The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1886-04-28
Answer to Democrat.


You announce as your text, "Prohibi-
tion Impracticable." l looked eagerly
for your reasons, but, alas, found meme In
all your cyclone of poetry, quotations and
platitudes or glittering generalities, none
even pointed TO the question in hand, and
90 there was no answer needed; but see-
ing YOU, like multitudes of both the old
parties, are utterly ignorant of the princi-
pies of prohibition, hence your waste of
ammunition, let me set you right on some
of them. The whole drift of your article
is for selfpreservation, regardless of the
suffering of others, symptom of depravi-
ty that reminds me of a passenger on
Captain Reeds steamer coming down the
lake, who fell overheard The cool, great
hearted captain at once threw over
bunch of shingles and other buoyant arti-
cles, and the drowning man clutched the
shingles and held % them until a rope
was thrown him, and he was saved. As
soon as he could speak he said: Gap
tain Reed, those were my shingles you
threw overheard, and | expect you to pay
forthcm.' Captain Reed, in relating the
incident, said he hadneyer until then been
believer in the doctrine Of total deprav-
ity, but was now ready 10 subscribe to it
in It's bluest formg Prohibitionists pro
pose to dispense with the bar on the
steamboat and thus prevent the man from
falling overheard
You intimate tha. nothing can be en-.
forced perfectly; would you, then, repeal
all criminal laws for none of them are
enforced perfectly Cart seems to be
about the stock in trade of those who op.
pose prohibition. A little more than a
core Of years ago Large number OF men
claiming the same name as you subscribe
said, 'you can't coerce the Southern
States;" but nevertheless il was done.
They said that slavery was State institu.
tion: constitutional and of divine origin,
and could not be abolished, but il came to
pass just the same. They said the war
was failure and could not be prosecuted
TO successful termination, but no rebel
lious people were ever so terribly punish
ed and then treated so generously and aft
erwards became so loyal 10 their country.
They said specie resumption could never
he obtained, but 10, in few months il
was an accomplished fact, and they were
growing about carrying about 80 much
gold and silver.
All, my friend, II is too late in the
worlds history to say anything can't be
done, and these same Democrats have
been finding fault so long that 1t has be
came chronic and now that they have got
a Democrat President they lay awake
nights TO hate him, and there is no telling
how soon our Democrat postmaster may
ne assassinated by men calling themselvel
Democrats and claiming to own the Dem
ocrat party. If you would drop you
Plato, as being too deep Tor men Of you
mental calibre, and study the Bible more
you would not make so many blunders IL
regard to its teachings. You say: "Forc,
may make liars and hypocrites." My oh
servation leads me to think that force 4
not needed to make liars and hypocrite
or drunkards especially Of old politicians
II you would quit prostituting the say
ings Of that great and good man Socrates
in your efforts to make excuse for your
self and party for your selfish opposition
to prohibition, and read the platform y
our party, you would find that we never
in the more than sixteen years of our par
ty life, proposed by resolution to dictat
what man should eat or drink, whethe
Il be whiskey or any other poison, no
can you find us ever asking for the pas
sage Of a sumptuary law. The wort
sumptuary sounds well, and the part,
leaders, who know what the word means
know that the average Democrat don't
and so keep II in their platform. Their
never was a sumptuary law passed or ask
ed for In your day or mine, / venture b
say. Early in the history of England
when they were very weak as a natior
extremely poor and defending themselve
so bravely against the barbarlsm and ty,
amy Of surrounding nations, they passe
law TO restrict those who Jared sumpt,
ously, for economy's sake, forbidding an
thing but actual needs in what they al
or drank, as well as what they wore. N
body was exempt and all this was for Il
purpose Of replenishing the excheque
This was a sumptuary law. You say
"Force cannot make man believe VIII
he does not believe" Some eminel
mental philosophers have said, and 1t