The San Francisco call., 1896-03-29
The Policy and Work of the
Prohibition Party Caus.
tically Reviewed.
LAB0Rs COMPARED
The California State Protective Asso-
citation in Favor of Local
Option.

COr Cuo pdSL TWO udyS tue COmInun INCA
ton of o. G. May of Berkeley, published
in THE CALL of Friday, criticizing the work
and aims of the California State Protec.
tive Association has been largely the
topic of conversation among the liquor
men and the prohibition people on both
sides of the bay. In reply to Mr.. May
}. P. Edoff, president of the association,
had this to say yesterday:
"It has not been my habit to notice the
vaporings of obscure assailants who are
always rushing into the public prints,
when they can secure the consent of the
editor, to hurl venom at an imaginary foe,
and 1 see no substantial reason why Mr..
May should be made an exception to my
general policy in this respect.
"The subject-matter of his communica-
ton is the old threadbare sermon which
has been preached and sung by the Pro-
hibitionist for a century, and it's teachings
are regarded as SO impracticable by
modern civilization as to scarcely merit
consideration.
"In this State the prohibition party has
been in active existence and operation for
more than quarter of century, and yet
at the last election their vote was so insig-
nihcant as to scarcely entitle it to be
dignitied by the term scattering. men
ton this simply for the purpose of calling
attention to the fact that the prohibitionist,
as represented by Mr.. May, is narrow, con-
tracted, intolerant, bigoted, selfish and
opinionated, and hence it is that they
make such little headway in their attempt
to persuade the body polite into the adop-
ton of their views.
9th hov ho1 al
be admitted, but to differ with them upon
the subject is to invite a cy clone of vituper-
alton and abuse, which is always the
ready weapon of narrow intellect
"a fair sample OF this intolerance and
bigotry is conspicuously apparent in the
communication of Mr.. May. Without
any knowledge or acquaintance with my
self, or, SO far as 1 am aware. with any
other member of our organization, he
proceeds to launch a TRADE of billingsgate
and falsehood against US.
His reference to oCher matters and the
interests they represent shows the hippant
and reckless use of dagger in the hands
OF fool.
'Now, with regard to his opinions as to
the objects OF our association | have no
desire to make any comment or to enter
into any discussion with Mr.. May through
the press or elsewhere. His gross perver-
sion of the facts is so marked that any
thing like fair basis of argument with
men of his mentality is utterly impossible,
and therefore such a discussion would
prove not only Improbable, but absurd.
He is either ignorant of the truth respect
ing the present status of the liquor traffic
In California, or does not possess sufficient
moral courage to admit what is common
knowledge, and that is that our association
has accomplished greater results in the
two years of It's existence in the line it is
following than all of the Prohibitionists
since the organization of the State
government.
Neither is his statement true that it was
or is our purpose to wrest from the local
authorities the right to regulate or sup
press the traffic. Upon the contrary, at
the last session of the Legislature We at
tempted the enactment of local option
statute, submitting to vote of the people
of each county the question of license or
no license, which cannot now be done by
any valid enactment. This measure was
defeated by the efforts of people fashioned
after the caliber of Mr.. May, and for no
the measure proceeded from the liquor
dealers themselves.
1--WE also attempted to increase the
license revenue by more than $1,000. 900
in the State, with view of thereby les
sening the number of retail saloons, and
by so dong very greatly diminishing the
opportunities for low or disorderly places,
and yet this action upon our part IS con-
strued by the man from Berkeley as an at
tempt TO plant a saloon at every mans s
door. In other words, he seems to con-
slider that to double or treble the tax upon
the traffic will have the effect of multiply
ing instead of diminishing the number of
establishments, which is quite in keeping
with the logic OF his position throughout
his whole vicious TRADE.
"And finally he says that our avowed
purpose to eschew politics is mere pre-
tense and a sham. L wish only to add in
this connection that the example, as we'll
as the results accomplished by the politi-
cal efforts of the Prohibitionlsts, is we'll
calculated to persuade sensible people to
enter some other field than the political
arena if they desire to be factor in pub
lie affairs"