New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-01
BLAIR ON PROHIBITION.
FAMILIAR ARGUMENTS REsTATED.

B. s senator fro n Ncw-Hampshire. with Portraits
and illustrations Svo.. PIP KILL ooo ooe'~"'
William H. smyths Company
The evils caused by drink are so manfold ana con
snacuous and make go hdeOus showing whch
Apcussed In one view, that scarcely any onc "ho
undertak TO examine them can rail- 10 experience
strong desire that they might bc cleared roni 'ho
path OF humanity by some heroic ana summary e"ol~
FOR is singular that OF those who LOOK ihto TINS SUP
Sxt a considerable number should feel that anything
~ share ~ compromise with the drink evil Is
y.,e ing with the plainest duty in making league
With death and covenant with hell" The sentiment
which pres the advocates OF Prohibition is there
fore es ng Of respect and not To be treated ghy
or seemingly. 1t is in its essence phlianthropc' ear
nest ST, gle minded and distinctly ia the line of prog
ress and the facts such as to constitute In the
hands OF capable plcaders tremendous indlc'neh'
,caint drink Senator Blair of New Hampshire, has
bcsn moved by public spirit and conscientious dosife
for tie relief and elevation of his fellows 10 compile
4 book bringing together strong array OF the arsu
meats theories and statistics employed at present III
10 many forms and with such activity In furtherance
Of the cause of Prohibition The Senator has argued
te case I'm his way, reinforcing his statements
with abundant extracts from other writers, ana bring
Ing much native vgor TO bear upon the subject HIS
book is In fact an arsenal of Prohibition weapons
which must prove of considerable value TO the ao-
berents OF that cause aud he has added interest TO
nv inserting number OF portraits of notable people
connected with the temperance movement.
There are indeed some points in his bref which
seem OF questionable service. The dispute ABOUT inc
physiological action Of alcohol for example, Is Ger
tainv not in so advanced state that Is possioe ior
any one deal with 1t as res adjndicata I'D isc. ho
freouent declaration of the Prohbitionsts tha alco
hol IS never food, but always poison, APT 10 DO
more harm than good nasmuch is very likely to
strike the average mind as Wild and extravaSah' eA
sggeration OF course, It would not be so Insisted
on did no the advocates Of total abstinence fall to
consider that however dcplorable and mschievous
the effects Of alcoholic excess are inc
fact remains that great many more
people use alcoholic drinks without abusing them
than exceed We're 1t rot so dUhkenness wnuld haVo
been on the Increase continually AMI wa all Know
that bad az the situation is 1t is very much better
than y years ago, and that 1t Is steadily improving
In most countries. Senator Blair makes place In his
argument for his illiteracy bill, In rather curious
way for II is odd that since he pc ceives so clearly
the bearing of education upon temperance he should
not have the bearing Of education upon prohi
btion. 1t il at this point that he and all who hold
the same positions oso their way and wander on Into
inconse qucnccs. The Senator advocates Nall0na
Prohibition. lie would amend the Federal Consutu
tion and he thinks that there is some tasnanc virtue
I'm a constitutional amendment which would give
efficiency tn laws not founded upon public conviction
1t Is not altogether encouraging to ma menoeT Vi
tho Unitod states Senate putting forward suoh Views
concerning legislation The Prohibition remedy has no"
been tested such various conditions that pos
sble to draw some trustworthy conclusions from inc
results The experience of Maine, cola'ed with
that Of Kansas, fully tus,lncs the belief that Pro
hibltlon cannot be applied successfully In cities
and towns and can " made effective where the popu
iatlon is mainly agricultural Those are facts not
spcculatons or conjceture and they ought to be &C
ceuted. But they Nad TO still broader in1erehces.
Tho reason why laws fail when they do fail is that
they have not The indispensable support OF public
al prnhi is
because the majority of urban populations do not want
and will not have IT, The fact may be one to be re-
GREETED bur the awmakep Is maDifcstly unfit for his
Office who refuses TO take II into account
ProhbltIoniss arc fond Of saying that the failure
of prohibtoIy laws is reason for repeating
them than the failure OF laws against theft and muir
der is for abandoning the attempt TO enforce them
II is strange that those who this argument do not
perceive where II carries them AS q matter of fact
the law against murder docs not 1nfrcquently fall Tor
precisely the same that prohbitory laws fail
In parts of the South the law against muir
der is practically dead letter. because controlling
element believes in private vengeance and uphoids
the practice OF II. Not long ago t!erc were several
plarcs the Rio Grande whore the law against theit
was equally Ineffective There a controlling element
consisted Of horse and cattle thieves, brgands and
de- yeradocs and The sheriff and his deputies or the
ciy marshal and his aids took their lives In their
hand, whe thsy attempted arrest q criminal. The
curious refusal of the PrOhbitionss to perceive that
total abstinence cannot be enforced by law anywhere
un, public opinion has been educated TO the renuIci-
alton of alcoholic drink, has unqucsonably hurt tho
cause of temperance Ii has caused its advocates TO
be accused OF unreasOnng fanatcism and blind big
oiTy, and by Gordlng ground for the charge of i'm
praci liability IL has not only repealed many clear
sighted men who heartily abhor the drink evil but 1t
has put formidable weapon into the hands of I GO
whose interest II IS to oppose whatever inimes r
threatens the liquor traffic.
Popular education has, however been proceeding
steadily and the significance of the results tobtaned
from many experiments IN temperance legislation is
clear that public opinion is evidently bocon-
ing crystaiizod about definite and rational remedy.
That Prohibition IL not the right specific both reason
snd experience sufficiently indicate. The American
people been reared IN the conviction that the
consent of the governed is essential to the stability
and effectiveness Of government, to turn their
backs NO thai eminently sound doctrine now. Nor
they blind TO the lesson Of tho modern spirit, that
spirit which, represented alike In tho science and
the philosophy Of the century, teaches the evolution
sry principle II is seen to-day that all advance all
gain in knowledge all radiance Of abuses, all progress
IN civilization. must be the work Of time and gradual
ehange and education. The striking spread of tenn
perance doctrine the marked improvement In social
habits. which have taken place since the beginning
Of the century, have owed little to legislation;
y everything education. Conviction does not come
BY compusi0n, but by persuasion. Society has been
lifted out of the old ruts IN the matter OF drinking,
not by forbddng drunkenness, but by 50 elevating
the general plane Of thought that drunkenness became
distsstefuI and shameful Men, moreover, and es- |
pecially Americans, viii not tolerate coercion Once |
convince them that drinking Is wrong and hurtful, |
and they Will abandon It, but tel them that they
must abandon II whether they believe 1t to be wrong
not and they stralghtway set themselves against
The law, and bring It to naught as they have done |
long since in the cities of Maine
Senator Blair and hts friends wasting their |
energies in championiDg prohibition, which in
many populous portions OF the country is i'm
practicable; and they are rctardng the progress of
temperance by opposing hghlicense which is practi
cable Books like this may, perhaps. do some good IN
directing attention TO the gravity OF the problem; but
their usefulness is than cOunteractcd by wrestling
tn facts they bring together. I'm support OF positions