The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-09-30
HELPING TEMPERANCE.

HELPING TEMPERANCE.
The liquor dealers of Illinois held
political convention on Wednesday
which they had as much right to d.
as he anti-saloon Republicans had t
hold a political convention the othe
day. The rum sellers have legal, i
not a moral right to employ Lawful
means to protect their business from
the assaults of temperance people
selves into a political party, can nomi
nate and vote for their candidates foI
Office; if they have the numbers they
can elect the members of the Legisla-
! ture, and enact such laws as they
please, not inconsistent with the State
constitution, in the il terest of liquor
drinking. The saloon keeper enjoys
all the political rights possessed By
the most unrelenting prohlbitonist.
But don't the Illinois liquor men make
a mistake in the course they are taking
They demand the repeal of the dram
law and agree to support only such
candidates for office as will declare
themselves to be in favor of personal
liberty, which in this case must
mean freedom to carry on the
rum traffic without legal restriction.
The dram law referred to is the high
license act, which grants the license to
SILL whisky by the dram according TO
the population of the place where it is
sold, higher license being necessary III
a city than in town. TIE saloon men
would abolish that law, and declaring
that liquor selling is a legitimate bust
ness have it conducted as mercantile or
other business is conducted, without the
usual restrictions placed upon he traf-
fc. In this the saloon keepers will
make mistake, for while whisky sell
ing may be legitimate in @ commercial
sense, it is not such business as society
can permit to go unreStrained. The oc-
casional ipplers who form the larger
element in most of our American com
munities, as well as the strictly temper
ate class, will ever firmly oppose free
saloons, and will never assent. to tht
putting of whisky selling on the same
plane before the law as the sell
ing of dry goods. groceries, hard
ware, etc. In urging that this
should be done and declaring their pur-
pose to work for it politically, the whisky
mea Simply increase the oppos ton by
arraying against them the formidabl
class of voters who are neither tie total
ers nor Prohibitionists. In most of the
States, cities and towns of the country
the rum traffic is recognized as an evi
which cannot be abolished; Prohibit
ton, if attempted at all, is only success
full in small communities where the
public sentiment against intempersnce
is Overwhelmingly in the majority.
While recognizing the liquor business
as something that cannot be suppressed,
society everywhere in this country de-
Clares against allowing 1t to be con-
Quoted without restrictions, and from
50 h oversight and control as will re-
duce the evil resulting from the traffic
to the minimum, and the imposition OF
such tax as will compel the business
to bear the expense of the burden
which it imposes upon the ,ommun
ity. The dealers, if ey were wise.
would recognize this disposition or de-
cree on the part of society, and not
attempt to o. ercome 'or change it, fo1
every effort in that direction will but
strengthen the opposition to themselves
and cause the liquor interest to be
fought by every respectable and reputa.
BILE element in society.
Temperance people of Illinois will
not be sorry that the whisky dealers of
that State have taken the action that
they did in the convention. an account
OF which appears in this issue of The
HsRALO. The temperance cause will
gain friends and be advanced bythe
declared intention of the saloon keepers
to remove the restrictions on a business
winch is trowned upon everywhere.
Gents Suits Made to Order