Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-08-27
dtE Gallfaster 1,ltrlliqeuter.
LANcAsrsR. Z AUGUST ~. 1856
The Prohibition Car.

The Prohibition c0nv entiOn has put up L
q state ticket of good material and has re-
solved some very wise and otherwise |
things, in language that has the contour, |
perfume and exact appearance of the Ian
gnage used in the resolves of the Prohibi-
tion conventions since their creation. 1t /
has the flavor of the ministerial declara-
ti0n !; due to the fact that Prohibitionist ora |
tors generally are preachers, and preachers |
are often, il not generally, Prohibitionists. |
The declarations would have been more
forceful if they had been clothed in fresher
phrase; though their lack in this regard is
fully made up by the freshness of the odor
clinging about their ticket; especially
about Wolfe at the head and about the
colored man at the tail. The latter odor
will be found especially strong by the Re-
publican political leaders. who have been
wont to promise 80 much to the Republi-
can brethren whom they permit to travel
in their escort, and to give them 50 little.
We may safely assume that the nomina-
ti0n Of this colored candidate for congress-
man-at-large secures TO him, and gener-
ally to the ticket on which he
stands, the colored votes of the state
and thesssuccess of the Republican ticket is
endangered by this nomination alone.
The nomination of Mr.. Wolfe likewise
will be of chief damage to the Republican
party, not only because he is Republican,
but because he will obtain many recruits
for his ticket and they will mainly come ,as
our experience tells us, from the Republi-
can ranks. Mr.. Wolfe is a supurb leader
in a forlorn hope such as that which con-
fessedly is that of the prohibition idea in
Pennsylvania. He is fluent and active and
fond of fight. He is honest and enthusias-
tic, with that ardent desire for notoriety
which affects men of his tempera-
ment and leads them to do and dare
all for no other reward than the
applause of their fellows. 1t is the heroic
temperament doubtless. And Mr.. Wolfe
will let all the highways and by-ways of
the state know that the Prohibition car is
moving, and what it contains; and he will
have the welcome and the hearing that
goes out to all men earnestly championing
cause they claim to be right.
Mr.. Wolfe doubtless believes in prohibi-
tion, since he is reputed TO be an honest
man, and so being he could not advocate
what he believed to be false doctrine. But
that does not save his doctrine from
being false, which the great majority
of people believe it to be. The
Prohibition idea is good one to boom
and bloom just now, when the party issues
are not very striking, but it has no bottom
and will have no staying qualities for a
long race. Its advocates are of those who
would tie people up, hand and foot, with
laws, that they may always be of good and
sober department neglecting TO remember
that the Lord made their hearts desperately
wicked and inclined them to get drunk !;
and that the Lord put liquor in their way !;
and that they are flying in the face of the
Lord in trying to put it out.
The sound view is that legislation over
steps its function and power when it seeks
to protect men of sound mind against
themselves. Its duty is to protect them
from each other. If men are weak and
drink intOxicants to intoxication, legisla-
tion may punish their consequent acts of
violence, but cannot prohibit 10 all men
the use of what in many cases is needful
medicine, and generally is harmless
stimulant.
In the general disgust at the abuse of
liquor and at the failure of legislation
to put its sale under the proper re.
straints which it should bear, the advo.
Gates of total prohibition will greatly grow
in numbers. They never will prevail
altogether but their energy and earnest.
ness will be productive of good results in
securing judicious limitation of the liquor
traffic.