The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-08-05
GETTING AT IT BY DEGREES
Prohibition Will Follow Restrictive
Steps if the People Have Patience.
Pulverizing the Saloon Power at Once Does Not
Help the Temperance Cause.-The Metho-
dist Discipline Warrants Local Option.

The district conference of the Indianapo.
lis district. Indiana Conference. met at the
Methodist Church in West Indianapolis,
yesterday. Presiding Elder Ketcham was
in the chair, and twenty charges were rep
resented by pastors and Sunday school SUI
perintendents. The reports from these
were all of the most encouraging character,
showing an increase in the membership and
all benevolent collections OF the churches.
Rev. w. r. Ashby read a we'll prepared
paper on 1.-The Future Punishment of the
Wicked" Rev. T. p. Walter submitted
paper on THE History of the Epworth
Movement" and DR.. T. A. Goodwin read
one on "How to Unite Our Temperance
Forces"
The Doctor, as starting point, said:
IF we refer to that phase of the temper
snce work which relates to the retaining
of the inebriate there is no disagreement
whatever. though it must be conceded that
some who pose conspiciously as temperance
men work very little at it of late. If we
speak of that phase which the committee
on programme most likely had In mind the
same is so nearly true that we may say
there should be diverse opinions as to the
best method of treating the question is
both natural and reasonable The transit
ton from opinions and customs which have
of the. warp and woof of social.
political aud commercial life, is
not the work Of day nor
of a decade. 1t takes ages, if not
centuries. The MethOdists of old were
famous for the good order observed In their
dram-shops, for the Discipline made it the
duty of every preacher to bring to trial. as
for other lmmoralitles every man accused
OF allowing any thing dlsorderly transacted
under his roof Failing to recognize that
time Is an important factor in all such re-
forms as transferring the dram shop from
the protection of the church to the execra-
tion of all good men, some temperance men
have become impatient and are unsparlng
In their denunciations of all who do not at
once dance to the tune they pipe. They
themselves passed at bound from one ex-
treme of opinion to the other. ana they
now spend their time in bewailing the
slowness of the millions in getting there.
This ia q mark of weakness in them.
POSSESSING THE LAND.
"Our temperance forces are marching
under but one flag. On it is inscribed but
one motto: 'Pulverize the Saloon As the
dram-shop, under various names. is in
trenched behind thousands of years of
social customs and commercial interests,
not to mention political influences. and as
it is only few years since 1t enjoyed the
protection of the church everywhere. as
we'll as the protection of the State. and as
no divine voice has spoken from some
modern Sinai. and no pillar of cloud by
day and of fire by night, has unerringlv
pointed out the way for temperance
Moses, it is but reasonable to expect that
men, equally sincere and equally earnest,
should differ as to methods. Some believe
that the only right thing to do is to go up
at once and possess the land. If the army
of Israel had all been Calebs and JOshuas
that would have been the right thing in
the historic case alluded to. but the God
who was above the pillars. not some wind
blowing at random. turned the faces OF
that people for q season in another direc-
ton. and 1t was many year before they
entered the fat land, and when they en-
tered they came in on the other side from
that they expected, and. more than that,
they had ages of hard fighting after they
sion. Some of our temperance forces be-
lieve that the only right thing for rs to do
is to at once enact prohibition absolute.
and, shaking themselves like giants, they
old Caleb and Joshua did, that the rank
and file aro not all so giantish as
they are, and, forgetting at the
same time that in this country the
fearful and faint-hearted count just as
much at the polls as do the sons OF An ak.
In few localities Prohi bitionists have the
majority. and there, for season at'least.
prohibition exists and In all cases 1t meets
the expectations of its frier.ds and incurs
the unrelenting hostllities If Its enemies.
But il is old Canaan over again: getting in
Is one thing, possessing in peace is quite
another. But reliable statistics show that
these najorities are exceptional. In seven
teen States the question of prohibition has
been submitted to direct vote of the peo-
pie. In these seventeen States it has COM
manded l,75S, S95 yotes-no incOnsderable
army, and an army composed of the best
men in those seventeen States. But the
aggregate vote of those States is 4. 9S2.565.
nearly twice as many, and no matter what
may be the moral or intellectual worth of
the one PrOhibitiOnIst. every one of
the other two counts as much
in law -maklng as this one can.
1t IS very evident. therefore. that prohibi-
bility at present, except In few localities.
But these ]. 75s. S95 constitute only part of
our temperance forces. There are quite as
many, If not more, who believe that the
proper way to pulverize the saloon is by
restrictions more or less severe. 1t is very
easy for us who are PrOhibitiOnlsts TO turn
up our Pharasaical noses at these and
fuse to cooperate with them In their pro-
posed methods; but the fact remains that
among these are found many of the best
that. with insignificant exceptions. the
prohibition part of the temperance forces
are working In happy union with these to
accomplish what they may in taking the
outpOsts, while keeping in mind their pur-
pose to prohibit saloons absolutely; and
neither of these branches may disparage the
other or arrogate toitself superior devotion
to the cause, or wisdom In managing 1t.
We may not be able to estimate the rela-
tive strength of these two branches of our
temperance forces or their aggregate
strength. but it is evident from results
that, combined. they are more than q
match for the saloon, for VIII ere they work
together the power Of the saloon IS grad
ually but surely decreasing.
RESULT OF REPREssIvE MEASURES.
After briefly mentioning the little pro-
hibition had done, the Doctor said that In
this State by uniting with the temperance
men who yet believe that it is possible to
make the saloon bearable by repressive
measures. absolute prohibition 135 days In
every year has been secured. or three
eighths of the entire time, besides the IN
terdiction of selling to minors or drunk
ards at any time: and all this without CON-
promising convictions that absolute prohi-
bition Is the only proper treatment of the
case or abating one JOt of efforts to reach
it. when we shall have educated the ma
jOrity to believe as We do" he said, I'VE
will have prohibition absolute but not nm
til then. Meanwhile. there is a perez pit BILE
growth of public opinion In the direction
of more restrictive measures which the sa-