Mower County transcript., 1898-03-30
A Hint to Temperance Workers.
The last number of the Window

The last number of the Window
Reporter contains the following:
Down below is the way Editor
Belden looks at license business. The
concluding sentence Of bis remarks
sounds the key note. Temperance
men must be consistent and work
together. II license prevails it will
not do for the temperance fanatics to
say that "you fellows are responsible
for the conditions" but must hang
on like a dog to bone. I am inclined
to think that, if license system is
properly enforced, the temper
ance men in the community can soon
make license victory a nO-license
victory before the year expires if they
will get into the breechinR and do
good and sensible work. Licenses are
so hampered with restrictions and
bonds and such things that it is al
most impossible for saloon to run
without running amuck of trouble if
the temperance men in a community
will be honest with themselves and
with their fellows who desire sobriety
to prevail The older I grow in the
temperance work the more uncertain
l become Of what is best to- do, but
under which ever system prevails
am clear that it is the duty of the
temperance men to see that the law
is enforced. I am not sure but a
license town with a license law en-
forced, as the statute gives US the
privilege Of doing, would give us
next to no license town in practice,
but in theory we would have some
thing else. The trouble under both
systems is to enforce the law, which
must be done with Judgment and
fairness and without unusual methods
so as to appeal to the fair-minded
people Of community to stand by
the prosecutions. In license towns it
often happens that the temperance
men will say that they are not re.
sponsible for the condition, and that
those who are, must see to the enforce.
ment of law. l have heard it said in
Window, and when no license pre-.
vailed the other fellows would say the
same thing. The only patriotic way
OF doing is for all classes to abide by
the law and make it respected.
Spasmodic efforts are fruitless as a
rule. They get up big scare at the
time, "chaw" off ears for a day, and
then the old system gets back into
the old ruts. As ''eternal vigilance is
the price of liberty" so it is the price
of temperance, if we are to depend up
on law to make men think it is wrong
to drink or handle liquor. But there
is the rub. We do more to make men
desist by prosecutions land that is not
much) than by bringing up a gene
ration to believe that wine "bitett
like a serpent and stingeth like ar
adder" Here is how Belden looks al
it:
"Spring Valley, after trying ne
license for over dozen years, goes
for license this year, as we are i'm
formed, because blind piggers anC
druggists have been getting rich out
Of illicit liquor selling. Window, the
county seat of Cottonwood county, re-
duced it's no license majority of Is!
of year ago to IA this year on &C
count of the 'bungling management
of the no license extremists. Austir
has lesson to learn from the expert
ence of others. There are some things
already developing here which ar
ominous. The only thing to do is tt
enforce no license strictly during tht
coming year. Let all lovers Of Law
and order lend their hearty and un
firing cooperation.