Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-03-09
-, ara. ri, are the Church Temperance

pared this bill, are the onui. Al. Gu peIanco
Society. 10 which / belong tne society Tor
the Prevention OF Crime, anu tne hlgh-
Lacen?o . s;,nilar. but at the same time
pu Tat Objects The Church Temperance
Sna;at,, helieves the bill is IN line with the
.oI;s';crs method of dealing with evil:
tSn. ~ that 20 remove evil from tho world
- on ;rnossibility. and is against the Di-
80 intention and whole system of re-
, ro teaching and training is to
modify and minimize eVil and not
70 attempt the impossibillty OF oanishing
Il. IL is the old heather WISDOM thnt II you
expel nature with pitchlork ~ WIZ come
hacl ard tho Christian junction Is not to
bnsv itself with such provisions as will
aiSo nrogression impossible. Therefore
we think that tho best thing to do to re-
J,,oo ;ntoxication is 10 advocate the best
uu nos,,roe CO.. ire control The Society for
H. pravenfion of Crime believes that the
Standardization of saloons IS tho fertile
aource Of almost all the crime committed
in the world. and they desire TOT reach that
ccime so far az possible by removing the
cause of il. The reason the hish, License
:; EJ baa heen thrown in our teeth that wo
80 10 NOT that we consider it high
Icenso Hill Int that we know 1t TO be n
b;cber license bill than any that has ever
boon prepared before.
man knows that if he cannot attain his
;deal that the wise thing TO do IL not to SIT
with his thumbin his mouth ana cry about
II but 10 take whatever RATIONAL measures
Will help him. / am very Tree 10 say that II
tbis b,lli passed 10 may be step toward
et,ll further increasing license fees whom
t%e community shall become salts
led that If one advance is OF such i'm
nortance larger advance would be of
greater importance stu.
" There are four classes who oppose the
hull One is the class with whom neither
Won nor have very much concern-name-
f. the class whose one ann and object -
to have liquor easy and cheap ami free.
OF course they oppose anything that puts
any limitation whatever upon what they
REGARD as the highest conceivable human
cn7ovment. They are put out Of court by
thar aims, objects, and desires. Two
of tho other three classes | con-
slider eminently respectable. One. the Pro-
hibitionIsts. who have been the steady. per-
slstent and. | believe, CONSCIENTIOUS, oppO-
pents of a high-license measure; but, not
meaning TO use the word in any other sense
thar that in which / could be quito free
70 apply il, for instance, TO ~. raul nm
self. thev are fanatics. Ihey are pursuing
ono lmDOASlUlt anu ulHlt dAAhbA' NAA'As hti's
bolnp unable TO secure that end because II
IS unattainable, they won't have anything
else. | think it is the bounden duty Of
LEGISLATORS to remind such people 10y tho
enactment Of laws that If they can't
yet exactly what they want the thing to
do is TO submit TO that which, at any rate,
aims al the verv end they pursue. Their
object il not. Of course, 10 vindlcate the
prohibition theory; 1t Is to prevent drunk
cnncss. and If We have made sure that the
best wav 70 do this IL TO have clear and
operative Excise bill, such as THINK We
have here. and to make the licenses so
high tnat 1t will put the sale Of liquor into
The hands Of a more responsible and conse-
oueutly a more respectable class of people,
then we can say to the Frohlbitonlsts; " We
can't give you what you want. hut we are
OBLIGED not to regard your opposition, be-
cause We believe we attain IN wiser way
the very end YOU yourselves desire"
4 second class | have called respectable;
I dont utter tho word with any bated
breath. | have friends among the men
who manufacture aud sell liquor, and |
know there are eminently good citizens
and earnest Christian men among them. IL
Is A perpetual surprise to me that their a.
sOciations think il necessary % retain coun-
sci 10 oppose such bills rs TINS. Counting
them az reputable persons, Icannot under
stand Why they are not among the most
earnest of all people to advocate any mca-
sure that separates the dealer in liquor. %
far as possible. from the degrading uses to
winch we all recognize 1t can be put.
The fourth class, ! confess nave no
doubt. are eminently respectable, though l
am sorry TO say have never been able 10
brine myself to great respect for them.
They are the people with fads. Mnen
fud a man spinning out an ingenious con-
web of arguments against high license OF
against tine restriction of the sale OF liquor.
/ come to the conclusion that he does not
dare to say. avowedlv and openly, tor rea-
sons, political reasOns-and politics makcl
more towards than almost anything else
know of-or Tor personal reasons per
hap5, that he Is opposed to the whole
thing: instead Of saying Il do not
dare to resign my standing with the
political party to which | belong by put
ting mvselt forward as either advocating
or voting against any measure that WILL pe
considered objectionable by the manu-. a.
turcrs and sellers and users of liquor"
sincerely hope the committee IN their good
Judgment will see through the speclous-
ness and thinncss of this kind of defence,
ard will recognize the fact that TINS high
license bill is in the interest Of the proven
ton Of crime and Of reducing the evil that
exists in the world to the lowest pos bic
degree. While 1t Is not actually and ebso-
lutely high-license bill, it Is re latiyely so
much higher than anything we have ever
had before that it may fairly be considered
rs a high license bill, and passedas such.