Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-07-02
Time Will Nindicate.

Of so much evil as has been the Local
Option Act of The last Assembly.
Time Will Nindicate.
The STANDARD acknowledges very
pleasant call from Mrs. Abigail
Scott Dnniway, senior editor Of the
.Ner .NoriI~,a, and the first champ
ION of impartial suffrage on the Pa
cliic Coast. She came in compliance
with II request made by some of the
the leaders in the movement which
resulted III woman Acknowledgement
TWO years ago. They honestly be-
loved that in the agitation resulting
from the local option contest, the
cause of suffrage, dependant alone
as it is upon the will of the Legisla-
ture, might be placed in jeopardy by
the incorporate jeai Of some women
who care little for the boon except
it can be used to advance the interest
of creed or sect. Mrs. Duniways'
many years of sacrifice and devotion
to the cause of equality, as we'll as
her pronounced temperance views,
seemed to indicate her as the one
person whose motives would be least
likely to be assailed, in an object
which must of necessity arouse an
antagonism with class of people
who, however, tolerant they may be
on other subjects, are exceedingly
uncharitable, not to say vindictive,
whenever any movement that re-
ceives the sanction of the church is
opposed in any manner or spirit what
ever. Il was not expected that she
would escape the censure of those
who regard the ballot merely as q
means of prescribing moral reform
on sectional basis, nor was it hoped
that they would discover in the argu-
ments presented by her reasonable
incentive to the self-imposed task
but the result shows that her admon'
itions fell like seed upon good
ground and bore abundant fruit, &C
far, at least, as it removes the posi-
sibility that the vote be made effec
tive for the repeal of the suffrage
law.
The figures shows that quite al
many women voted against as fol
prohibition, and if the measure wal
to be defeated, it is best that it should
be with this showing. Impartial suf
frage is only an experiment, this far
and it cannot afford to have arrayed
against it the mighty power, moi
alone of the liquor traffic but a large
proportion of the people who be-
lieve in other methods of dealing
with the great evil.
The organized temperance effort
here and elsewhere, seemed to ig
uore the fact that prohibition under
local option, was at best an untried
tired experiment; that tho law YVES
believed by many of our conscien'
tious citizens to be SO defective thai
it would result in free whisky iustead
of prohibition, or that this doub1
was SO apparent that, if the ballo1
was favorable, the vitality of the law
could only be affirmed by slow, ted.
ious. annoying and costly litigation.
There was temperate element in the
community, whose efforts to checl
tho evil incident to the liquor traffic
in times past, entitle them to a res
pectful hearing at least, who coulG
see much evil that might follow
speedily upon the heels of intemper
ate action. Many of these were oul
heaviest taxpayers, who would. o.
course, be compelled to pay large
proportion Of the cost of many mis-
take that might be made; still tn,
question was narrowed down to the
simplest proposition. Are you fo1
or against whisky?" and a negativ.
reply to the query invariably
brought down upon the intrepid in
dividual the frowns of canonical in
tolerance. Is it surprising that, un
. der these circumstances, many
should be induced to believe that thu
issue, as made up, was a choice O
evils ?
, The founders of our Government
very wisely guarded against uniol
of creed with those principles which
guaranteed freedom to the people
The constitution was grounded 81
deeply that everybody is left free t.
worship God according to the die
tates of concience, and it is buI
natural that the efforts of an organ
ization distinctively sectarian to con
troll political question, no matte
what may be its moral aspects
should be regarded with alarm
This feeling Of distrust does not or
iginate with the vender of intoxicat
ing liquors, nor the slaves of the
habit, but from men and women O
sobriety, who are able to give an in
telligent reason for the acts imposed
by public duty.
The time will come when Mrs