Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1896-10-31
CONSTITUTIONAL PROHIBITION.

CONSTITUTIONAL PROHIBITION.
The electors of the state of South Da-
kota will be given the privilege of ex-
pressing through the ballot on next
Tuesday, their approval or disapproval
of constitutional prohibition, that being
one of the questions submitted to their
decision. Section "a of the constitution
is as follows:
mo person or corporation shall manu-
facture, or aid in the manufacture for
sale any intoxicating liquor; no person
shall sell or keep for sale az beverage
any Intoxicating liqnor. The Legislature
shall by law prescribe regulations for
this section and provide suitable and
adequate penalties for the violation
thereof"
The form of submitting the question
upon the ballot is: "Shall Article "a Of
the Constitution be Repealed ?" Voters
who desire to cast ballot for the repeal
Of the section, or in other words, against
constitutional prohibition, will place a
cross in the square to the left Of the
word "yes," while those who desire TO
vote against the repeal of the section, or
in favor Of constitutional prohibition
will place cross in the square to the
left of the word mo"
In this connection We desire to sub
NIT few brief remarks upon the issue
involved in this very important ques-
ton. While the CHRONICLE, realizing
as it does, that the manufacture and sale
of intoxicating liquors is one of the
prevailing evils of the period, and that
the suppression Of the traffic would be
a priceless boon to society, it cannot
give its support to law having for its
object the suppression of this EVIL,
which, after being tested for six years,
has largely failed in its purpose. 1t is
not question Of the magnitude of the
evils resulting from the cause, but pure
ly question as to the merits of the
prohibitory law 1t is proper to de
termine as to whether or not the sale
of liquor has been decreased by the pas
sage of this law. Has the measure of
crime been lessened in the state by
reason of its existence? Has the law
been a material factor in the improve
ment of society? Has its passage re-
suited in advancing the moral, religious
and financial interests of the state to
any appreclable extent? And. what is
Of the most vital importance in the
consideration of this question, can it be
maintained that the law is effective in
the attainment of the object for which
il was enactedP In short, does it
prohibitp 1t is our candid impression
that all of these interrogatories may be
truthfully answered in the negative.
The CHRONICLE is not now, nor has it
ever been opposed to the cause of tenn
perance, but has always opposed state
prohibition from a purely temperance
standpoint. 1t is unqualifedly opposed
to any law that, for any reason what
eyer, remains a dead letter upon our
statute books, believing that no law is
preferable to any law, which, by sufti-
cient test, has been proven to be without
force or effect. 1t does not endorse a
law that decreases the public revenues
and increases public expense by reason
of the prevailing free whiskey traffic
and therefore suggests the propriety OF
the repeal of article "a of the constitu-
ton, and the trial of a more effective
remedy to reach the great end which is
so devoutly to be desired.