The Washington times., 1894-12-25
Presbyterian Ministers AssoGia-
lion Discuss This Question.
SOME ARE OPPOSED TO 1T
Think 1t Were Better There Should
Be No Restriction At ALI.
The Majority, However. Rather Favor
Well Regulated and Rigidly Enforced
License System Instead Of Rigid Prohibit
ory Laws or No Interference At AL on the
Part of the huthorities-Reform Sought.

The Presbyterian Ministers Association
met yesterday morning at the Church OF the
Covenant. The papers OF the day was read
by Rev. George n. Luccock, d. D., of the Me-
tropoitan Presbyterian Church, upon the
subject of the right of the State to license
the saloon
DIR. Luccock took the position that under
no circumstance did the State have the moral
right to license the sale OF liquors. After the
reading of the paper the question was thrown
open for general discussion, when the whole
subject OF the sale of intoxicating liquors was
considered in all its bearings.
Upon the point raised specifically by DIR.
Luceock's paper the opinions were almost as
numerous as were the speakers. Some went
so far as to say that rather than to have the
authorities license the saloons OF Washing
ton they would prefer TO see every restric-
tion removed, and have every one engage
in 1t who wished.
Another prominent minister took the posi-
tion that the use OF the word license did
not really express the position of the govern
ment towards the saloon. Without So
called license law the sale OF alcoholic liquors
would naturally be as free and as unrestricted
as that of sugar. But the government found
that the free and uncontrolled sale Of liquor
was an evil and as a step towards the cor
rection OF it threw certain restrictions around
the sale of intoXicants
The use OF the word ''license'' for these re-
strictions is entire misnomer; the nature
| of the so-caled license system is not Il per-
mitting something which would otherwise be
| for idden, but il is the regulating and con-
trolling of a business which would otherwise
be free and uncontrolled. The government
I in eff ss(iartaiu MI GhaIl M an aya
in this business. No liquor shall be sold to
certain classes of persons. 1t shall not be
sold at certain times. 1t shall not be sold IN
certain localities
BY this system the traffic is to certain ex-
tent regulated and controlled and not merely
permitted. The state is i'll no manner a part
ner in the liquor business and the contention
OF some temperance advocates 10 that effect
is entirely based upon the illogical use OF the
word license
At one time the argument was whether a
Christian could consistently ally himself
with any party that had not Unequivocaly
declared itself in favor of the suppression of
the liquor traffic. The sentiment OF the
ma .ority seeming to be that he could do so,
or that he could even ally himself with a
party hostile to temperance But in all cases
it would of course, be his duty to exert his
entire moral influence to create in his party a
temperance sentiment.
One minister related an instance in which
the temperance people OF Il Western town
completely captured the entire party organi-
zation OF Que of the old parties that had
hitherto been Indifferent TO the question.
But upon this question, too, there was the
usual diversity of opinions: some contending
that the temperance issue was so much the
supreme issue that all other questions should
be ignored, others strongly arguing that the
Christian in casting his vote should be in
fiueneed by every question having bearing
on good government, and that the Christian
voter should so make himself felt in his own
party that temperance and morality should
be part OF the platform OF all Of the parties.
The association seemed, upon the whole, to
favor stringent and well-enforced license
system as being preferable to any prohibltory
lazy