Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-04-17
Prohibition VS.. License.

ED. DEMOCRAT:-In the course of
human events it sometimes occurs that
some one virtue shines out more bril-
liant and stands high above all others
for its excellence and influence for good
to all. 1t also happens that some par
ticular evil falls far below the scale of
all others in degradation and carries
with it its votaries, until at last it
drops them into such deplorable depths
of ruin as to make their chance fol-
reclamation well-nigh hopeless. Such.
to-day, is the position of the liquor
traffic. It has so long held control of
its many votaries, and its fetters have
been so firmly riveted on those held in
It's grasp, that good men of all lands
stand aghast and tremble for the fate,
not of individuals only, but for the fate
of states, nations, Kingdoms and
empires. During the last thirty years
it has so interviewer itself into the
meshes of our political machinery, as to
make the task of eradicatlng the evil
from our midst appear well-nigh impos-
sible. No political party dares to
expect success, that refuses to cringe at
the feet of the liquor power of the
United States. More than thirty years
ago the liquor power organized with
the avowed intention of securing legis-
lation, both state and national. in their
favor. The success OF Che project is
shown by the fact that during this time
nothing has been done in the way of
national legislation to which it has
seriously objected, and with but few
exceptions the same may be said of the
states. To-day one of the great polit-
ical parties stands it's avowed cham
pion, and the other is rapidly falling
into line and does not dare to place any
impediment in Its way. On the other
hand, concession upon concession has
been made to its wishes, until the liquor
power stands boldly out as the one
autocrat of the nation. While class
legislation in other directions permits
many hundred millions of property to
escape taxation, to the shame of free
America, be it said, to no other indus
try (pardOn me for using the term) does
the government provide warehouses
wherein to securely store hundreds of
millions of its productions free of rent
and taxes. To the whiskey power
alone is this one privilege accorded. and
woe to the political party that would
dare molest it or make it afraid. But,
happily, there is party, or rather, the
nucleus of party-a principle
even in its infancy has caused the
giant to tremble. It is of this, the
principle of prohibition, 1 wish to speak
in this discussion. In taking up this
subject on the basis proposed and
accepted we'll know the wide range of
latitude am giving you, and do SO
most cheerfully. believing that history
has furnished ample testimony, and il
1 fail to sustain the proposition that
''Prohibition is the best method of con-
trolling the evils resulting from the
liquor traffic" the fault will lie at my
own door. Probably the enumeration
of some of the principal evils alluded
to, upon which we likely agree, would
simplify the work before us. Say
that, annually, 81, 100000 are worse
than wasted by drink; that so, 900 to
80 600 sink into drunkards' graves;
that 5000 900 families suffer for even
the most common necessaries of life;
and that our prisons and almshouses
are kept full, largely as the direct OF
indirect results of this traffic. I pro-
pose in the following chapters to sus-
tain the above proposition by showing
1st, that prohibition wherever tried
Though amidst opposition and imper-
feet enforcement) has developed the
most favorable results, and End, that
other methods have proved signal fail
ures to lessen the evils.
Very respectfully,
JOEL MILLER;