The Portland daily press., 1894-07-02
Mr.woodwa rd's Poiut of view.

AT the Second Advent church, yesterday,
Rev. E. P. Woodward expressed his opinion
in regard to the present situation of the
liquor law and traffic. He took for his
text: HE that pleadeth his cause first
seemeth Just; but his neighbor cometh and
fndeth him out" In other words there are
two sides to every question. This is true of
the burning question with us now-the
liquor traffic. Because men are thinking of
this great question, now, he took
occasion to make pulpit utterance in regard
to it and felt that he had a perfect right to
do so. He was not there as an apologist for
the rum power. He believed it one of the
most ungodly and disastrous powers of the
world; neither was he there as an apologist
for those who violate their oath of office, if
there are such.
He dwelt at length upon the appalling ex-
tent of the violation of public trust now-a-
days. He was not speaking as politician
or prohibitionist. Emphatically he was
not there to soften the public opinion as to
the suppression of the rum traffic.
He was not there to defend any man or
| men. People had understood that he was
He was not there to antagonize anything
| that anyone else had done or said or to
people to look deeper into this matter than
| they had been doing and see why there is
any failure in this great effort of reform
| He recounted the facts as to the great ex-
| tent of the rum business in this city.
! The Republicans say the law ought to be
! enforced, the Democrats that it cannot be
| enforced. The Prohibitionists say it can be.
| All three agree that it is not enforced.
l Jafo On
| But it was possible it wasn't realized how
| tremendous is the force that is brought to
| bear to thwart the efforts the sheriff and
deputies. He referred to the story of how
| the court has seemed to block the work of
| the sheriffs, and how diff cult it is to secure
| the necessary evidence.
| What do you think of that kind of man
who goes round to get drink to convict
| the seller? There's a sentiment way deep
| down in every human heart that abhors that
sort of thing. And what's the use of a
bushel of evidence if it isn't of use in con-
| victing. Somewhere along the route there
| is check
but the Mayor could do it," The Mayor
| has good deal else to do and we should
| growl If those things weren't done. 1t is
not true that the Mayor has absolute con-
| troll of the police force. The liquor law is
different from other laws. Why? There is
no law absolutely prohibiting the sale OF
liquor. There are different legal ways OF
buying it. 1t is practically left to human
conscience as to when it is right to sell it,.
Suppose there We're such 1oopholes in the
| law against theft. Suppose the law said
| that you could steal in another state and
| come back to this state and be protected
There would surely be confusion
Then too the rumseller doesn't believe he
| is criminal as he would if he was a thief.
Neither does the rum-drinkel That is the
| great cause of the trouble. Therefore there
| is no great foundation stone of human
conscience in the matter to help prevent it.
But the sentiment of the community is
divided about it. The working men of the
state largely drink, more OF less. He was a
workman himself not long ago. and he
| knew.
4 Professional men drink. church members