The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-02

In politics ana the churches nave been ttiEftuf
the people get thinking, the conscience 81 t1e
nation aroused. political bonds weakened,
judgments obtained from supreme courts, aia
general pubic opinion brought our that tne
saloon Is public nuisance. Americans are get-
ting TO see that few native Americans are keep
ing the saloon: that almost entirely II is ID the
hands OF men OF foreign BIRTH whose ccildllion
was radically different in the lands they
came from that fl,ey are STOW 20 form any idea
OF freedom that does not give unrestralnei
license, even In the exercise OF offensive ana
bcastIy instincts. So they defy the Intelligence
and conscience OF Americans. Anarchists hiss
the stars and ssrfpes- The saloonists OF tlncln-
nati attempt to organize the roughs Of the cry
10 riot ana piiiage IN resisting the police enforce
ment of sunday closing. The political dolni.
nance OF the dives involves the worst sort OF
official dishonesty and corruption, and, much
more. it iinfeTils the foundation OF pubic
morals, and eBdangeTs the stability OF popular
government Cine great brewery, controlling
hundreds OF saloons. can dominate city.
We are getting 10 see that this question Is IN
yoiycd IL fbc pe-plexities Of the emigration
problem In The states where there Is prOh1-
bition there is u sitting out oi the character OF
the settlers. II there WAS universal prohibition
no one who was slave To liquor would enter
our gatss NOw we are cursed with g double
share III criminals. native aud foreign. Let the
knowledgc 10 t9ofher lands that here abstinence
ruled, and TDany Of the worse elements would
stay ~ home. aiir southern problem is con
ccTned with felnperaoce also. When g slave,
the eoiofed nan could get no intoxicants With
liberty came drunkenness and degradation. one
chief caiise OF al the race troubles, OF nearly
ell the crimes committed BY the colored pOpu-
lation and against item, OF the want and wretch
ecness aud fniinre TO secure respect OF the
masses af the freedmen, IN one word, is
whisky" Men are getting to see that the Sab
bath question is bound up with that oil tenn
perance. There is rising demand for respect
Tor the sabbath The Denver Tuaes Demo
cratic paper, eiamors for sunday restriction,
and resents the fact that pretty much
everybody except the saloOnist is held
amenablc TO law, while his business is
the that pprCS rho SfFiPfpgt
surveillance. The saloon is cooperating with
such sonlless corporations as would break down
the ganetity OF the Sabbath in order 10 make 1t
o universal workday. and so deprive the labor-
ing masses OF any rest or comfort or higher hap
piness. The Chicago Inter OCEAN says that the
saloon must be taught little old fashioned de-
cency. We have too long been throwing grass
twigs The time Is come to throw stones after
the manner OF 4Esops farmer The saloon
keeper : not dismayed by the denuDciation
FROM the pulpit or the whereases OF the congre-
CATION. The remedy lies Ia taking the offender
by the sertif OF the neck and pitching him into
the courts. Professor David swing says that the
Sunday closing is 70 cure only ore-seventh of
the whole evil. When men drink their
daily sTog for six days II is piece OF pleasantly
t. ask him 20 foreso il on the seventh, as
though God and civilization desired every man
% DC decent once week. Paul regarded all
days alike. We have reached that culture where
we are debating how TO make men cease for one
day making beer tubs OF themselves. We should
set our minds on religion that should make all
days too divine 10 permit such infinite guzzling.
The saturday night saloon is an awfuliy bad al
fair, as men get neastly intoxicated, thinking TO
sleep on the effects before Monday.
he speaker then referred to the theoretical
objections raised by iurists TO prohibition.
Amoig these was that it was sumptuary law
and that at last not only would they ATTEMPT TO
regulate drink, but diet and apparel and extend
inspection into the fireside. the conscience and
worship; thai IL was an attempt TO make men
Iighleons by legislation; an oficiousness of
those who felt il their nlty TO take care of peo-
pie instead of allowing people TO take care OF
themselves: IL interfered with the guarantee of
life, liberty aud the pursuit of happiness" it
compelled men To buy and drink fnrtiyely
against the laws what they had a perfect right
10 buy and drink freely and openly: ID made
government deal with sin which was only to be
answered Tor to God. while the state was con-
fined to the punishment OF crimes In reply il
might be urged that we have got past the ailes-
tienoi Observation-Disclosures right to drink. We faced
great conspiracy and had 10 answer q great ma
tonai question whether whisky or the en-
itghtened conscience of the best people should
rule America. While il might not be 4 sin per Sc
W ilgnt match, i was criminal ii done in
powder magazine II might not be sin to drive
q last horse, but 1t became crime If done on a
crowded street OF pedestrians Aud no one
could plead his perfect right to drink ii that in
uuigenee thereby maintained a traffic that
wrecked hundreds OF thousands of families and
pIoauced fonr-fitths of the crime, onehalf the
idloey ana nine tenths OF the paiperism.
II WAS said that to prohibit was wrong be-
cause II contiscatcd property Even ii the courts
should so rule, it would be cheaper for the
government 70 buy them all up and destroy
them than to let them go on. But If any one is
10 be paid, perhaps The saloon had better paw
hrst ali the sufferers. families and state, and re-
inbHfse rs Ior the loss 10 trade and the expense
OF MAINTAINING courts lails, poorhouses and in
sane asyluIns. which they keep largely going
The New York Uori3 argues that Prohibition
has increased the evils OF the LIQUOR traffic. Ii
l naa aaaaa 70 me vice OF intemperance the
ouiohs ana dcmorai.ziug vices OF hypocrisy,
lying spying. false swearing and law breaking.
Ely drinking Is encouraged. Men are sent ont
70 spy uIon their neighbors. Officers OF the
law are brlbed and cajoied into wiukiug at nm
lawful sales and courts are paralyzed But no
one says anything against the detective system
as aIipiied 10 the detection of any other law
breakers. And no one saws that laws against
murder ought not TO be enforced even thouerh
as IN the troiin case, the policemen are hand in
glove with the murderers. II is very novel
pea hgaiils, lhe law to make the difficulty of its
eNasi u plea Tor its repeal
IL n sald prohibition has failed TO accomplish
~, ~ os!tft' tnat as much liquor was sold in
Knoae island after as before the amendment.
There is truth in saying that the retention al
laws ON the statute books aud in the constitu-
uon, ~ the lace oil open and tolerated violation,
- teaching the masses dangerous lesson that
laws can De ueiied with impunity, and so dsre-
speet IS fostered for ali law but If il Is trua that
more liquor or as much is sold under prohibition
as under no restriction, why all the work and
expense oil the liquor traffic IN great campaign
10 overthrow constitutional prohibitiong The
inconsistency sadly needs explanation. The
reason That the whisky party has been able TO
IetS~t ehC ttAtiffAtitE cause IN late issues
hfst the fact that they can concentrate all their
forces In state at time; that they can levy
contributions from every saloon in the
s sny' Iaat tney can employ the best
speakers ana most eminent legal talent: that
they can purchase the plant and control the
newspapers OF state; that they can pay for ed
nerials inserted at advertising rates In some
cases not single daily newspaper championed
the temperance cause II is also true that all
cur progress so far is the direct or indirct result
ol past agitation in favor of total abstinence.
~ rat iksri Ia
will be made until there is another total ahsfi-
nence pledge signing campaign. The reason
WY we nave pot enough voters To give us pro-
hloiion Is that we have too few who believe in
and practice total abstinence We will not meet
with defeat II we precede the vote with a yigor-
Gus, SYSTEMATIC lecture and preaching pro
gFainlne OF instruction and exhortatjon n tho
liquor power We're not oyerthrown. the number
of It's victims and It's power for evil would he
greatly diminished
The speaker then took up the subject NJ h;yb
license. lie once had much hone Tor il as a re-
slficaye measure ana had stood with those
VII" said that II IN any place prohibition was
iinlossloie, as IN New York city or Chicago. the
pest thing was 10 teke what one could obtain i'm
the way Of restriction anything beinr better
than ifee rum Perhaps there is no othsr ,rsv
ne" 70 solve the dilemma. But those who were
most enthusiastic in favor OF high license sre
discovering, 10 their disappointment, that il
Goes net work IN practice as they auticipated
~ ehly valuable features. as in the brooks
law. We're the prohlbltory ones and sanrh -Ood
was accomplished by honest incorrlIrf Me
Judges, But snch Judges might De defeated AZ
the polls and the tools of the rum party elected
me evils OF drunkenness remained under the
high license system. IL never wholly prevents
tAe sale, aud where intoxicants are sold
taefe Is drinking and drunkenness II
may ameiiorate. but cannot orwtfieate
~ PruNldes Tor The continuance ~
the tatie. 10 viii never abolish itself We
nave had pauCnec with the parties who fold ms
tARt high license Was accepted as only a tom,
l9Iafy necessity because nothing bet er was nos
hlnse 3Qst tlen, but now IL is seriously proposed
1s tAr ultimate NoiCN. Tie EeOq men in ha