The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-08-09
miIlsboro Gnzetto structures.


In the last issue of the NEws.ITERALD
a short article appeared in reference to
the merits of the prohibitory ordinance
and its workings. The purpose OF the
article was to meet the objections Of
honest people, who seemingly grow i'm
patient of the slow working of this re.
formatory law. It will be freely con-
ceded that the duty OF the press is to
speak boldly for the right and fearlessly
denouncc the wrong. In fact the press
will prove derelict to its highest mission
II it fails to admonish, encourage and
aid in the support of every just measure,
whether of moral social or legal ma
ture. The reasons mentioned in the last
issue of the News HERALD for the repeal
Of the prohibitory ordinance have been
frequently offered by different persons
and repeatedly offered by the Hillsboro
Gazette. The object of the article was
to try to answer those reasons, in fair
way rs between the individual citizen
and society. The old axiom was kept
in mind, that ga part is never greater
than the whole" That an individual
or few individuals, united together by
common interests, were not to be con.
served in those interests, TO the injury
of the many that the cost of enforcing
any measure, reformatory in its effects,
should not be offered in argument as
against the virtue OF the measure itself.
That honesty is the best policy,
therefore follow honesty If it does cost
little money, or in other words, il you
do not make quite as much money in
that direction; and also see that your
neighbor keeps step to the same music.
These reasons certainly are sound as
regards any measure, law or enterprise
(prohibitory ordinance included). The
| object of the article was not to defend
the Council In not repeating the prohib-
itory ordinance, nor was 1t to give in
struction to the Council as to what was
its duty. The Council was neither ad-
dressed nor referred to in the whole OF
the article. The article should have
been addressed to the critic OF the Ga
sette, ii he or she were known quantity.
Yet it would have been abortive, for
| the critic is not instructed. Bat it did
have this effect, the old ship, the Ga
.ette, has left its former moorings and
appears at new dock, with a strange
cable. 1t will certainly be amusing if
not instructive to notice some OF the
reasoning OF the Gazette critic. The
brief manner in which the violation of
different laws as regards crime in not
being similar, as the Gazette scribe has
it, is not referred to in this article. But
listen to this assertion, "1n the probibi.
ton ordinance the saloon keepers are
allowed to continue business" Well,
this is news to many. II the ordinance
did anything for Hillsboro it left it with
out saloon in its corporate limits. As
to the keepers of such places the COM
munity has nothing to do with them,
only to punish them as law breakers.
And further, the business interests and
moral standing of this place would have
been as good to-day if the saloon keep
ers in Hillsboro had been buried on the
first day OF January, 1888.
There is also another assertion made
in reference to these places, in the re.
ply, which appears in the Gazette, and
that is, that the police power is removed
by the ordinance, 80 that they run free
and unmolested. Now the fact is that
the police have more power to arrest any
one running "wide open," whether as a
| prohibition drug store," or any other
kind of store where intoxicants are sold,
than formerly; and more damaging
fact is that it is sold under lie as tenn
perance drink, one which does not in
toxicate. Now, if it is the purpose Of
the review in the Gazette, to deal fairly
as between the vendor of intoxicants
sold in violation of the ordinance, and
the community he is trying to benefit
by this information, showing how this
traffic is carried on, il he speak by the
card, surely he must see it his duty to
uphold the dignity of the law and bring
the lawbreakers to justice.
1t has already been said that in the
article of last weeks News. HERALD, we
did not refer to the Council, either to
defend, inform or instruct it. But we
now say to the Council, taking the state
ments contained in last weeks Hillsboro
Gazette to be true, that the Council will
not be doing its duty as a body, to whom
is intrusted the maintenance and enforce
ment of all the municipal laws, unless it
makes an honest effort to suppress this
open violation OF the ordinance lately
enacted. The Gazette must have the
proofs.
There was an anology drawn in the
article in the Gazette of August Sd, in re-
ference to the law against murder, pro-
viding the assassin with a pop. We
have to express dullness in oul
thinking apparatus in seeing the point
(but it may be well taken for all that.
1t is not the purpose of this article to
join hands with the article of the Gazette