Mexico weekly ledger., 1886-11-11
PROHIBITION.
A Review OF Rev. DIR. SnYder's Article.
To the Editor of the Globe Democrat.


To the Editor of tine Globe Democrat
MEXICO. Mo, November2, 1885,
DR.. Snyder occupies two columns of
last Sundays Globe Democrat in stat
ing his reasons for opposing prohibit
ton. 1t appears to me, after care
full reading of that article, that if his
opposition, is not going to exhibit
more strength than his reasons
for Prohibitionists have little to
fear from the able Doctor. His
pronounced temperance views and
his mild advocacy of total abstinence
do him credit, as far as they go, but
they do not at all distinguish him in
the present state of the temperance
question. A recent Convention of
brewers and distillers met to unite
their efforts in sustaining their busl-
ness against the growing temperance
sentiment, passed resolutions which
are in perfect harmony with DR.. Sny-
der's sentiments. They "Resolved,
That we most earnestly favor temper
ance, and appeal to every member of
the trade to make proof of this dec
laration by his daily life and daily
conduct of business" To this they
added the declaration of their hostili-
ty to all violation of law, and that
they were in favor of public and pri-
vate morality, of good order and of
popular education. I do not wish to
be understood as putting DR.. Snyder
in class with these men; but l do
venture the statement that any law
framed in accordance with his senti-
ments would be entirely acceptable
| to these brewers and distillers.
I could not enlighten DR.. Snyder
Or the readers of the Glo5e-Democrat
by describing the acknowledged and
universal evil effects of the liquor
traffic. Nor will argue the question
of the possibility of the suppression
of the traffic. The fimsiest plea
ever made against prohibition is that
it can not be enforced. Ii half the
men who make this objection would
lend their help the whole result would
be assured. Nor is this the time to
discuss the right of the State to en-
act and enforce prohibitcry law :;
that time. if it ever existed,ls passed.
The only question now is one of ex-
pediency.
DR.. Snyder's assumption that law
prohibiting the manufacture and sale
of poison is of kind with the obso-
lete laws debating the kind of clothes
a man should wear, or the number OF
window glass he should have in his
house, is wholly gratuitous and un-
founded. That some of the earlier
methods of temperance work have
been abandoned is true. The men
who invented and urged them are the
ones who abandoned them; the saloon
keeper is the only one who regrets
their abandonment. They were
thoroughly and conscientiously tried
Moral suasion was we'll nigh power.
less against appetite, greed and cor.
ruption. While consecrated mer
and women were lifting poor drunk
ard from the gutter, hundred
licensed saloons were enticing anG
entrapping a thousand more. Mora
suasion is a humane, commendable
effort. It ought not to be abandoned
and my observation is that the Prohi
bltionists, including the noble orde1
of the W. G. L. u, are doing ter
times as much in this line as all othe
organizations. And even the intro
duction of the study of the effects o
alcohol into our public schools is du'
to the organization which advocat'
prohibition. 1t was this pressure 70
, legal interferen ce that forced through
t an unwilling Legislature in front of
, saloon endowed lobby this feature 0
) our school law; and under the sam
circumstances the Downing big
license law was enacted as an unwi
ling concession. The argument tia
since moderate restriction laws ar
not enforced extreme laws wool
prove sn entire failure loses it's fore
III tue face of facts as applied to thi
: question. Between sticking pins i
8 q rattlesiake aud striking him on
: fatal blow even DR.. Snyder would nc
Idehate. It is not the point whethe
q the patient who scarcely endures
2 small dose would willingly take
q larger. IF the saloon is the patier
he is not consulted as to the size {
the dose There are medicines whic
u in small doses only aggravate tt
J disease. We insist on full dose, {
Q that we abandon remedies so calie'
We have practiced the pin exercise
II long while meanwhile the snake hs
!. increased in size, added to his venol
B. and multiplied his victims.
What has it to do with this COZ
troversy that ''the church, punishe
heretics? Would the good Doctt
It have us draw from this astoundin
E. conclusion that the state is not ALLOW
ed to condemn and punish wronl
it doers? This thing of making an
S. selling whisky, thereby running Oh
Il youth and corrupting morals and e1
is failing fearful costs, is not one
those religious questions" whit
.14 IT, ,,,t ~