Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-07-16

prohibition party, who understand
the situation, intend tn lead their
honest and simple followers to 'n
everlasting Waterloo-to amuse them
by wild goose chase, and so pre-
vent them from doing efficient tenn
perance work in their own town and
state.
Is there an honest temperance man
| in Vermont who wishes prohi-
bition to receive so crushing a defeat
as would inevitably result from the
submission of national amendment?
But if such an amendment were a
fixed fact, it would still be inopera-
tive and void, because no United
States Court would have any juris-
diction in the case.
Article 3 of the constitution de-
fines the powers of the federal courts,
and no jurisdiction is given over the
inhabitants of any state or over cas-
es arising between a state and its
own citizens. The new legislative
and executive powers necessary, the
extensive changes in the constitution
and the reconstruction of the courts
required, would make it almost equiv
alent to breaking up the government
and forming a new one-a task to
which no one but a sore-headed poll
tician, bent upon revenge, hopeless
of success and reckless of results,
would be willing to have his party
committed.
But if all these impossibilities could
be accomplished, even then the prac-
tical wording of national prohibition
would defeat the end sought for.
1t requires United States officer
to execute a United States law, and
a nonresident officer could not en-
force a prohibitory liquor law. If a
United States officer is to be station
ed in every town and ward in the
United States, the condition would
be much like that complained of by
the colonists when King George sent
''swarms of officers among them to
eat up their substance" Their sala-
ries would require an enormous tax.
Would a hireling officer have more
interest in executing a prohibitory
law than the permanent citizen of a
town?
In case a pint of whiskey is seized,
is the officer to take his witnesses and
summon the man complained of to
appear with his witnesses, and go TO
Washington for trial before United
States court, or is a United States
court to be convened at every point
wherever a seizure is made, and who
is to pay the enormous costs, travel
fees and hotel bills in either case?
No municipal or state court can even
examine a case under United States
law to discharge a person known to
be innocent.
If immediate trial is not TO be had
at Washington or by convening a
United States court at home, are the
innocent and the guilty to be kept in
Jail together month after month till
the annual or semi-annual session of |
a United States court convenes ?What |
is to hinder an officer through spite
from purposely keeping an innocent |
man in Jail for months? Or is there |
to be the costly farce of rival munich !
pal courts n every town? A munic-
ipal United States court What an
absurdity.
The United States courts are too |
costly and too cumbersome for munic-
ipal jurisdiction, ,and to confer it upon
them would be to invest them with
the same arbitrary and tyranical pow
er which was wrested from the grasp
of George III.
A national prohibitory law then
would defeat itself by being practi-
cally impossible of execution
If the prohibition party could sue
ceed, and if St. John or Miner were
president and every member of both
houses of congress and of the cabinet
was a third party prohibitionist, still
a national prohibitory law could not
be constitutionally enacted, and all
the success that party asks for would
be a dismal failure. That party
can not carry a single state, nor do
its leaders expect OF intend to. If
selfish and designing men can keep
honest and sincere prohibitionists
voting for impossible vagares the
cause of temperance is not advanced,
and if there was any danger of its
being advanced those very men would
be first in boiling the prohibition par
ty. Prohibition must be fought out
step by step and state by state by
personal effort, and by educating
public opinion up to the point of sus-
tanning prohibition laws. 1t can not
be done by voting for fanciful nation
al theories. Prohibitions ia Boston
Journal for October, 1887.
1t is not best to always believe everything that
person tells you, but when you hear that the best
blood purifier is Sulphur Bitters, you can believe
it, for they cured me of Of blood pos.
oning.-Hev, A. Farohild, New York City.
The study of great subjects, the
of grand thoughts makes
the man himself grand. Let the
mind constantly dwell on those
themes which have inspired the noble
minds of all aUas which have oivan I