The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1888-03-15
Personal Liberty Work,

| De debil knows who belongS't to him.
| And he'll take care oh his own.''
Personal Liberty Work,
| To THE EDITOR OF THE Journal; Has it
ever been the case that laws have been enacted
which did not more or less curtail the personal
| liberty Of the individual for the good of the
community: For the purpose of projecting
property we nave laws hy which the thief may
be punished. Men may wish to steal. but the
safety OF the people requires that they be pre-
vented from 80 doing. some person may take
tile life of hi, fellow. bat he can not do it an1
escape the penalty when proved guilty of the
crime. Public safety demands that each and
every wrong act shall have it, proper punish
ment hen il became necessary for the state
| of Maine 10 prohibit the most arcur>ca traffic
that ever di>iiyurcl the face of civilization.
law wcr. passed looking toward that eud.
Aud yet. men who believe that the individual
must ever yield something ior the sake of the
common good. are WHINING about the loss of
their liberties.
The opponents of prohibition would nufy
our prohbi,ory laws for what: Their rea-
sons are a> numerous, and Just about a> Scnsi-
Bile. rs mems reasons for drinking. one man
drinks because he's cold another because it's
so warm. Dnc drinks because he ha, no trou-
Bile; another hcca,s" his trouble j. more than
he can bear. one man objects to the prohbi-
tory law because i is nf,rced. while his
ncishbor objects to it hc-all>c il is MT "Hforc
"d. some men believe it wrong because it de-
nic- to them the privilege of drinking and SELL
ing the potent poison at AL tim,> and under all
circumstances. This latter elias, claim that he
principle of prohibition is wrong. | can mag
ine some Iimbcrtongucd enemy Of prohibition
holding forth to congregation Of cNpcctant
hearers, whose breath smells Of poor whi>kcv.
in some such words rs the>c; II want a drink
hut | cannot step out and buy it openly be-
cause the law is in ny way. Therefore, the
law denies me the right to exercise my personal
liberty: hence. it must be repealed that | may
sell when wish drink when wi>h and that
| may get drunk nj my plcaSrrc.'
These advocates of so-r;lrd personal liberty
pretend to favor license laws. This might nave
been swallowed by the people of the Antc,letl
Wan World, had il been prc>'N to them III a
sutar-coatrd form. but ii can not hc na't' 10
enter the people of Maine at this late day. A.
a STATE. We have been drinking thr wholesome
waters of prohibition too long to quietly ar
cept the braeki~h liquid of License. Prohibit |
ton is 4 good doctor; H'"}ts" is u YH"rF |
Were license possible. which it is not how
much better IN would those poor " hiurr, he:
Is personal liberty to br had under !irrl>e
law: NJ, friend, You know it j MOI. Personal |
liberty can come only "iM f.r." r~At. License |
furnishes place where men can drink. where !
they can give way to their ha>or natures and
indulge in appvtitr- which are low enough to |
bring a bIu>l oy ,halne to the htitc creation.
License openly sanctions saloon next to Your
ncghbor'S hou,r when YOU would not havr
one next your own. More than this: it furn-
ishes place where YOUR children will he con-
>tantly subjected to Il temptations. which, if
yielded to. will cause the ruin of their lives and |
bring sorrows on yourself.
am Il believer in temperance r,lu'nton and |
moral >ua>ion. | also believe thai nothing else
can be 50 detrimental to what wish to teach, |
as to have the individual constantly under an |
influence. the whole effect of which i to turn |
that person directly opposite to the way We
wish him 10 20. W hat then. ask, I, the pros ,
pcct for ttlcetisc temperance education if every
man in the city. and every other man in the |
country towns j. to hc licensed 10 deal out |
deadly poisson and t".">rrt haurfil influence |
Secure Your ''pcr>onal liberty" hy means of |
license law. and yGu take away your nc-hhor', |
rght-the right to Hive III tenn rcr;;uc' state
which he has helped to develop.
| have said that license j impossible. The |
people of Maine will not allow the present law |
TO he repeated; but the enemies of temperance |
may exert an influence which will lead TO free |
rum in some localities. 10 not say they Will |
be successful III their efforts to nullify the law
but it is possible for them 10 ,lo 50 in localities.
Ia "nehtorred prohhUoyy 1o,r n,con> free
rum. " hl do not these fellows sail under |
their true color> and take to Themselves the |
name of Free Ham HufFy2 lt>eem> that such |
Il name would he better adapted to their wants
than the one which they now carry. The man !
who believes that the temperance people Of
this state will give up what they have gained |
by prohibition verge> upon insanity or imhcci- |
ity.
over twenty thousand Good Iemplar> in this
fully determined to ,lo what they can to save
1.-THE pure and the yirtuou> from ever falling |
into the hands of the tempter." If any man
imagine that this company of temperance |
workers are going to sit down. calmly fold |
their hands and allow therwork to he trampcd |
under foot by a few wh>kcy tainted individuals,
| have to say that such person sooner or later |
will awake to the realization of his mistake. |
We may not roll in money stolen from starving |
wives and children. but we work for right. and |
our motto in the future. a> in the past will he |
total alabstincnce and prohibition. Organization |
opposed to prohibition, will be met and detcaf-
ri by organization in favor of temperance
1t should be every mans purpose to do what |
he can to secure the ''greatest good of the |
greatest number" No intelligent person be- |
lieves to-day that it is better for mankind to |
debase themselves by yielding to strange |
and acquired appetite" than it is to walk sober
ly with a clear conscience and pure breath. |
This being the ease, why >houdany man desire
to subject his neighbor to a temptation which |
he may not be able to resist:
My dear sir, we have Il prohibitory law and |
we intend to keepit. You might wish change, |
but the good of humanity demands that the |
manufacture and sale of all intoNratin" bever-
ages shall be prohibited. and they m"Stbe.
An appeal to the better Judgment of our
temperance foes, would doubtless be like good |
seed Sown upon dry G.! soil. yet | submit for
their consideration, whether they could not be |
more useful in the world if they worked ut
something besides intempcronce.
+. G.. Dow.
Monroe, Me.
Public Printer Benedict exhibited remark
able degree of ignorance in regard to the inter- |
nal economy of his own office when examined
before the Congressional Committee on Print |
inp