Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-01-20
THE RUN POWER.
Moral suasion and Prohibition as Allies
in the War Against the Liquor
Traffic.
From the Toledo Blade, !

embraces two distinct plans, neither of
which can be accomplished with even toler-
able success without the accomplishment
Of the other. They are working in the same
direction on parallel lines; but, by that
strange faulty which seems to possess so
many workers in this field, they are fire.
quently considered as hostile to each
other. They are allies, and should be SO
considered.
The first of these aims is the Develop
ment OF sentiment of total abstinence on
the part OF the individual. Francis Murphy
is noble worker i'll this field. side by side
with the Sons of Temperance, the Good
Ienlplars, and other organizations which
seek to save men from the grasp Of the
drink demon, and to prevent the young
from falling into Incorporate ways. by
pledging them to total abstinence, and BY
building up moral sentiment which shall
act rs bulwark against the encroachments
of rum.
The second aim is to crush the saloon.
and With 1t the maker and seller of rum. by
the prohibition Of its manufacture and sale.
Stated briefly, tie object OF the first is to
induce men to keep from poisoning them
selves; of the second, to deprive the rum
power OF the opportunity OF making and
vending the poison.
The rum power and it's upholders are all
anxious that the first method shall receive
all attention from the rapidly growing
temperance sentiment. They applaud. in
general terms, the work OF Francis Muir
ply and his compeers, and look with COM
placency upon the organization of blue
ribbon clubs. On the other hand, they
brand the friends of prohibition as fanatics
and cranks, and cxclaim against them as
invaders of personal liberty This
phrase. personal liberty" as used by
them, when translated into plain English,
means the liberty of a man to poison him
self with rum, to render himself unfit to
hold any position of responsibility, to ruin
his health, beggar himself, AID reduce his
wife and family to perjury and want. They
uphold the moral suasion" plan of tenn
perance work, that they may create divi-
sion among the forces of those opposed to
rum; and they understand our fallen
human nature we'll enough to know that
the day is yet far distant when all men will
be SO far swayed by the dictates of reason
and of self control, and be SO far superior
to their own base appcttes and passions,
that they will voluntarily forego the use of
one Or more of the varieties Of spirituous.
vlnous, or malt liquors. which, for the sake
of brevity, are grouped by writer's under the
one term, Rum"
Each Of these two plans of temperance
work has wide field. entirely distinct from
that of the other. They nre not rivals, not
enemies, although the rum power and it's
allies would be glad to have them SO con-
sldered. Ii every man would become Il
total abstainer, the first plan would be
effective III crushing the rum power; for if
no man desired rum, it's manufacture and
sale would be Improbable, and therefore
stop. But this Will not occur this side
of the millennium. II must not, how
ever, be then assumed that this plan
of work is ineffective, and hence to be
abandoned. Every man who is saved from
drink becomes the friend Of temperance,
and a help in saving others; an the CON
slant growth of a vast class of citizens who
are inimical to rum is proof of the utility OF
this line of work 1t was the earliest tenn
perance force i'll the field against the run
power; and with their eyes open to the evils
of the traffic. and the power of the tempta-
ton constantly placed before mankind. il
was the more advanced thinkers of this class
There had to be Temperance men before
there we're Prohibitionists.
But the fact that the rum power, through
that agency Of hell, the saloon, has
spread everywhere the net of temptation
for the ignorant and unwary. has given
untold force to the argument for prohibi-
ton. There is money in the rum traffic;
hence its manufacture extended Itself
until there were too many distilleries, too
many breweries, to supply the demand.
The next thing was to increase that de-
mand, by breeding in Il greater number
of men that internal thirst, the result of a
burned out stomach, an alcoholized brain,
and system loaded with the Rum poison.
,o
this thirst. 1t is the nearest approximation
that living man ever experienced to the I'M
quenchable fires of he'll. The drunlard
deprived for time of the stimulus of Rum.
feels a fierce desire that is as terrible as the
pangs of lost soul in pertition. He
Graves Rum. All other thoughts are swal-
| lowed up III mad desire to again satrrate
himself with the vile stuff that is DESTROY
ing his hysical system and driving his soul
to tlamnation. He will have it. though it
takes the last penny from his pocket; he
will pawn his own clothing, his wi!e's
dress, his baby's shoes, in order to obtain
TIE means to buy Rum. He will drink it,
too, though he knows full we'll that such
chai S which bind him; he will drink it,
even though he knows that he shuts for
ever the gaes of Hope behind him. and by
| that act dooms himself to The certainty of
| eternal woe.
| The saloon is but an institution to drag
men under the dominion of this awful
thirst, a means where by this fierce and I'M
natural appetite snail be created within
them. This once established, all the money
they can earn, borrow. beg, and steal Will
flow into the Golfers of the rum power. as
surely as the waters of the river will reach
the sea. Temp alton TO drink is placed
everywhere in the pathway OF men. in order
that those who, dead to all noble in>tnc $.
grasp with eager haaGs at the blood Stain d
gold of the drunkard, may lie secure in Il
continuance of their accused gains.
Here is the field for prohibition-to rem
der it impossible that the next generation
may become the victims of the drink habit.
Moral suasion may save all it can. Pro-
hibition will save the others in spite of
themselves. They occupy distinct fields,
and each has its allotted task to do in the
mighty work. Moral suasi on can not reach
all; prohibition can. The first reaches out
to save those in dancer of falling into
temptation; thu S, cond steps in to stop
the devils work of those wi.o place temp
tation IN the way OF humanity. Moral
suasion deals with the dr.nker; prohibition
stops the dealer. Moral suasiou is only
effective with those whose moral natures