Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-12-06
1T MAKES MEN 4YPoCRITEs
Col. Insersoll Discusses the Liquor
Question and Prohibition.

Gus shades Of Judgment held by honest tenn
perance men, who dc not support the extreme
notions of snti-liQuor fanatics, the matured
opinion OF such a man as Col. Robert e.
IngersOll is of great interest. lie has viewed
the liquor question carefully from all stand
points, and to World reporter thus Analysed
the perplexing problem. Col. Ingersoll is a
Temperance man" in the just sense OF the
phrase, but has no sympathy with the blatant
fanatics who are professional prohIbitIonists
lie said:
ut has been decided by many courts in
various states that the traffic In liquor
can be regulated-that 1t Is a police question
IL has been decided BIZ the courts in Iowa
hat its manufacture and sale can be prohb-
tied, and not only so, but that q dlstillery or
a brewery may be declared q nuisance aud
may legally be abated, and these decisions
have been upheld by the supreme court Of the
United States Consequently, IL has been
settled by the highest tribunal that states
have the power either to regulate or TO pro-
hibit the sale OF intoxicating liquors, and not
only SO, but that states have the power to
destroy brewcrlcs and dis,i.leries without
making any compensation TO owners,
so il has always been considered within
the power OF the state to license the selling
Of intoxicating liquors. In other words, this
question is one that the states can decide for
themselves. II is not and should not be, in
my judgment, a federal question. 1t is some.
thing with which the United States has moth
Ing to do 1t belongs to the states; and
where majority OF the people are in favor
Of prohibition aud pass laws TO that effect
there Is nothing in the constitution OF the
United Stases that interrcres with such
action. The remaining question, then, Is not
question of power but question of policy,
aud at the threshold of this question Is an
other: Can prob Ibtorv laws be enforced
There are to-day In kansas-a prohibition
state-more saloons, that is TO say, more
places in which liquor is soil, than there are
In Georgia, n state without prohibition lcgis-
latiOn. There are more In Nebraska, accord.
lug 10 the pOpliatiun-inOre in Iowa, accord.
ing TO the popu ation-than in many Of the
states in which there Is the old license system.
You will find that the United States has
granted more ctnscs 10 wholesale and retail
dealers in these prohibition siatos-accordng
TO the popuation-than In manv Others in
which prohb ton has not been adopted.
These facts lend to show that 10 Is not
enough for the Legislature 70 SAY: BE it
enacted Behind ever, law there must be
an teIigeut and powerful public opinion,
A law, to be enforced, must be the expression
of such powerful aud Intelligent opinion;
Otherwise 1t becomes a dead letter; II il
avoided; judges continue the cases; juries
refuse TO convict, aud witnesses are not par
ticular about telling the truth. Such laws
demoralize the community, or Tut 1t another
way, dcmOtLLZsd communities pass such
laws"
"What 10 YOU think Of tue prohibiiory
movement on general prime plestn
"Ihe troubles that when a few jealous
men intending 10 reform the world eudeavor
to enforce unpopular laws they are compelled
TO resort to detectives, 10 system OF espion-
age. For the purpose OF preventing the sale
of LIQUORS somebody has to watch. Ewes and
ears must become acquainted with keyholes.
Every neighbor suspects every other. A man
with a bottle or drmijohn 10 followed
Those who drink get behind doors, In cellars
and garrets. Hypocrisy becomes substantially
universal. Old-fashioncd lily becomes
impossible. Hundreds OF people becoms sud.
denly afflicted with variety Of diseases, for
the cure of which alcohol in some form Is
supposed TO be indispensable. Malaria he.
comes general md ii is perfectly astonishing
how long Few pieces OF bark VIII last, aud
how often the liquor can be renewed without
absorbing the medical qualities OF the bark.
The State becomes paradise for patent medi-
cihe-the medicine being poor whisky with a
scientific name Physicians become popular
in proportion that liquor OF some kind figures
IN the prescription. Then I'm the towns clubs
are formed, the principal object being to cs-
tabllsb a saloon, and IN many Instances the
drug store becomes fayoritc resort especial
IL on Sundays.
"There is, however. another side 10 this
question. 1t is this; Nothing in this world
, is more important than personal liberty.
p Many people are IN favor OF botting out the
sun to prevent the growth Of weeds. This Is
the mistake OF all prohiOitQry tanaticism ~
''Wuat is true temperance, Col. lngersollP ~
, ''Aien have used stimulents for many thou
sand years and as much is used TO day in var
ious forms as IN any other period Of the
worlds histOry They are used without more
rr mo- pVa bpfn fnr Ia
that the average man Is more intelligent tia
ever before. Intel gsnce has much TO 10
with Temperance. The barbarian rushes 10 the
extreme, for the reason that but little, COM
paratively, depends on his personal habits.
Now, the struggle for life is so sharp compe.
titiOn is so severe that few men can succeed
who carry a useless burden. The business men
of our country are compelled TO lead temperate
lives, otherwise their credit Is gone. Men OF
wealth, men OF Intelligence 10 not wish TO
employ Incorporate physicians. They are
I not willing To trust their health or their lives
with phys clan who is under the Influence
= of liquor. The same is true with business men
In regard to their legal interests. They insist
on having sober attOrnevs-they want the
counsel of a sober man. So In every depart
ment. On the railways II Is absolutely essen
tial that tue engineer that the conductor, the
Z train spatcher and every other employed, in
q whose hands are the lives Of men, should be
! temperate. The consequence is that under
the law of the survival OF the flttest the in
! temperate are slowly but surely going to the
wall-thry are slowly bu, surely being driven
out of empOyments OF trust aud Importance.
| No man, If he knows IT, will employ an In
: temperate coachman, an incorporate butler
+ AS we rise In the scale Of civilization we con.
, tnually demand better and better service.
We are continually insisting upon better hab.
It's, upon higher STANDARD OF integrity, OF
fidelity. These are the causes, in my iudg-
: ment, that are working together in the dircc-
q ton of true temperance"
"Do YOU believe the people can be made to
do without a stimulantp
, "The Ia story OF the world shows that all
men who have advanced one step beyond ut
, ter bsrbarlsm have used some kind Of stimu-
= liant. Man has sought for IL in every direct.
I tlon. Every savage loves 1t. Everything has
) been tried. Opium has been used by MANY
I hundreds of millions. lIasheesh has filled
: countless brains with chaotic dreams, and
everywhere that civilization has gone the
blood of the grape has been used Nothing
, Is ea<er now than to obtain liquor. In one
0 bushel OF corn there are at least five gallons
four can be easily extracted. All starch, all
o sugar, can be changed almost instantly into
: alcohol. Every grain that grows has in 1t the
intoxicating principle, and "a q matter Of
fact, nearly all OF the corn, wheat, sugar a nd
c starch that man cats is changed into alcohol
In his stomach. Whether man can be com.
n i