Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-11-05
Dr.. Chambers on Prohibition.

In the September number of the Homi-
letic Rerielc there is an article from the
pen Of DR.. L. w. Chambers on "Ought
Prohibition to Be Political Question:
To thoroughgoing temperance man it is
rotten from beginning to end. He has ex-
pressed his views in nine paragraphs, to
which you will suffer brief reply.
| l. 1t will interfere with the moderate
| drinker who drinks glass Of wine and no
more every day at dinner. So we intend it.
| The moderate drinkers make the drunk
| ards. Prohibition would not only save
much, but remove from our land the dread
full curse of intemperance with all it's hell
destroying consequences.
| 2. He would adhere to scriptural princi-
Piles and standards. Gives very
evasive argument from the Bible as
to the use of intoxicating liquors.
1t is too late in the day to
bring the Bible to support saloons as to the
use Of intoxicants. Besides, the Doctor
must have deceptive spectacles when he
reads the scriptures on this subject. Prov.
xiii. 1892. Heb. ii. 5, etc.
3. Prohibition does not prohibit. This
has been met SO often, so fairly, and SO
fully, that it is wonderful that anyone will
dare to use it. True, it does not prohibit
as we desire and believe it will, but can
give thousand places, if required, where
know it does prohibit. So it is too late
in the day to bolster up the saloon man and
the drunkard with any such fallacy.
4. Because the law cannot be enforced
the whole army Of the United States could
not enforce such a law in the city Of New
York"
That is the worst city in the nation, but
let the Doctor come TO Kansas and Iowa
and see how the law is being enforced
where there are as wicked men as any in
the city of New York, and he might change
his opinion.
S. Then the result of dragging the sub
ject into politics. This same old argument
that was used years ago by the pro- slavery
element in the nation. But why dread
dragging it into politics, when it is there
already, and has been for years.
| 6. If liquor is prohibited, men will take
| to opium. ut will be the fruit of the still
for the juice of the poppy" What an ar.
gument. 1t amounts just to this-please
do not prohibit one sin, the greatest in the
nation, for If you do men will rush into
another.
Z. Then his argument for a carefully
drawn license law" Every one knows who
has looked at this subject that license
| itSHllS lloGuAuE5, WueGueC IL w ulbu VI AoW'
1t has been tried for half a century. You
cannot regulate an irregularity, and if it is
unusually wrong to sell intoxicants to be
used as beverage, no law under HEAVIER
can make it right. Strange that doctor
OF divinity, how much his eyes may be
| blamed, cannot see it.
8. Then his argument on "fanaticism.
I would rather be a fanatic to save my fell
low man from drunkard's grave, and So
ciety from the curse of intemperaiice,
than apologists for the saloons and drunk
enness.
8. "The professional advocates of tenn
perance have sometimes INDUCED in III
intemperance of speech which was as Grim.
inal as the vice they proposed to extirpate.
What an assertion! When, where, how
Put all the Incorporate speeches togethe
since the time Of the Declaration of indie
pendence, and they have not done in tn
whole time what drinking does every year
sends 10000 immortals to q drunkard
grave and drunkards heu-makes widow