The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-08-03


To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal
AS there is no question now occupying so
much of the time and eliciting so much of
the thought of the American people as the
growing evils of drunkenness and how
best to cure or prevent them, l am sure you
will allow little space in your paper for
candid statement of the differ
ence between the Murphy methods
aud the methods of those who be-
ieve in and labor for prohibit
ton, taking Mr.. Murphy's carefully
worded statement in the Journal of Aug. 2.
representing his views. First, let me say
that much is common ground. There is no
dispute as to the evils of drunkenness, and
Mr.. Murphy will find no Christian who
will dissent from his strong statements as
to the sufficiency of divine grace to sustain
and keep the reformed man who implicitly
trusts in it, and obeys the divine
commands. Nor will he ever find a
Chistian who is unwilling to initiate
the Savior in his tenderness toward the
sinful woman or the miserable demOniac.
and it smacks largely of an unkind spirit
to call those Pharisees who ask for legal
protection against those who lie in wait to
destroy not only those who have fed for
refuge to the eternal rock, but to inveigle
childhood into their gilded dens of death.
The Murphys have had too much cordial
cooperation of Christian ministers OF every
faith and order in their praisew0rthy work
to induce men to quit their cups. and
become Christians in heart and life, to be
ignorant of their views on this subject.
fields to induce less than one in q thousand
of the drurkards of any city to take the
pledge of total abstinence. and these pas
tors remain to nurture as best they may
the few babes in Christ" whom they have
the Ss to nnhn nr saloon and as 'hs ssmpas
as ever, and they labor to have it sup
pressed, it comes with poor grace from the
Murphys to call those men Pharisees. and
piOusly say, There is no soul in legislative
enactments to save men," Perhaps if the
Murphys were to settle down to the hum
drum duties of pastor, to look after these
lambs, and find them one by one straying
into the protected saloon, they, too, might
of the law. not to convert men,
but to remove, as far as possible,
the temptation to sin, as we invoke it, to
suppress obscene literature, the gambling
table, lottery office, and brazen prostltu-
tion. ALI these breed swarms of Pharisees,
just as prohibitory laws do, for men ''go
on" reading obscene literature. playing
cards, buying lottery tickets and frequ emit
Ing brOthels lin covert, sneaking and I'M
lawful way, because they cannot go in open
the Murphys to use such an argument
against prohibition. 1t is the twaddle of
the saloon, and they cannot afford to ally
themselves with the saloon. although the
saloon is one of their best friends.
AprOpos to this. were it not so delicate a
matter, score or more names could be
given of those who. only few months ago,
were clothed and in their right mind"
by nearly every pastor in the city,
and at greater pecuniary cost
than all the prohibitory movements in the
city for year, who have gone deeper into
dissipation than ever. blasting the last
hope of fond parents and loving wives
Some of these cases are exceptionally sad
yet every one of them fell through the in
strumentality of the saloon. 1t is not
overstating the truth of history to
say that even during the Murphy
impression was made on. the saloon
business. nor has there been since. No one
rejoices more than the ProhibitiOnist in the
fact that probably forty or fifty. reformed
men yet remain true to their pledge. What
may be their number a few years hence, if
the open saloon remains. may be inferred
from the result of the ribbon movement of
some ten years ago. of which in ever essen
was a duplicate, denouncing prohibit
ton and all: though that out-num-
bered this in the number of its reformed
men. Not dozen of those can now be
found, and everyone of these was long ago
cured of his anti-prOhibitlOnism.
The Prohibitionists hold much in COM
mon with the Murphys They believe in
the gospel of love. They believe in the
power of grace to make new creatures
p ptach OF old eaanssy and as tf thy
Murphys ever did,. but they believe
also in the power of law, and they would
apply it to saloons the same as to brothels
and gambling houses, and to the makers of
counterfeit coin and stheir implements.
While God pronOunces woe against the
man Who puts the bottle to his neighbOr's
lips, they will not pronounce blessing nor
be Indifferent to his sin against God and man.
mended-the boldness with which
they pronounce those preachers Pharasees
who help them in their work. and without
whose cooperation they could not muster
q corpOraPs guard any place. That the
saloon and saloon politicians are quoting
them as authority against prohibition is
painfully true, but prohibition is gaining
strength every day, and our laws will be
consistent some day. for they. will class the
making of drunkards with other crimes to
be forbidden, not licensed.
And now may not propose truce7 We
Prohibitionists will not assail the Murphys
in their special field. but will continue to
help them. 1t is with some of us an old ia
d.
senior Murphy was sweet. sober Irish
boy. the pride of his fond mother, and with
marked success and we have never ceased
| that work, though we have taken on the
work of prohibiting the destroyer of our
hopes. IL we now devote more time and
| thought to this than to that, 1t is
because we have seen how profitless
| all reformations are while the
! saloon is replenishing the ranks of drunk
, enness from our own families as we'll as
from our reformed men. All that we ask in
return is that. unless they think the cause
/! of God requires it. they let us alone. If
they can help us we will be glad, but, II
Pharisees and hypocrites, and to repeat the
thread-bare arguments of the saloon in the
face of we'll authenticated factsi We ask
for truce, but will not shrink from war
! if nothing else will do. One thing is certain,
this thing is no longer to be one-sided.
I. A. GOODWIN.
| INDIANAPOLIS, Aug 2.