The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-10-22
vxRrrAs ONCE 11oRE.

vERIrAs ONCE MORE.
Mr.. EDITOR la perusinG the article |
written by my Rev. Bro. Lott, and |
which appeared in The News on Satur- |
day evening hesded 'Srrue Tempe |
ance," observe some admissions or i
confessions that are In my judgment |
damaging to the cause Of prohibition |
and TO the laws that have been made 70 |
enforce it. The honest statement Of
Bro. Lotz that ''many drug stores are no
better than licensed saloons, and even
worse, Is they profess to be something
that they are not, IL q rather frank way
Of admitting that the prohibition legis-
lstors Of our state are either unfalthful
TO their constituents or grossly ignorant
OF the steps necessary TO carry out the
true intent Of the prohibition dogmas.
The object OF the prohibitionists in Sc
curing the constitutional amendment
was 70 do away with saloons. Now, if
after three years they have only sue
ceeded IN substituting one form of
liquor sales by another. giving as q
system Of traffic IN intoxicsnts more OBJ
jectionable and dangerous than that
OF the saloon, It is certainly
quite time that some measure
more effective than prohibition
should be tried. 1t is true
and may readily be admitted that laws
are necessary to punish crimes, and that
they are part Of the plan of our All
Wise Creator who. while he permits the
poison also permits the antidote. There
are, however, certain classes of offences
of which mankind may be accused but
which they are unwilling to admit as
being criminal. No civilized man would
for q moment attempt to justify murder
or theft, or any of the other crimes
against society which are enumerated In
the calendar, but there are thousands OF
well meaning people who do not con-
slider 1t crime to sell or drink intoxi.
eating liquors: they also deny the right
Of the majority to control the sppetites
Of the minority by legislative enactment
They declare that If the majority has q
right to say what the minority shall or
shall not drink, they might. by the same
logic control what they should eat and
the clothes they should wear, and why
not! The object of the prohibitionist,
it is alleged, is to promote the welfare OF
his fellow man and render him a service,
but how can one man in fact benefit an
other when the party sought to be served
does not appreciate the gifts
bestowed, and receives them only
by force? clam athat prohibition
Is wrong in principle 80
far as 1t is attempted
to be applied in controlling the appetltes
Of men. The prohibition OF murder, theft
or arson cannot be objected to upon the
same grounds. No man can clam the
right to murder; no man can claim the
right to steal the property of another,
but he can, under the laws of our coun-
try and b. sanction of the best gov
eminent on the face of fhe earth, claim
the right to buy and sell spirituous liq-
uors. It is useless &c make the compar
t ison. You may, for time and in GER
} tain localities, destroy the rights aud
privileges of the minority by force, but
this cannot be done IN the world at large.
+, Such an attempt would breed disorder
everywhere and chaos would come
! again. Wherever the people can be con.
WINGED that il is for their interest, as il
! really is, to abandon the use of lntoxi-
Z cants they will prohibit themselves and
constitutional amendments will not be
. necessary, but until that time arrives,
= the executive force of the prohlbitory
/, law can produce no other result than that
Of deep-seated and determined oppo-
sitloD that will continue to grow with
q its growth and strengthen with It's
= strength until it makes itself heard as q
power among the people. The argu.
ment that man does not get quid pre-
{ quo for his money when he invests il in
alcoholic liquors may or may not be
! true; that depends entirely upon circum.
: stances.
and the uses for which it is purchased
There are many things for which people
pay money that have no value beyond
the imagination. The man who loves
whisky may buy and use it because Of
q the, to him. agreeable sensations caused
: as it passes oyer the palate to his stom
& Ach, and may wish his neck a mile Ions
that the enjoyment to that extent may bG
> continued, Another may buy and use i
. for the stimulative effect upon his brsiI
! and his imagination, leading him t
think himself suddenly rich or deliver
ing him temporarily from a multiplicity
8 of troubles, and do so with as good rea
b son and with as beneficial results as TIL
z other. Men buy and use tobacco, tea
II coffee and other narcotics and In SOM
- cases buy the lurking dyspepsia will
n them. What do they get for their mon
i eY? Men and women follow the fashion
,e at an enormous outlay, and all for tn
r, edificatiOn of their imaginatlons. Ant
); Of what earthly benefit is this outlay O
" millions of dollars invested in I'm
i. clothes and fiimsey gewgaws that ar
1t constantly being trafficked in? And We
II there are quantities of people ready t
rs barter everything to the love of dres
ID and the initial crime of thousand
g. may be traced TO this source My dea
Brother Lott, if the crimes and foIble
of each Individual making up the grea
8 sum total of humanity could be care
D. fully charged up and posted in til
Is ledger of life, the number credited to in
K toxicatiDg liquors would in my iudQ
g ment fall far short of the mass of thos
d for which the people at large could b
Of held liable. The same principle tina
I, applies prohibition TO the sale and US
8 of intoxicating liquors, can by the sam
10 rule Of logic be made apply to the sal
70 and use of tobacco, tee, coffee and
10 thousand extravagant luxur1es tina
abound on every hand; but as these Ar
. the folbles of the msjoritv:theY are al
% lowed to pass by unheeded, and so will
L 1t bs until the people becoming cog
u INFANT of the great injustice being don,
by the many at the expense Of the few
shall arise IN their might, kick the IN
: even beams Of Justice and restore til,
scales to their rightfuI balance.
VERITAs.
o PERSONAL MENTION.
= Mr. NJ. s. Eldred of Gainesville, Ill.
;. is guest of ] s. Kenyon
q G. $. Gilman is reported quite sicE