Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-08-22
Phases of the Liquor Problem.
Albany Weekly Times.

The New York Evening Post has very
sensible article relative to "Phases c u the
Liquor Problem" from which we quote
literally in another column. In addition
the Post says:
"Opon one policy all good people can
agree, and that is the organizing of the
public sentiment against drunkards. Too
much energy has been wasted In abusing
the man who sells that on which a man
may get drunk, while there has been too
much indulgence for the man who gets
drunk. The strongest agency in pre-
venting men from becoming drankards
during the last generation has not been
the enactment of laws to debar them
from buying drink, but the growing real
ization that they cannot afford to become
drupk-that it now means for the minis
ter the forfeiture of his pulpit, for the
lawyer the loss of his clients, for the
physician the dwindIing of his practice,
for the congressman the risk of his seat
in the capitol, for the business man the
shaking of public confidence, for the la
boring man the danger of losing his
job A striking result of this develop
ment of sentiment was seen in the metro
polls on the occasion of the recent CEN
hundreds of saloons which were open, the
absence of the intoxication among the
multitu6es on the streets was SO marked
as to attract universal attention and
comment, especially from those most
familiar with the scenes of drunkenness
on gala occasions, like the Fourth of
July, in Portland and Bangor, Me. The
chief aim of all good citizens in this mat
ter should be to make drunkenness con-
stantly more and more odious, and thus
less and less common; and this
must always and everywhere be the work
OF education and training in far greater
measures than that of the law"
The enforcement of high licened and
local option no doubt tend TO reduce the
emptation in the way of those who are
inclined to drink. To that extent We be
lieve both are desirable, as additions to the
statute law. They unquestionably, wher-
ever tried, have exerted great influence
| toward the public good, but it yet re-
mains fact that the actual practice OF
temperance depends on the personal will
Each man may make law or prohibit
| ton to himself, whatever the state may
enact. He need not wait till constitu-
tional amendment is adopted, nor nee
! he wait until there is high license law
OF a Ve0der beverage tax law, or even a
| local option law. The man with will
enough can eradicate the liquor evil if he
desires to do so, so far as he is concerned
| That there is strong tendency to do So
is shown by the decline of the liquor
habit in nearly ell communities. 1t il
probably not so observable in cities OF
| large s; z where the drinking population
is transient, but in nearly every village OF
! this state there is a notable decrease il
the drinking population. In one village
| that might be named, where forty years
ago the young men mace habit of go
ing with great noise of singing and shout
ing from one miserable little shanty of q
drinking saloon to another, there is nov
complete sbstention, not by law, but By
the force of better education, and better
habits. The cause of this is education
and education by tie standard which oul
esteemed contemporary sets. If the
liquor agitation were left entirely out OF
| legislation, temperance would come any
| how, and we do not see that it can be
accelerated by such agitation as tia
which recent legislatures have lndulgeG
/ in