Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1895-06-07
THE RELATION OF GOVERNMENT TO PRO.
HIBITION, AND HOW TO OVER
COME INTEMPERANCE

[By request, we publish the following paper, pre-
pared aud read before the Mems Social Science
Club, May 21st, by Rev. P. j. Volmar-EDs
There are two distinct aspects of this question,
the drink habit and the drink traffic. These two
touch and in INTERVENE each other, but re-
quire different modes of treatment and it falls to my
lot tonight to refer only to the drink traffic.
The drink traffic is well-defned system of ma
tional and international commerce. It's dark stream
flows over land and sea and carries desoation, dis
cord and death to the end of the earth. With one
billion dollars invested and with five hundred thou
sand men employed it demands voice in politics
and seat in Legislative halls to dictate the law, to
regulate its business By its money power it brides
the jury and corrupts the courts.
Its very soul is avarice. On her altar of Mammon
she sacrifices the very life of her customers 1t is
the universal and relentless enemy of God and
man. Its hellish character and deeds of blood are
distinctly marked in all nations. Reason, science,
moral suasion, are as poweress, and inefficient to
check this monster as the breath of man in the
face of a cyclone, rose water poured on the
fire of perdition so that our only hope is the
strong arm OF the State, which God has ordained to
protect and shield the weak and helpless. If no
help is found here, then is our case hopeless, and
prohibition is yet impractical.
l. Let us ask is there any principle in the nature
and design of government that will give us any
ground of hope to throttle and overcome this evil
There are three forms of government, viz. The
ocracy, contract, and development.
Theocracy is a government of State by the i'm
mediate direction or administration of God
Contract government is one where different indl-
yiduas enter into contract, each relinqushing GER
tain rights for the sake of peace and harmony
The Development theory started with the family,
then the tribe then the state But the purpose and
design of each is as Artostle, the great writer on
"Forms of Government" has said, "that the state
exists not only to enable man to live, but to live
WE'LL"
Pollock declared that the object of government
is complete life in the associated state.
Burgess says, 1.-THE ultimate end OF government
is the perfection of humanity"
Whatever theory we may adopt, the object is the
same as it is Gods appointment strong arm to pro-
tect man. "The Sabbath was made for man not man
for the Sabbath, government should prominently
be mans ordained helper to all that is good, and not
his DESTROYER The maxim well stated by Abra-
ham Lincoln, Government of the people, by the
reople, for the people," is in accord with this
thought The very principle OF Democracy strong
" implies this The axiomatical truth, the greatest
good to the greatest number, so commonly received,
demands the prohibition of the rum traffic All OF
these principles teach that if government carries out
its true design it must suppress and eliminate all
that in any way binders retards the highest IN
terest or progress of the subject governed
But we are met here by the old treadmill state
ments that if the saloon and joint exist, they exist
by the will of the people This is only true in part
and wholly untrue in our own commonwealth
Kansas as a state does not will the saloon. AS to
the nation, our sxty.fve millions of people are
not in favor of the saloon having any shelter under
the stars and stripes Even in states where it ex-
lists it does not exist by the will of but by the
power of the saloon through political channels In
the last forty years fifteen Northern states have de-
clared by the voice of the people that the saloons
must 90, and while she has gotten back by intrigue
and political manpulatons she holds her place under
protest of the people Out of ,24S counties in ff-
teen oouthern states, TAI have adopted prohibition,
80 that fftythree per cent of the population OF these
fifteen states are now living under prohibition.
There may be and no doubt are locations or cities
where sentiment is low and corrupt and where de-
PRAYED nature clamors for full sway. But what is
the duty of the state toward this classf Does the
principle of Democracy or Republican form of gov
eminent by representation teach that community
state or nation shall allow damning custom to re-
ceve the protection of law because mere squad OF
misguided and perversed humanity are in the ma
jority? Oh such twaddlel
When we remember the cosmopolitan character OF
our nation, the low state of intelligence and bad
morals of people who under the prOpelling force
of an inherited depaved appetite and long standing
custom people who breathe the spirit OF lawlessness
nd onarcbv We are forced TO the conclusion that