The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-25
LICENSE LAWS,

truth and practical common-sense III the
lecture Of Father Weichman at ST. Josephs
Catholic Church, on Thursday night, and it is
not too much to say that its sentiments
looked very sensible beside the declarations,
reported in the same issue, as the expressions
OF opinion from one of the leading and most
honored Protestant organizations devoted TO
Temperance reform. The report Of the pro-
ceedings Of the Wofnan's Christian Temper
ance Union, said that 'the efforts of Commits
sioners Murphy and Morrison to enforce the
Sunday and liquor laws were earnestly COM
mended The efforts of either the
State or city to bring about high license were
unchristian." The synthesis Of these
two expressions is hard to discover.
The liquor law which Commissioners Murphy
and Morrison are endeavoring to enforce, and
for which they are commended, is a license
lava low license lava law framed and
passed at the dictation Of the saloon keepers
themselves. If license laws are unjust, un-
wise and unchristian," we cannot understand
how the efforts to enforce such law can meet
with approval. 1t is certainly not we'll to en-
force an unjust, unwise and unchristian"
law. That was the indictment brought
by the old Abolitionists against the fugitive
slave act, but they did not couple with
their denunciation of the law any compliments
to United States marshals and to United States
courts for their efforts to enforce it, But
this by the way. We desire to call attention
to, and add emphasis if possible, to the words
of Father Weichman, remarking in passing,
that there is no influence at present more
practical and forceful in the development Of
public sentiment against the evils of the liquor
traffic and in the spread of true temperance
principles among individuals than the various
societies under the immediate care and pat
ronage Of the Catholic Church. Father WEIGH
man alluded to the stereotyped cry of ''person-
al liberty" which is interposed whenever any
saloons in the interest of public morality and
order, and he well said that while "we cannot
claim we have right to interfere with per-
sonal liberty, we do claim that personal
liberty has no right to outrage the sense of
decency in community" There is nothing
more specious than this cry of personal lib
erty;" and, at the same time, there is nothing
more UNANIMOUSLY slanderous than the attempt
on the part of law-breaking, law-defying
the great mass of our German fellow-citizens
under this false and impudent excuse. The
saloon-k keepers who break the laws are not
Germans at all; the men who persistently and
willfully violate the liquor and Sunday laws
are not Germans-not representative Ger
mans-who, as a rule, are the thriftiest, most
conservative law-abiding people in the
country. Sim Coy, and Sam Dinnin,
and the fellows who are at the
head and front of the lawless saloon
element of the city, are not only not Ger
mans, but no class of people more heartily de-
spise such brawlers, or can be more relied upon
to indorse proper enforcement of the law
against them, than the German American
citizens. So there can be no excuse for a
proper and reasonable enforcement Of the
liquor and Sunday laws because of fear of
offending the liberty-loving Germans, whose
motto of freedom and right has been feloni-
ously stolen by the saloon interest, which, as
Father Weichman said, violated all the laws
| that had been made to control it, 1t violated
the IL o'clock law; it sold to minors. TO drunk
ards, and paid no attention in anv of the cities
| or towns to the Sunday restriction. y
There is no restriction or safeguard that the
| law.has thrown around the traffic that these
men do not violate"
| But what shall be and can be done3 That is
a question that is in the domain of the practical
rs well as the theoretical. We have not prohi-
bition; we cannot have prohibition. 1t is
| folly to talk about it in Indiana for the pres
emf, and until a very large additional amount
of public sentiment has been created. In the
meantime, what shall be done' Shall all
license laws be denounced as .'unwise, unjust
and unchristian, and reign of absolutely free
whisky introduced As the Journal has so
often said, there is no demand made upon any
one to abjure or abate a jot or title Of opinion
or labor on behalf of prohibition, or any other
form of treatment of the liquor question, when
we ask all friends of law and order and of pub
lie morality to unite in favor of a
high-licensc law. That is the only thing,
and, therefore, by necessity, the best thing,