The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-05-13
THE PRIZE ESSAY.

IHE PIXIE ESSAY.
Read by Miss Minnie Hughes at the
Methodist Church last Wednesday
EveninG
Following is the essay on "a Prohibi
tion-Stats and National" for which
the first pnze was voted at the temper
ar,ce meeting last Wednesday evening
In order to make an improvement
on anything it is necessary first te
ascertain wherein the old measure is q
failure, AMI second - to determine
what measure or measures will bes,
overcome taese deficiencies.
In the treatment OF the liquor traffic,
high lcene is the measure almost
universally adopted in the United
States. Nov il is Il strange fact, but
true, nevertheless, that there are few
people VIII, think they can make a
slight Improvement on this system.
Therefore, q it is always best to hear
both sides O matter. however trivial,
We shall trr TO state few of their
views.
The two chef objects of high license
are ~ the lesening of the number of
saloons and (2) and the amount of
money DERIVED from such licenses for
governments purposes. There can
be no doubt that it has succeeded in
both of these The number of saloons
has been materially decreased; but
has drunkenness decreased? What
saloons give way under this law?
They are thclowest and vilest, visited
only by thos, who are almost beyond
recall; thosewhose minds and ener-
gies are so eneebled by long inactivity
that they alilost refuse to act; those
whose usefulness, so far as this life's
work is concerned, is over.
But what bout him who is just
entering the 'oseate morn OF life and
who has not,yet lost all the energy
and manhoodiod has given him. Go
TO the brillian. wealthy saloons which
high license sill never close. There
YOU will find be ma jority of the young
men drunkar@ first led into their life
of sorrow by he attractions which a
wealthy salooi can afford. There il
commenced he downward course
which SO ofieitnds in destruction.
In the Cnitd States in 1856 the to-
tai production of distilled liquors
amounted to aput 15,Oo.0O gallons,
costing the cNsumers 1887 coo 600.
Deducting oneenth of this for the
amount used ii1he arts, allowing that
three-fourths otthe wine, one-half OF
the beer and oIttenth OF the distilled
liquors have doe no harm whatever,
and then taking away the few million
dollars derived bm the liquor licenses.
We have balarse of over $iJ0,OOo, 600
for which no lir equivalent was re-
ceived. Add tithis the cash value of
each life shortetd, each soul stained,
each home bligEed, what was paid out
for the buildinl9f jails, penitentiaries,
insane asylums poor houses, etc; the
money spent byeach state in the ar
rest OF criminalAnd the punishment
of crimes, and Y aggregate is appall-
ing.
When We pul our money into any
branch Of induiry We expect to re-
ceive u profit, al If We do not we dis
continue that b,lness. so the United
States with the huor traffic. II the
outlay is greaterthan the return, the
most mercenaryf her supporters will
say stop such dosing business"
But il should 1t be the aim TO make
the government Fh only-riches often
corrupt and brin about decay. 1t is
only by rndualltmproving and per-
fecting the laws tat the government
can ever endure. The trade of a gov
eminent with th6fe blood Of its sub
jects j. wrong inprinciple, and what
Is wrong in priIple can never be
right in performate, no matter how
much money is p,ialong with it.
Can there he copromise with evil |
Does God simply strict or regulate
sin aud could wehitate any purer.
higher, wiser, law Ian that made BY
the maker of the Inverse? But can
prohibition be estblished? 1t is a
well known fact ~ through the in
fiuence Of the saldns, politics has be-
come SO corrupt, 4 degenerated, that |
nothing can restotpurity so that the
voice OF the peoplesay be heard, ex-
cept the entire oveArow of the liquor
power. As politics. now controlled |
many OF the ighesSpffices are filed |
by men owned and lntrolled by the |
liquor interest. II u hard to uproot |
this evil now. how Hch harder will
il be in fifty years fro now: for the
liquor power shows n4igns Of retreat.
How can il retreat WI such a broad, |
open. free and prolific field where
in TO operate?
II prohibition, evel though 1t be
State and national tooe established, il |
must not be expected lat there will /
be no evasion 81 the ID; that when
We have secured a chat in the con-
stitution OF the United ates there is
nothing else TO do. Inhibition will 1
diminish and not destrt but il will,
at least, place the crimet liquor sell
ing on the penal code. Eth murder.
robbery and other crib, where il
belongs.
The restriction or Inhibition of
the manufacture and sal&f whi>key.
spirits and alcoho! is a Sd and not a
national power" This u the deci>-
ion Of the supreme court &he United
States rendered by IudgRiarian. in
the Kansas case. The a1tion then
IL, should it be madel national
power7"
IL left 10 each State to tide indi-
vidually, prohibition woalkever be-
come established in some Ates, such
a. New York, where the Ditics are
controlled by a few large (es. The
large cities are the strengths Of the
liquor trade; il Is in theskhat the
liquor power Is strongly ienebed
therefore it canno; be exreed tina,
prohibition viii lie earriesG those
stafeS
Among other objections to lite pro-
hihition alone are-tl.l The 1ricf of
Columbia and all OF the TerAries of
the United States could no; kn OBJ
tain prohibitory laws. fa.D teft to
each S,ase Ia decide, the siaf}which
need II the most are apt nevAo OBJ
tain IL t3b II passed in Il state ,
and not IN the adjoining stattthere
J. a graf ,s opportunity for smt liag
IN ares, u presents four rAs OF
boundary to the enemy, ihsEe4 the
Elosg rigid enforcement Of the b IN
sgGh a SITE cc..Li no. he s}-efxt