Morning journal and courier., 1892-03-25
THE PROHIBITION DEBATE,

| Professor Baldwin of the Yale LAW
school and Mr.. Van Bennett OF Kan
sas Argue in the Church OF the Mes
siah Last Evening.
| The Baldwin-Van Bennett debate last
evening at the Church of the Messiah was
attended by a crowded house. General s.
e. Merwin presided and the meeting WAS
held under the auspices of the Guilford
Junior Prohibition club, who some time
ago carried through a successful discus
| sion between Chairman Dickie of thespro-
| hibitfon national committee and Hon.
Lynde Harrison in their own town. The
form of question was: fought Young
Man to Support the Democratic or Prohi-
bition Partyp
Professor S. E. Baldwin of the Yale
law school spoke first. He said that the
question has become whether a young
man ought to take a part in party strife
or not, and wheter or not he ought to
be in the democratic party. The creed
of the prohibition party is the absolute
prohibition of the sale and use of intoxicat-
ing liquors on state and in nation-a short
creed. The democratic creed is not 30
short. 1t is based on the notion on which
the American nation is founded, viz,
that man has an inalienable right to any
thing he may consider proper for his use,
happiness or advantage. To the young
men of Kansas this question may present
itself in different light than to the young
men of Connecticut IL Connecticut
would maintain the validity of her insti-
tutions she herself must do it and
not look to congress. Belief In
prohibition is weak or strong in the inverse
ratio of ignorance or knowledge of the
world. Everyone knows, that knows any
thing of such matters, that the world in
general has always been against the idea
of prohibition. I honor total abstinence
man, for he is such from conscientious
scruples which it would be sin for him to |
trespass against. But total abstinence aud |
prohibition are two entirely different |
things. They are as different as temper
ance and intemperance. Prohibition is /
folly. The question arises, Does prohibi- /
ton prohibit: In Guilford perhaps yes,
but would it in Hartford, New Haven, New /
York, or any other considerable townsi
1t might work in small towns, but how
would it in town like this, which has a
large German population amounting to |
thousands, who come from q country
where wine and beer drinking is the ma
tional customf The policy of prohibition
is the imperial policy which belongs to a
despotic government. The German em-
peror or the Russian car may well dictate
that which their subjects shall eat, drink
Or wear. 1t is foreign to the genius of the
American people to pass a prohibitory
aw.
Mr.. Van Bennett of Kansas ~as then in
reduced to the audience. He said: This
a the first time ever heard that whisky |
was good thing for the people in towns,
out should be kept out of the hands of agri-
cultural people. Although my predecessor
'ntir-ly ignored the subject of the debate,
g., whether a young man should join the
democratic party or not, yet he did the
pest he could, for there is nothing in the
democratic party. 1t is the party of the
,ast. SO he attacks tho prohibition party,
n which there is great deal.
He speaks of restraining an American
itizen from the personal liberty of eating,
Thinking wearing whatever he may |
wish. No one talks about eating but the
democratic party, who put that in to les
ZEN the poison of the drink. The only
party that wants You to eat three square
meals per day is the prohibition
,arty. Ny brother, you joined the demo-
ratio party too late. 1t is not what it
Used to be. Preservation or debauchery
# the morals of the people is the object OF
government. Personal liberty is nothing
more or lees than personal liberty to make
brute of ones self, personal criminslity.
The speakers were each given fifteen
minutes to make final replies and then
General Merwin made the telling point of |
he evening. "There is one remark"
aid he, (which my friend. Mr.. Baldwin.
as made which is very true. The
emoeratic party in this state
oes not believe in legislation
Tou will find no party perfect. If
ou have not found here tonight what sat
SIZES your political longing, read the his
DRY of the party for the last twenty years,
hat has been led by the great Lincoln, thu
reat warrior, Grant, and the msrtyred
FAIRFIELD. 1t has n Christian, gentleman
nd brave soldier in the presidential chair.
f you have not been convinced by either
f the speakers tonight take up the BAN
Ter of this illustrious party and carry it
ut for thirty more years, and then you
an look back on life that has been well
pent -