The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-02-25
PRoHIHITIoN LOGIC.

question. The Herald expressed the
opinion that the majority Of the people
in the rural districts would probably be
in favor of the proposition which some
people desire TO have submitted to the
popular vote. "A correspondent of the
Evening News takes up that admission,
and constrpes it as an argument that
the members-eiect to the constitutional
convention from the country districts,
will be In duty bound to support the
proposal to submit the question of pro-
hibltion with the constitution to the
vote of the people.
We should probably have passed by
this singular bit of logic with a smile.
but for the following editorial endorse
ment of it by the News:
Che strongest opponents of the move
ment, as he states, have conceded that
d very large majority in The rural dis
tricts favor it. This must be evident
TO all familiar with the character OF the
bulk Of the people Of this territory.
The correspondent adroitiy makes use
OF this admission TO show that the
naenbers-elect of the constitutional
convention must either vote for sub
mission or thWaTt the will OF their con
stituents: to take the alternative
course would be decidedly I'M
American
The reasoning in that paragraph is
almost sublime. Because The Herald
has expressed the belief thai a large
majority Of the citizens in country dis
triets would be likely to vote in favor
of prohibition, if it were submitted to
them, therefore the delegates from
those districts must "either vote for
its submission or thwart the will of
the peoplel' Observe the people have
made no such expression. as yet.
They have given no instruction on the
matter to the delegates. 1t is not d
question that has been submitted, but
a proposition from a few individuals
from the country do not act as these
few individuals desire, we are told it
VIII be decidedly un-Americanr
And such chop logic and baby rea-
soning the News calls adroitness
Different people may have diverse
views as to what is "adroit" There
may be some agility in the twist taken
by the correspondent, but there is
nothing straightforward or rational
in it. 1t is nothing more than a dodge
and in that sense it may be ''adroit.''
The delegateS-elect from the rural
districts have no duty imposed upon
them further than to frame a consti-
tuition for the new state. The people
who voted for them selected them for
that purpose alone. There was no
choice OF men in reference to the pro
hibition question, either pro or con.
The voters of Utah have not asked
for this submission of a prohibition
/ clause. or whatever it may be termed.
and yet we are gravely told that if
! the delegates from the country dis
trictS do not vote for that submission
they viii ''thWart the viii of lheir
constituents"
There has been nothing yet advanced
which meets the objection. presented
! by The Herald, TO the submission of
! the prohibition clause to the vote of
the Whole territory. That is, we do
not think it right that the people in
| districts remote from the larger cities
should be permitted to dictate the
| policy of those cities.
We think the principle of municipal
control should be maintained in
regard to this vexed question
Local government should be
supported as far as possible con
sistent with the general welfare
If the people of st. George want prohi-
bttion they should have it. If the PEG
pie of Salt Lake CITY want regulation
instead OF prohibition they should have
it. Let each city or county decide on
this for itself. That is the local option
we have suggested, and that can be
provided for by law if the matter is
properly placed in the Constitution
We do not believe that prohibition
would be practical in the larger cities
of Utah. High license works better
than the pretence of prohibation in To-
calities With a mixed population like
theirs. The delegates to the constitu
tional convention will doubtless con,
slider the question fairly and nationally
and viii not be affected by such "ad-
roit" attempts to make them do what
a few extremists desire, who pretenc
that their Will IS the viii of the people
, who have not expressed their wishes
Il will be observed that the News
takes neither one side nor the othei
l of the prohibition question but, a:
usual, "adroitly" evades the issu,
and commends the agility while i
does not espouse the cause of its cor
I respondent