The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1889-08-30
Friday, Aug. 80, 1889.
"SDeak EasieS."

High License Law. 1nat podsteu Aeshie-
tive law" which was concocted to cheat
credulous temperance men-we don't think
il fooled any women-has served its pur-
pose in helping defeat the Amendment and
is now thrown aside as last years old rub
bish. There are 800 "speak easies' in
Pittsburg, and they are multiplying in
Philadelphia. The officers 10 enforce the
Brooks Law are the men employed BY the
saloon to defeat the Amendment, and for a
generous black mail the speak easies'' are
allowed to carry on their illicit trade un-
molested. This is the history Of high lie
cense every where, and will be repeated in
Baltimore, when the two old political par
ties have established it there TO "bar out
prohibition" That is jus; what the Brooks
Law was concocted for in Pennsylvania by
the saloon and the politicians. The Re-
publican party had majority In the Penn
sylvania legislature and the law was en-
acted in that State. The Demo rat larty
control the Maryland legislature and it
will be established in this State, and with
out serious opposition from either party, but
rather encouragement from both. Both
parties helped the saloon to defeat the
Amendments in Pennsylvania and other
States, and their officers are now permitting
the "speak easies" TO do as they please. A
rational person should never have expected
any other result. People are influenced by
the law Of common sense. If it is right TO
license rich men to sell liquor in good 10
cations it is right 10 license poor men to sell
in such locations as they can secure. If the
law refuses to license the poor men, COM
mon sense says it is partial and unjust. The
men who are denied this right establish the
speak easies," and the officers who are
elected by the saloon influence take fee
and pass one. The public is naturally on
the side of fair play and the under dog, and
it unconsciously, probably, sympathises with
the speak easy" too, and concludes the
whiskey is about tie same for devilment in
both places.
When the law licenses the traffic it is a
declaration by the sovereign people of the
State that the business is right fright fol
John Doe to sell it is right for Richard Roe
10 do the same thing, and the law is unjust
10 Richard when il refuses him the same
privilege. That is the way it strikes the
public mind. Let the law say that the
liquor traffic is a crime and the public will
he on the side of the law. No favoritism is
then shown, and the traffic grows more and
more odious. The public acknowledges it TO
be an evil and the law has pronounced it a
crime.
The following dismal picture is that of
high license everywhere: One of the most
prominent newspaper organs of the Protes-
tant Episcopal Church is The Living Church
Of Chicago. AS is well known, the Episco-
palians are very conservative on the Prohi-
bition question. The great majority of them
favor High License. The Living Church is
not in advance of the sentiment of the de-
nomination, and thinks that 1--WE could not
possible enforce Prohibitory law. But
this journal, in Its issue for Aug. 8, printed
an editorial article fully sustaining all that
the Prohibitionists claim about the failure
of High License and similar compromise
laws. II said, in part:
"There is no more chronic evil that we
know of in Chicago, and none that affects
inJuriously larger number ofpersons, than
the open saloons ON Sunday. In fact, we do
not know of time when they were not open,
or when. any serious attempt was made to
close them, yet the law distinctly commands
that they shall be closed. Why are they
not closed? Politics. No municipal gov.
eminent, Republican or Democrat dares to
close them. 1t is not because the saloon
keepers and their victims outnumber the
voters who are opposed to them; it is be-
cause they hold together and work together,
and constitute most active and dangerous
political machine, which is carable Of
smashing any party which may oppose it
The remedy is for all parties TO unite in
opposing it."
But ''all parties" never unite. This
theoretical remedy has been tried again and
again. Each party is afraid to trust the
other. And each party is on the watch to
take advantage of its antagonist. And the
saloon has its members in the central and
executive committees of both PARTIES in
state and county, and no candidates are
nominated but what are known 10 be in
sympathy with it or can be bulldozed by it.
Under this condition of affairs what can the
people of "both parties" do when their
machinery is managed by the saloon? Then
they must rebel and form a party to enforce
the law. But that will be "thild partyp
and as Murat Halstead of the Cincinnati
GdseH says, "must be fought with FIRE and
birthstone, clubs and pitch forks, meat.axes
and butcher knives" Gentlemen ofthe jury,
who are the temperance men that with one
voice are lamenting "this great evil" the
case is given to you. Call common sense in
and ask Its counsel. Common sense is an
able jurist, and has the reputation of being
honest, something that can't be truthfully
said of all lawyers.