The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1892-10-01
The OlI,ar SiIa.

e .itor Of Pioneer.
l would like to occupy some sp,ce in
your paper to review the communication
from Miss Carey that appeared in the last
issue of tie Free Lance. What her object
was in penning such an article or in giving
it the publicity she did l am at n loss to
know.
If she was dealing with m, rs II church
member [ wish TO remind her that she
took a very unscriptural way Of doing it.
| her object was to give the public n clear
understanding of the views she held with
regard to prohibition, part Of the article no
one coald take exception to. She lays
great stress on what she was told and on
what she believes. I also have been told
and believe n great many things about diff
ferent individuals. but it does not follow
that it is expsdient to ventilate these re
ports through the press.
I wish to explain my position with ref
erence to tie taking out of permit. 1t is,
not optional with me or any other druggist,
if take the law as it reads. There is no
other alternatives. l either have to take out
a permit or turn the key in the door. Read
section 6 Of prohibition law, and if you
know anything about the compromising of
drugs you will say there is no other con-
clusion to arrive at.
I. think she is laboring under WI ong
impression when she says, II believe it
wrong to handle alcohol in any way" [
believe in the use, but not in the abuse Of
it. All will admit that the abuse of il has led
to serious results, and, indeed, the danger
hereto fore has been in the way of making
too much Of it. But in these latter days a
society has sprung ur which goes exactly
to the opposite extreme; nor need we won
der at this, for human nature is like pen
dulum-the larther one moves it from the
place of rest the farther it will 90 to the
opposite side when released. The famine
stricken will gorge themselves if food be
given in sufficient quantity; the downtrod
den will rush headlong into ANARCHY and
wild excess when once the CALLING power OF
the tyrant is oyerthrown. SO when once
the shackles of n corrupt practice are
thrown off, the liberated one, instead OF
stopping at the golden mean Of scripture,
rushes headlong into temperance anarchy
by declaring against anything and every
thing that has the smell or taste of alcohol.
She mentions Sam Jones' lie is good
| man and probably means what he says. but
he belongs to the society referred to. We
know little of his his tory; he was hard
drihker and had not the courage to say no
when tempted to drink wine. but that is nc
argument against the use Of the thing itself
H. is no v q reform ID M vi, but he can thank
| the enactment o: u prohibition law for it
In referring to tie remedy for all this al
leged' law breaking, she says, ''tlse weak
ness is not in the law. but inthe citizens
who lack courage to enforce it," remi ad
her of the two years she spent as station
agent for the g. N. R. Co., since this la W
came in force. OF the many original pack
ages she handed to different individuals
knowing or being satisfied that they con
tained liquor (she was not co ompelled to d'
tbis) she knew or ought to have known
that she was violating the prohibition law
Where was the courage that she so read
| lily condemns her fellow citizens for no
having? Was it position, was it standing
in society, OF was it dollars and cents tha
stood in the way Of enforcing the law?
Later on, we find rs soon as she step
into position where it doesn't mean dol
lars and cents, she turns Che arrows o
truth and right on ths "most quiet perso1
on this unsafe planet" and says this las
breaking must be stopped. "Consistenc.
thou art q jewel"
Now about quoting scripture ad
wise her never to take that part Of vers
that happens to suit her views, and leav
the rest, which, il given, would convey
different meaning altogether.
i Lest she should think that nm some
what sarcastic, hasten to assure her, n
she repeatedly assured me in her kind ar
/ ticle, that personally I have nothing bu
friendly feelings towards her, and ths
there is no spite or malice in this matter
H. D. H. MACARTHUR.
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