Omaha daily bee., 1890-04-06

| great q ratio; l refer TO the reports since
| 1910, and few years previous. Probably "A
! part of that increase may be accounted for by
| improved ideas Of caring for the insane, but
! nothing can account for tho increase of fcluns
| but a great multiplication of high crime NV
! point has been, not that the prOhibitory law
| or the trcblCd expenditure forCommon schools
| has wrought this moral ruin, but that both
! have been miscrably powcrcss to arrest or
even check its progress. II is also true am
sorry to say, that the professional leaders ~
the movement have never shown a dspusitiG
to meet these points fairly; but am iuclinod
to think that this Is about what may be gen.
orally expected of rCfOrmcrs in reference To
facts adverse to their theories. | regard the
disclosures as alarming and worthy of an at
tempt ut explanation.
In reference to the success Of the law in its
narrowest sense am of opinion that prob.
ably in the rural parts of the state the usc
of Intoxicating liquors has continued to dimn.
ish since 1851 But IL must not be forgotten
that community must have already ap.
preached the practical limit of abstinence
before it will vote for prohibition
In the larger towns, ana in the cities, | SEQ
no progress.
think the question is largely dependent
for its solution upon the spalsity of popua.
tion wherever the communities are so small
as to enjoy regulating other peoples affairs
moro than they do the enjoyment of their own
liberty, 1t will flourish aud nowhere else |
should think that perhaps a majority of our.
alcoholic stimulants in health and in sickness:
but am not sure that time will prove this t6
have been desirable; If so, it is contrary 10
the experience of the race. In Portland the
CITY marshall S reports show that about once
III IRON ~ to 5lq years every adult male in
habitant averages to go to Jail for drunken.
ness. The population was less than $4,000
in 1850.
If 100 of our very best citizens from the
various trades and professions were selected
ana taken on excursion of n upply n "a
steamer along our cOast-mcn whose places
could not be tiled-T should expect to find,
before the week was out possibly five who
might take more than was good for them
possibly ten tcetotallers, and eighty-five who
would indulge moderately, provided II suhi-
cient variety of drinks was provided to suit
all palatcs.
think that the law has been productive of
perjury, and that the increasing tendency has
been to make it the motive power of a politi-
cal machine. | do not think that the immcdi-
ate officers of the law-shcriffs deputies and
constaDles.haVe, as rule, much faith in the
law, or really feel any particular desire to en-
force it efreCtually. OF course a law which
renders the owner of Il building who know
ingly allows glass of sweet cider to be sold
and drunk ON the premises, liable to imprison-
mcnt in the county Jail for one year and fine
of 1000, is sufficient for the absolute extilpa.
tion of the traffic from the state, if it be seri.
ously desired so to do by the authorities.
Whether prohibition is or is not the logical
ucuuCIloH from Jne JncOfN oil TOTAL abstinence,
1T is clear that total abstinence must be as
sumed as the necessary postulate to justify
prohibition The only logical outcome of
temperance as distinct from abstinence is Ii
cense, under suitable restrictions.
The fatal inherent weakness of the prohibit
tory law in Maine, and, doubtless every
where else outside of Koran-gcv coun-
tries, is, am satisfied, that majority of the
voters do not actually believe in total abst-
nencc, at least for themselves Quite likely,
tbpV bpipNn in fnr
their weaker brethren as it is fashionable
to call other people whom you wish to govern,
Just as large number of the influential cx-
Shareholders of several southern states evil
IDENTIFY do in reference to the ex-slaves; but
they do not really believe it in regard to
themselves.
| mean to say that they do not even thcoret-
ically believe in it, as every decent man. what
ever may be his practices, believes in honesty,
domestic fidelity, truthfulness, sinceritx !
honor and the like.
Hence a vein Of hypocrisy tinges the whole
business from the legislature to the constable