The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-26
THE SUNDAY JOURNAL.
THE WHISKY INTEREST.

THE WHISKY INTEREST.
1t was quite significant to read, the other
day, that the manufacturers and dealers in
whisky had called national meeting for the
purpose of considering the interests of their
trade, the circular saying that these gentle
men had "fnally concluded that the prejudice
against their business could not be longer ig-
nored." There is an unsophisticated flavor
about this latter clause that makes it quite
refreshing during the heat of these expiring
summer days. For very long time
the Journal, among a great many other
newspapers of the country, has been
saying to these representatives of the
liquor traffic, that they have been sowing
tho wind and must, sooner or later, reap the
whirlwind. They have Systematically and
defantly ignored all laws passed for the regu-
lation of their traffic; they have made mer-
chandise out of the seeming apathy of public
sentiment, and of the indifference to the
impracticable theories of good but unwise men,
who assumed to take special and exclusive
charge of temperance legislation. They have
secuted and defed all attempts to
curb their lawlessness, and to
check the constantly growing evils
resulting from their illegal acts. And now,
fOrsooth, they say the prejudice" against
their business cannot be longer ignored. The
prejudice" they have finally discovered is a
thing for which they are themselves almost
entirely responsible, and when they come
together to consult, if they are honest and
sagacious men, they will realize the folly and
shOrt-sightedness of their past conduct.
Because so few people, comparatively can
be brought to believe in the practicability
Of what is known as general prohibitory
legislation, the liquor power may have
felt itself comparatively safe in its course
But it was delusion. The best thought and
wisdom of the country have been steadily di-
rected to the devising of methods by which the
evils of intemperance and of the public traffic
in intoxicants can be repressed. The result
is that there is now, and has been for some
time, concentration of sentiment and opin-
lon in all quarters that will result in practical
bic and efficient legislation to effectually curb
the arrogant and law-defying liquor
power. That such a result will obtain,
and that at no distant day, is apparent
to anyone who reads the signs of the times:
DIR. Howard Crosby's fight in New York;
the recent national anti-saloon conferences
the various measures of restriction adopted in
several of the States, North and South, and,
last but not least, the extraordinary interest
and enthusiasm with which the late Repub-
Gcan State convention received the platform
declaration of opposition to the domination of
the Liquor League and favoring laws that
would give the amplest local control Of the
traffic, with taxation that should compensate
FOR the burdens it imposes, and relieve the OPP
property and the great bulk of taxpayers are
staggering, all point in the one direction.
There are various and varied measures of
restriction-such as the Harper high license
law of Illinois, and the Dow law Of Ohio.
Under one of the provisions of the latter
measure more than thirty towns have abso-
lutely excluded the saloons without involving
the whole State in the question, or precipitat-
Ing the entire commonwealth into needless
RHd harmful agitation. Other measures there
are, or that may be devised. The Republican
party of Indiana, in its platform, has declared
In favor of the provision by the Legislature of
the best practical measures of restriction, so
that each locality, acting for itself and avail
ing itself of its most conservative and
law-abiding sentiment, can call to its aid
such one or more of them as they may deem
wise. So far as we can see, this principle of
local control is the one upon which liquor
legislation should be predicated; but, what
ever may be individual opinion, the fact re-
mains that the liquor traffic must obey the
law, whatever 1t may be, and cease forever its
arrogant defiance Of all restraint, and refrain
krOm its offensive attempts to dominate laws