Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1893-06-13
cLosEI.Y AE1x 10 Iuen LIoENsE

My opinion is requested on the proPo-
sition to "nationalize" the liquor traf-
fic. Well, it seems to me that the in
famous business has been in a certain
way, nationalizcd too long already, and
the only right thing to do now is to de-
nationalize it as speedily as possible.
We are wont to indict the liquor busi-
ness as being grossly immoral in its ma
ture and tendencies; in violation of the
sound principles Of political economy;
subversive of every object of civil gov
ernment, constituting it a political
wrong of unequaled enormity, and for
which complete effective legal prohibi-
tion is the only adequate remedy.
Now, if l have correct idea of this
Matchmaking policy, it is no more pro-
hibitive in principle than any other
regulation or license law. All that there
is really new about the scheme is that
the government is expected to take full
control of the dramshop system. And
with certain vaguely defined details of
method, the state will proceed in a
perfunctory way prudently (?) to deal
ont liquid death and distilled damna-
ton" to the people for the public
good" This is the sum and substance
of the vaunted new departure on the
liquor problem.
Aside from the irony-provoking re-
pulsiveness with which the mind intui-
lively contemplates so preposterous
proposition, it seems to me that the fol-
lowing considerations bear strongly
against it
~ 1t comedies the validity of the
plea that there exists a normal demand
for Intoxicating drinks for which the
government is bound in some way to
make provision. Whereas, the very op-
posite of this sentiment lies at the foun-
dation of all arguments in favor of pro-
hibition.
(2) 1t further comedies value and
the quality of property in alcoholic
drinks, by providing for their sale and
purchase as marketable commodities.
This Prohibitionists also deny, and
brand the trade as illegitimate and
vicious commerce. No man possesses
the natural nor should any one be al
lowed to acquire the legal right to
manufacture and vend any article
which another cannot purchase and
use except to his injury.
(3) Saying the very best that can be
truthfully affirmed of the proposition,
it is but another of the many futile at
tempts to minimize the evils of the
liquor traffic by legal regulation. 1t is
closely akin to high license in this
country and the famous but foolish
Gothenburg plan in Sweden. The lat
ter scheme recent investigator, DR..
Gould. condemns with faint praise
when he calls it The best means which
has yet been devised for the control of
the liquor traffic where the principle of
license is admitted at all" But that
vicious principle is the dead fly in the
ointment
a. Moreover, if the proposition un-
der consideration really promised any
thing to the cause of temperance, it
would encounter the same opposition
which prohibition does. So nothing
would be gained by way of relieving
the contest
(5) Finally the proposed change OF
legal policy would not quadrate with the
we'll tablished moral and social phil
osophy Of the great temperance reform,
Its advocate. would be much of the
time on the defensive rather than on
the aggressive line of battle. This we
cannot afford at this stage of the move
ment Rather let us, though many
times repulsed by more than equal
numbers, rally to the standard Of pro-
hibition, pure and simple, and fight it
out on this line. So, laying our course
by the eternal stars" of truth and po-
litieal Righteousness, we may conf
denCly expect, by the blessing of God,
to reach the desired haven of success
JOHN RUSSELL.
Prof. Samuel Dickie saw the absurd
ity and danger of the naturalization
scheme more than year ago, when he
replied at length to an article written
on this subject by Ignatius Donnelly.
Mr.. Dicllie, speaking as the represen-
tative of the Prohibition party of the
nation, so thoroughly overturned the
arguments used in favor of government
liquor selling, that his analytical re-
view will be exceedingly interesting
anu INSTRUCTIVE dL lulS llIuCa IL - mere
given in full:
DICKIE'S MAsTERLY REPLY.
To Mr. Donnellys arguments, Pro-
hibitionists make the following re-
joinder:
l. No government has the right
either to permit or to conduct busi-
ness the inevitable results of which are
to make good men bad and bad men
worse The government cannot right
fully engage in a traffic certain to con-
tinue 1.-THE degradation of the degraded
and likely to accomplish the downfall
of the decent No argument of eXpe-
diency can justify the government in
either remaining or becoming a party
to the de bauchery of its own citizens.
p The odium now resting upon the
liquor traffic in all its departments is
of inestima bic value to the cause of re-
form, and furnishes mighty means of
restraint Nationalize the liquor traffic
and you cover it with a mantle of
decency and array it in cloak of
eminent respectability. Place the
manufacture and sale of ardent spirits
in the hands of the general government
and the salaried superintendent of the
distillery takes social rank with the
courted colonel of the standing army.
The brass button driver of the distillery
cart and the blue-coated guardian of
the beer wagon are your Uncle Samuel
in uniform and must command respect,
while the vehicles they superintend
have about them the same impression
of sacred authority that attaches to the