Telegram-herald., 1890-10-24

wsy = xsass<r.aes ma. wm ssss 4
ksE4el4<.4 Eseks4

p tas E1itef fsLssas3 kkkAL4.
eexeE4l 4ENclee sEste1 trom Tie
poe2t.on Of rAsl1ezl Pro1 lslo8asts bare
.2sels sppeATea "a ear c.sy daalaes- -
Tar As / kaos there las not been 49,
zItsmpt - AnsssF oae O. tAsn- *
course tasE~ = 10 spee a danger o t2s
Proa b a0n party carrying tne coaalBs
s-sct,ous Ana I presume foost kepQb-
.iezns a. least % not consider attack.
aP0a tae.F party fron tals quarter u
safnc.ent Importance - msgt any no
tee, ard tbs accounts ia part Tor ths
general silence. / an "a earnest oe-
lever ID TIE pFinc PIE II prohibition.
and fully believe that sometime the
manufacture and sale OF intoxieaung
liquors IS beverage oil BE- enectually
suppressed, but the time 5 nol yet.
Accordingly you cannot expect me -
huFs any thunderbolts Al the Pf0nie-
zion party, and nobody expects me 70
take up cUdgels IN defense Of the Re
publican party, but l would
ike 10 pen a few words explain
INK Why /, clergyman, and a
prOfessed friend of Temperance, am gO-
ing a. vote the Republican rather than
the Prohibition ticket. | trust my
lata0r may not be entirely IN VAIN, al
though l cannot expect ~ please every
one.
One thing is certain, laws are power
less unless they can De or are enforced;
and L j. idle 10 pass laws which have
not been and viii not be enforced
With the present state Of public sent.-
Tuent throughout the Nation law 10
prohibit the manufacture OF lntOxlcat-
INK liquors would not be enforced be-
cause some millions of our most prom
Inent and influential citizens use these
liquors daily al their meals, and they
are never drunk either. Doubtless,
many hundreds OF the leading men Of
this city today use liquors habltually,
and their usefulness and sOclsl stand
ing are IN no way affected thereby. No
| law can be enforced IN this city which
these men oppose because they repre-
sent the BRAIN and money OF the city.
/ and no officer would dare bring upon
/ himself their combined dlspleasure.
/ There Is not sufficient moral sentiment
| TO support the enforcement OF
law forbldding man purchasing or
using on ms own table VINE or other
| liquors; or TO forbid their manufacture
| IN the city. Why this weakness OF pub
| lie sentiment as regards tins particular
matter? Simply thus The mass OF our
people do not feel il is crime 10 use
| liquors IN moderation. Many do not
consider II SIN, or even breach OF
| good manners. We should remember
that less tnau half n century ago 1t was
customary for the clergy, and church
people generally, To use, and even 10
sell, liquors regularly. No one even
thought il TO be wrong; and We can
hardly expect that IN such q compar-
atlvely brief period society will con-
! slider these same acts TO be now crime.
Now, as we go on step and tnd men
today keeping places open where men
who desire To use liquors can 60 ana
buy and drink on the premises, instead
of taking To their homes, the chang
sentiment is not yet 40 great that the
| general public really feel that It is a
heinous crime, either on the part of
buyer or seller. Here, IN my
judgment, Is the weakness of
all laws against the liquor
traffic; but few are quite ready
to put the business on the same level
with stealing, and forgery and murder.
1t is comparatively easy 10 get man to
testify against a horse thief, and no
sympathy is wasted on him when he Is
gwen his Just deserts; but when a man
goes into an open saloon IN day light,
and orders liquor, and pays for 1t, and
then goes out and enters complaint
against the man who sold 1t TO hun,
people feel sort OF contempt for the
informer, and have more or less sympa-
thy for the seller, and asa consequence
jurles and judges are apt to treat him
lenlently.
True, terrible evils result from the
sale of ardent spirits; but no one il
compelled to buy them, or TO use them
Terri be evils also follow from the use
of opium and other poIsons. Terrible
evils result from gluttony; but the
druggist, the grocer and the butcher
are not held responsible because OF
such abuse of their commodities, and
SO millions of our people do not look
upon the liquor seller as a criminal
Until the majority of our people so re
gard liquor drinking as well as liquor
selling crime instead OF 8
privilege, prohibitory laws vii
be more or less imperative, simply be
Gauge of the popular feeling that some
/ how personal liberty ls more or less I'M
periled. | should be most heartily II
favor OF prohibitory law here IN Oul
city If there. was the remOtest possibility
OF It's being enforced, but ! am very
confident that an attempt to enforc,
such law at present, If passed, wOulC
but prove a failure. 1t is my belle
that intemperance would be increased
for while at least, had we a purely
prOhlbitory law.
Public sentiment will support re
stnctlve law (and that is what so-calleC
license laws arel, and IN this way thl
evils of intemperance are somewha
lessened. Public sentiment will sup
port the punishment OF drunkarC
when he becomes dangerous or a NUS
ance, but not his arrest for the simpl
act Of drinking. Public sentiment vii
approve prohibitory laws up TO a Ger
tam point, but no further. We ma,
well be thankful that public senumen
Is so far advanced ss 1t Is, and all lover
! of the public welfare should be earnes
IN their endeavors to raise pub
hc sentiment TO higher and hIghe
levels, and then to enact law
which reflect the popular will. for in
Republic only such laws are enforced
: We nave a multitude of laws on oU
statute books which are obsolete Smpi,
because public sentiment has Outgrowi
, them.
OF course. every true tempersnc