Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1896-03-24

Once on time we received letter
from a former acquaintance mailed from
some place beyond the Mississippi. lie
sang Of the West, the illimitable West, in
rather a high key-pitched il an octave
above AZ least. lie sang Of the East 10
minor KEY with nothing desirable about
II but the associations. Among other
things he claims better society than New
England society. tie must have struck
an exceptional ueighbOrhOOd. We drift
eli West ia our Younger years and We
stayed al night and failed 10 find the
better society. Consulting his letter |
lind that 10 this little town Of 200 in
hSbiiantS there ! less drunkenness than
in the aver - Eastern town Of similar
size, although there sire open bars there
liquors are sold and drunk. He informs
me that for the suppression OF drunken
ness prohibition i signal failure.
That has q familiar sound Now look
here, my son, II a man smoke T. D..
dregs and all, about once a year, IL
would be rather more apt 20 set his
stomach into fermeut than il would
he stoms Ch that i kiln-dried, aud smoke
tanned. And the mau who manages 10
pick up a swallow once in a generation
&c dogs, has uot stomach fitted and
repaired for bug-jUice, and the operation
J. radical aud effective. \ trifling dose
u' the fluid knocks him from his perpen-
% ular. and he i uuhesitstingly &C
4, united bslmy. Whereas the man who
= .osked through and through, hoop and
=; ~, from wears end 20 wears end. can
move along from lamp post 10 lamp post
gLi'c satisfactorily, and there are those
NH" regard him as temperate man
a. safe % use "a pattern. Aud then
iE.N point triumphantly 20 license a. a
~ a ierful promoter Of temperance, and
u. rue antidote for drunkenness. You
t-l me that prohibition i failure IN
" iue because liquor Is sold and drunk
ia Maine. viii you tell me that the r.
ligiOn Of Jesus Christ il failure because
sin Is in the world and Old TapsrtOes
g",s hoOfng II up and dow n 10 the earth,
- Sing whom he may devOur: believe
Oh, re are several prOhibitOry measures
set down In the Statute Book Of the
Divine Law Giyer. Theft is prohibited
but there ART those who steal. therefore
prohibition j. 4 failure. License theft
and make people honest Adultery Is
prohibited. And vet there are isolated
cases of that type that have come 10
PISS since the Master said 10 the woman
Neither do | condemn thee. Go and
lin no more :" As prohibition has failed
to prohibit, why not suggest a better
Nay 20 the Almighty, free run in past
u'e, wood and field. But enough. Prohi-
hilton in Maine is not failure. II one
Lrand has been plucked from the burn
ing the trial i worth all il has cost.
The quenched brands are many thou
sands. IL man may be licensed 10 take
-~ay what is far more than mere animal
ii by filling his neighbOr with the fluid
that damns, fail 70 see why he NAV
MT, with perfect propriety, be licensed
To cut his throat. For the suppression
Il murder, license il For the suppress
ion Of any vice whatsoever, outside of
lell, license il. That would be cunning,
wouldn't il: The idea that the legisla-
ton of wrong doing is the logical way
10 sbate the nuisance, lacks luster. AT
least IL is not particularly brilliant con-
eeption. However. il is the pet idea of
many and they fondle il and are charm
ed with il, but We cannot take TO il
kindly, for il clashes with what little
reason We have.
Item. never set eyes on il but am
told that there is kangaroo in the meat
shop on Depot Street. Herb heard it
squeal, so he says, and he caught the
idea that Il is kangaroo bat is not sure,
AS he did not enter. JOHN.