The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1886-10-30

owe their existence to a few lines on "A
statute book; no. nor are they to be ell
trely and permanently uprooted by
simply enacting few opposite lines on IA
statute book. The liquor traffic is the
creature OF the drinking usages of so
clety. To fight dram shops without any
moral efforts 70 keep people from drink
ing intoxicantS would be as ridiculous
folly as it would be to organize police
forces and build iails without ever teach
ing human being that it is a crime to
steal 1t may be that some temperance
workers are committing most serious
error in giving such excessive promi-
nence to the civil and political aspect of
the reform. We must endeavor to reach
the consciences of people aud reform the
customs of society, ere the reform will
be permanent. Prevention of drinking
| is vastly safer, stronger aud Surer than
prohibition of selling.
But we claim that the civil law is a
powerful auxiliary. 1t is a mighty edW
eating Influence. Who can doubt but
that many people are restrained from
stealing and from wreaking vengeance
upon their enemies by the prohibitory
laws now in force against those acts? So,
too. prohibltory laws against hquor sell
ing lead many to refrain from ludulgiup
| i'll the business, and lead many to see
that there must be something wrong
about the drinking of that which is con
demned by law. And 80, while prohibit
| ton does not aim to force morality upon
| the people, yet by operating upon their
| conScIenceS it does conduce very materi
ally to thai end.
,. Another objection that is made to
Prohibition is that ii is an intringemem
upOn enc Of tie Wdlien0bte rights Of man
tile right Of liberty. But what legiti-
mate liberty would 1t deprive us of? 1t
is au old say ing that ''none are so blind
| as those who will not See." 1t is equally
| true that none are So hOpleSsly enslaved
as those who falsely believe they are free.
! There are worse prisons than those con-
structed of brick and stone and iron bars
The worst bondage is our own Seltishness.
1t is the consciousness OF being right
the truth. that makes meu free. The
man behind the bars sober is ireer than
he who stands in front OF them intoxi-
Gated.
But, while we do not acknowledging,
not for moment-that prohibition alb
ridges any legitimate liberty of man,
still it will suffice for our present purpose
to Simply say that this objection is
laIion-not only against prohibition. but
also against license. For the Cecil De,n0-
crdt was right when it said in its editor
ial last week that license" is mot lib
erty." The license system and prohibi
ton do not differ in kind or in the end
sought. but only in degree. Both are
founded on the same reason, aud both
seek to abate and lessen the same evil
| They are hence kindred systems in their
| nature and design. ProHibnton declares
| that there shall be no manufacture or sale
| OF lntox l3atlng liquors, except under Cir.
cumstances and tor purposes which 1t
| carefully defines. Every HrenSe system
declares that there shall be no sale OF
| these liquors, except under conditions
and with liabilities and restrictions which
it also defines. Both single out the IL
| quor business IN distinction from other
business, and lay their hand upon it, not
| for the purpose of encouragement. but
for that OF restraint Restraint is the
one object of both, and that too, because
the business is traught with such tremen.
dous evils to human society. 1T Prohibi
I ton takes away liberty, SO does license
| Be not deceived by a word. License is not
| HbertY, even our opponents being Judges.
3. Again the objection is often raised
that PrOhibitioa dOes MT prohibH. Practl.
tically, ii means free rum. Now, il this
objection be true, then the objection which
we have Just been considering is multi
fled: for, If Prohibition means free rum,
1t does not abridge any mans liberties.
and all those who are in favor of the
| largest liberty should be in favor of it.
| Moreover, the liquor men should work
heartily i'll its favor, if it does not prohi-
he . H.,
bring all their power to bear against it.
Rhode Island was the last state to adopt
constitutional prohibition. having adopt
ed it the eth OF last April. The measure
was most strenuously opposed by the IL
quor league. 1t has oeen stated by one
thoroughly trustworthy that IA Wholesale
brewer in "a neighboring state sent
| his check for $40, 600 on the morning OF
the election to defeat Prohibition. Now,
if prohibition does not prohibit. why did
that brewer oppose it with so much
money?
| | have already shown the folly of rea-
soning from tle word ''liceuse;' there is
the same folly in reasoning from the word
'Prohbition." The fact that all liquor
selling is not suppressed in a state or
| county which has a prohibitory law no
| more proves that Prohibition does not
prohibit than the fact that there are illit-
| crate children of school age proves that
our educational system does not educate
No law wholly prevents murder burglary
or arson. During the last five Years in
our county there have been it is true. a
| great many violations of the prohibitory
law against liquor selling We acknowl
edge that. And you say: Then repeal
it. 1t does not prohibit. Establish the
| license system" Well, that doesn't pro-
hibit, surely; nobody ever claimed that
it did. But, during the same five years
there have been great many violations
of the prohibitory laws against larceny,
burglary, and even murder. Now, to be
consistent, you should advocate the repeal
| of these prohibitory laws, too; for they do
not prohibit. IL is not expected that any
law will wholly stop the sale of liquor.
1t is both a moral aid a legal question.
What we claim is that the prohibitcry
sy stem more etfectually protects society
against this great evil than any other Ii
| quor policy. Grant that there are parts
OF Maine and other prohbitory states
where liquors are sold almost or quite
| openly, and that there is also considerable
clandestine liqnor traffic: make a liberal
| allowance Tor these things; after all, it is,
| nevertheless, true that there is not "A 1.-THE
| of the liquor sold i'll those prohibitory
states as compared with the amount sold
| in license states. The United States in
Jernal revenue statistics show the govern
ment tax on liquors in Maine to be cents
| aud mills: i'll Vermont, 4 cents and 2
| mills; IN Kansas cents and mills
| while III Massachusetts it is 81. 16 per
| capita. The rate of crime. too, III states
where liquor saloons are allowed by law
| is 100 per cent. i'll excess of the ratio in
! those states where they are prohibited
The prohlbitory areas of Georgia, Tenn.
Alabama, Arkansas, &c, tell the same
story, when compared with the license
areas of those or other states The SUI
perioI efficiency of prohibition is clearly
demonstrated by copious facts in detail in
IA little book entitled "Prohib!tion Does
Prohibit" by MIR. $. n Stearus, cores
ponding secretary of the National Tenn
perance Society, and by masses of testi-
mony OF the most reliable character
But, in the face of such facts, it is
claimed that in Cecil county more liquor
has been sold under Prohibition than for
merly. That, however, is bare state
meut, which has not yet been proven, al
though this is the eleventh hour of the
campaign. We may, therefore, safely
conclude that 1t cannot be proved. |
challenge any man in the county to prove
it. In many parts of the county there is
most marked Improvement And even
i'll the larger towns there is some i'm
provement. So tuat on the whole, the
pr sent prohibitory law is great i'm
provement over the old license system