Blue-grass blade., 1890-10-25

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and few years ago was a nomi-
nee of the Democratic party, and
is still thoroughly identified with
the party. ..se 90,
lie says there is no doubt that
the Prohibition question will soon
be the great national political is
sue. lie thinks that Prohibition
ought to carry, but says that Pro-
.hibitionists ought not to get up a
third party, but accomplish their
purposes within one of the old
parties. He thinks that third
bsrty Yrohibition will not pro-
hibit.
Taking him as a sample of our
most intelligent Democrats, l
want to answer his objections to
Prohibition.
OF course, Prohibitionists are
generally familiar with the OBJ
lection that prohibition will not
prohibit" and the answers to be
made to it, but we must have
cline upon line, and precept up
on precept' -.
I'have heard people who said
that not only did Prohibition not
prohibit, but that an effort to
control the personal liberty OF
men by the Prohibition sumptu..
airy law, actually made the PEG.
pie drink more than they would
otherwise do. Liquor dealers,
distillers and brewers would have
the finest opportunity of seeing
the practical working of.the Pro-
hibition law. If it were a fact
that Prohibition increased the
consumption of liquor, then, OF
course, these distillers and brew
ers would all be Prohibitionlsts.
as the best means of stimulating
their business.
If distillers and brewers had
found out that the existence OF
a Prohibition law in State did
not effect the consumption of liz.
uor sold in that State, they would
be Indifferent to any Prohibition
contest that might be going OF
in any State.
But on either of these hypOthe
SEES, there are some singular facts
in the business management o
the liquor men. For instance
they have a great organization
called the Liquor Protective AL
lance. People don't get up pro
q tective alliances except to guar'
.. themselves and their bushes
against their enemies, and the.
don't go into such alliances unit
they think their enemies are get
Tting SO formidable that the saiet.
of their business demands this.
. Consequently, We hear 1t Eic.-G4ll
ers' Alliances, when they consld
er that it is necessary to defen'
themselves against it's natural en-
envy, organized capital.
Temperance crusades, in va
rious forms, have been going o
in this country for fifty year;
They simply proposed to hel
mankind by converting individ
aal drunkars by moral suasio
and religious appeals. Thei
plans were so Intellectual tha
brewers and distillers paid no al
tention to them further than a
occasional smile of contempt fo
lot of fanatics. But when Pro
hibition laid the AK at the root {
the tree, and proposed to sto
their breweries and distilleries b
law, these men began to come t
their milk and when two {
three States had forced the whol
liquor business out of their Dor
ders, they did not know wheI
the evil would stop, and they be
gan to organize and put up the
money to stop the encrOachmel
that Prohibition was making VI
on their trade.
Now, in Nebraska, a Stat
where Prohibition has been
force for years, the vote on Pro
hibition is to be re-submitted, an
this Liquor Alliance has set asic
$4,000 to be used in the electio
to defeat Prohibition. Of cours
these people are not spendin
this amount of their money fc
the qualification of mere sent
ment, or for mere piece of pet
ty spite; but they thus declar
that, as a business transaction, tn
profits on liquor they would Sc
in Nebraska, if they could g
rid of the Prohibition law ther
would be so much more tina
$4,000 that they are willing
spend that much even for
chance to begin their cuisines
there.
With facts like these betor
him, man can not do full .justiC
to his first-class, broad INTEL
gence by the statement tn;
"Prohibition does not prohibit.