The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-10-15
RRurHER LOTT.

The great pressure OF matter on the
columns of THE NEWS last week pre-
vented the appearance of reply TO the
article from the pen Of the Rev. Lott,
headed, "True Temperance" and which
appears to have been elected by an edi-
torial In THE NEWS OF the previous
evening with the same caption.
Brother Lott objects TO the term
''true" as applied to temperance, and yet
our learned brother must have seen and
felt the necessity of this term in his own
high and holy calling. he certainly has
not forgotten that that there are religions
in the world having millions Of follow
ers and devoted worshippers. Buddhist
and Brahma, Mahommedan and Chris
tian, and that of them all. there is but
one true religion. He cannot have for
gotten that the heather nations bow
down to false gods while there is but
one true and living God. of whom Paul
said: Him reveal unto you" Nor
can it have escaped Brother
Lott as student Of the Bible that St.
John said "hs was not that light but
was sent to bear witness of that light.
That was the true light which lighteth
every man that cometh into the world. %
list John, 9th and 9th. 1t being con-
ceded that there Is q God, why say the
true God. 1t being conceded that there
is light why say the true light.
The term true is used as in contrsdIs-
tinction to that which is false, whether
applied to the true God, the true light
or true temperance, and Is also used in
the subject under discussion as meaning
real temperance IN place of that canting
hypocrisy that bawls temperance upon
the house top, makes broad its phylac-
tories in public assemblages and drinks
quietly In the closet. It means temper
ance as expounded by Noah Webster
and as quoted by Brother Lciz, to wit:
habIiual moderation, etc.
Our brother says that the question re-
solves itself into the best means OF getting
rid of the traffic in intoxicating liquors,
and then he says prohibition does not do
1t. And here we meet on a common
plane; but prohibition does permit s
few 70 sell liquor without revenue to the
state, since even the five cent tees for the
registers 90 70 the pockets of individu-
ais, rather than TO the school fund where
they properly belong; aud it does under
take to make that q crime in Kansas
which is legal business in olher states
and recognized by the United States as
legal, even in Kansas.
Our brother repeats the mistake of his
fellows in failing to draw the line be-
tween crimes committed by the indiYid-
uAl man against himself and crimes
committed by the individual man against
society at large. II all men were thieves
the prohibitory argument would apply
In this, that all should be punished. The
object OF the law should be to punish the
transgressor-in tbi case the drunkard-
but shall the man who never gets intoxI-
Gated be punished because some other
man gets drunk? Shall we punish the
miller and the butter merchant and the
egg dealer and the sugar reflner because
an lmmoderate and Incorporate use of
the articles In which they deal when com.
bined in the form of pastry, produces
Indigestion and subsequent dyspepsia,
or shall We urge q moderate and temper.
ate use of the articles lisble TO produce
these damaging results.
We are willing to concede, and do
concede, that Brother Lott Is acting iu
strict accordance with the precepts to
which he gives utterAnce, but the whited
sepulchers without, filed with rotten
ness and dead mems bones within. are
still with us. This is what initiates
against the cause OF true temperance.