The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1886-05-27
The Prohibition Contest in Rhode Island

Island. After telling how the great result was
secured, your correspondent abandoning his
own views" with amazing generosity employs
much the larger part of his letter in presenting
the views of his opponents. This is done with
such zeal that if it We're not denied in advance
one would strongly suspect him of sympathy
with the enemies of temperance in the Rhode
Island contest. Very likely this taking the
enemies Side is all right, although it occurs to
me as being slight departure from the general
practice. temperance nIrocoi"& usually allow
the liquor dealers to present their own ease.
| But possibly these Rhode Island dealers are an
exceptionally modest lot and need champions
If so, NJ. NJ. X. abandoning his own views"
luckily drops into line in their time of >urcSt
| need
Poor suffering souls, how these rlmlScicr-
are persecutcd What with Maine Laws and
local option, Women. Temperance Unions
and constitutional prohibition, Good Templar-
lodges, etc. don't they have Il time of il? 1t is
too bad. Why don't the bones of Roger
Williams burst their awful ccrcmcntS and stalk
forth to protest against such persecution in the
state adjoining Connecticut?
| In their innocent lnl>clt,h career these deal
ers in liquor manage to get about 5000 100000
out of The nation annually; but no matter.
They bring 'lcSolation to thousands upon thorl,-
ands of families and homes; they cause an
amount of dcsttution and Pauperi>m that
makes public taxation Il heavy burden; but
they must DE allowed to 90 ON. If we say any
thing. or make uncomfortable laws against
them, they will organize ''priNatr clubs against
Us, (not entirely Il new thing and out Of sheer
| spite tthcy don't care much, these ruusclcr>.
for the money they gcU cnticc more Young
men into their tolls than if allowed to run open
bars and open saloons under the sanction of
law. We'll, tIi, is 4 bad liN indeed. If we arr,
i'll Il country of rattlc>nakrs we must NOT Kill
the snakes or drive them Off, but take our
children right around among them legally.
| Perhaps we might license them to bite lis dis
crcctIy according to law. Isn't it better 50
than to make great no>, over it and fgttMt
S"ahrS.' This ''abandoned" logic that would
give legal sanction or license to a great wrong
for fear Of offending the wrong-dorr, is is
| weak and coWarIly a. it is tnpoilir and uu-
wise. The fraternity Of gamblers. for instance.
must have legal recognition. or they viii have
"priFate" gambling den> and thll, do Greater
| harm. DO not these abandoned ''NipW>" seem
Very abandoned indeed:
But ii is said that towns cannot afford to lose
the revenue that comes from the license system.
| Louisiana and some other states say the same
of lottery enterprises. Germany tolcratr> all
| kinds Of gambling for the rcycnuc ii brings to
the state. Why not, Them adopt This German
|
| Gambling, bad is it is. is not rhIrgcahr with Il
tithc of the evil that crows out of the Liquor
traffic. In fact, much Of the gambling, if not
| most of it, results from intrInpcruncc. And
much Of intempcrancr may come from gambling
Both thc~r sins are intimately associated to-
grthcr, and need perhaps much the same treat
mrnt; that wi hat +, good law for one, Is
| quite sure to he good law for the other. But
| we prohibit gamIlin. and liquor selling be-
cause it is not right or h,>t TO add To- the public
revenue hy selling indul-cn,i,~ in ANY kinds of
Vice.
Is it necessary to State again and again the
financial argument; Tile Of Belfast alone,
no longer ago than last wear, had Il @50,o00
fire from ~ cent, worth of RUIN. The fires
and hurgarie., the, ofaration~ and deficiencies
the ya@aboudagc and idlcnc,~, the criminal
| prosecutions. th,. iail. fine uri.on and moor
house expenses, Tho, Whole yilp system of ,oi
OPS boar,liu4 houses So much of All th,.~r a.,
is clAretabn Indirectly and directly tu th,. u>,..
of >tron. drinks if il could b,. I,r,t utn lnl,r.
and cents. would aggregate I'M amount absolute
Ivappaling. What Is there in offset TO all thi>y
The money for license that ROT, tn tL,. .>tntc.
and the profits that 20 into the dealers porkrt~
But noncy considerations. oyrr>h,lmiu,s a.
they are against The trlllic. de, uot y,Iyb murb
in tlie balance when compared with the moral
ruin caused hy mtcmpcraIrr. What sum of
money shall offset the hopcr~, sorrow of the
| vic and children of ,lluuk,n father? How
much property shall ronurn,arc a father and
mJthrr for rlriin Of ihrjr>un>: What amount
in dollars and cent, shall be-, I;tii >uri,ty for it,
pHulrri>n altj crime amd the decentralization of
its citizenship: Thc,,, mr:,>urcl,.>~ evils r,,n,r
more largely from the. traffic in ,trop.s drink
than in any other. trrhap- all other c.,l>,,>.
| Then let those 2J0u men engaged lin thr
! traffic in thu. civ of Providence. al0uc" L..l,
| their present trade and make an effort, though
NJ this I,r ,l.n- t ,e,.t nm L,n,>t Ii, iu,r \uI