Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-07-16
0t)e Canfaster 1ntelli9euter.
LANCAsTKR. JULY ls, 1886.
Prohibition In Politics.

The State Liquor League, in session at
Pittsburg, acted wisely in declining to go
into politics, in refraining from making,
endorsing or antagonizing party nomina-
tions, and in declaring for temperance and
uniform license laws. There is no occasion
for the liquor men to do more than lay
down their principles and to resolve to
stand by them and support men who do.
They are entitled to the just protection of
the law and no more they are liable for
infractions of it and they make nothing by
encouraging or protecting those who break
the law and abuse its privileges. Intern
porance is an offense against decency anda
disgrace the encouragement or promotion
of it is deservedly unpopular.
Between intemperance and total absti-
nence there is middle ground, which the
vast majority of men and women see fit to
take for the regulation of their private
conduct and between absolute prohibition
and free liquor there is middle ground
which it has been the policy of the law in
this commonwealth to take. 1t is true
there are widespread abuses of the present
law. In many communities the number of
licensed places is far in excess of the needs
Of public accommodation and in many
others the regulations of the law are shame
lessly trampled upon and deiied; in other
parts of the state there is absolute prohibi-
ton by the action of the courts in refusing
all licenses, and the judges are sustained in
their position by the popular majority; in
other places, such as Media, Delaware
county, for instance, the home of Republi-
can State Chairman Cooper, there is prohi-
bition by the charter law of the town :;
in Pittsburg the license rates are higher
than in other parts of the state in Phila-
delphia there is in one sense free license, as
all applications conforming to the rules are
granted by the county commissioners, sub
ject to revocation for cause by the courts.
The demand for greater uniformity of
the license laws seems to be a reasonable
one the grading of the fees according to
the amount of sales or the population of
the places in which business is done, and
the establishment of these fees at such a
figure as will restrict the business to re.
sponsible persons, are regulations that men
of character, fit TO be entrusted with IL
cenSed business, will not find fault with.
Nor is the enforcement of existing laws
any just ground for complaint among the
liquor men. A wise decree has forbidden
the sale of liquor on Sunday, to minors or
to drunken persons. No movement for the
evasion or repeal of these regulations will
find popular favor; and the liquor men
wisely abstain from asking this.
The number of licenses TO be granted,
like the building of bridges and the laying
out of roads, and many other matters of
domestic concern, coming close home to
the people of every community, has been
given to the discretion of the judges. They
are responsible to their people. They
ought to be in position to know the rights
and wrongs of the traffic and the voters
have chance every ten years to pass upon
them, and their policy. 1t is needless to
say that temperance people have nowhere
fairly tested the efficacy of existing laws nor
exhausted their rights under them to regu-
late the traffic it is matter for reasonable
doubt with ir-minded men whether
severer laws could be enforced where
these have failed of operation.
The manufacture and sale of liquor and
beer have developed under the laws of this
state into business of many millions
yielding some ten million dollars annual
public revenue. The Prohibition move
A@ent proposes to utterly destroy these val
a NJ surrender these revenues. Fol
- -. reason alone it cannot pass and ought
not pass irrespective vi the principles
OF moral r1ilNioy and good craftsmanship in.
volved in prohibition. Even if a majority
of the people of the state favored prohibi-
tion, that alone would not justify it ma.
j0rities are to rule only subject to the rights
Of minorities. This is recognized in all the
operations of the law. The temperance
people have all to lose by insisting on pro
hibition the liquor men have all to gair
by conceding thejustice of regulation.
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