,
should bear in mind that
in those countries wtero
the largest amounts per capita OF wine
and beer are manufactured and con-
sumed and where it is purest and
cheapest the proportion OF drunken
ness is much smaller than in the
United States; and even in Texas
there are no more law abiding and
thrifty communities than those coun-
ties in the Southwest where the con-
sumption of native wine and beer is
very much greater than in this section
of the State.
All these and many other things
which have not the time now to men
ton, should bs considered in shaping
prohibitory legislation, for no perma-
nent good will result either to society
or the temperance cause by hasty
settlement OF the question, whore the
dissatisfied and nearly equal minority
OF to day may become the arrogant
majority by the morrow.
1t will be of no benefit for public
public opinion and legislation to PEN
oulate first to one extreme and then to
the other of this question:.
There are very few political ques-
dunn upon which all conservative
lneu can agree and believe this is as
true of the temperance as of any other
question. We can all agree that there
should be legislation looking to the
suppression Of certain manifest evils
attending the retail OF alcoholic Ii
uuors, but our lively appreciation OF
and adherence Tor the evils OF intern
perance should not lead US to adopt
questionable and Intellectual Legisls
i've remedies.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
Tho fact that the last legis aturo did
not subniG the prohibition
amendment does noC JUSTIFY
the creation of q new party and DOESN'T
prove any want of lioerality on the
part of the Democratic party OF Texas.
The trainers of our constitution were
well pleased with their work, and
from the vote eceived for it's adoption,
40 were the people, and they neter-
mined that this instrument snculn
never be amended in any particular