The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-03-11
"Prohibition a Failure I"

'With floating bar-rooms upon our
waterways, and travelling bar-rooms upon
our public highways; with ambrosia joints
located in every little hamlet, with speak
easies galore and with our drug stores
dispensing the vile stuff upon the pre-
scriptions of even the 'hoss doctors -
Thus sings liquor swan his dying note
in the liquor organ of the county to the
old bacchanalian tune of prohibition a
failure
'With theft and burglary in every
hamlet, and highway robbery on the
public roads, with fire, rape and murder
galore" would make an excellent parody
to the above old bacchanalian chant heard
so often sung by temperance advocates.
The repeal of all criminal law would be
a great benefit to the public because those
crimes continue to be committed, would
be the acme of wisdom according to the
temperance advocates who dress i'll robes
of white to serve the grog boozers' cause.
Do these sham temperance advocates
know what law means other than stat
utory arrangement to punish evil doors by
fixed rules? 1t is fair to presume they do
not. Criminal law is infinitely more than
a process of punishment for the law
breaker 1t is a moral guide and COM
mand, rule of life prescribed by society
for the betternient of the individual and
the improvement of the social order. 1t
is finger board at the parting of the
ways telling the traveller which road leads
to evil, involving danger and hardship,
and which to good order, the public well
fare, promoting the ends of justice.
The law is society's school master. 1t is
the voice of society prescribing rules
which are necessary for the maintenance
of social order. Law is a talisman by
which society detects its enemines and
ostracizes them. Whoever violates law
and defies the will of society has a moral
obliquity cast upon him, is adjndged an
outlaw and is placed under The ban. The
moral force OF law is far greater than its
power to punish. The law of prohibition
says the grog selling business is wrong,
and wrong doors are ever under the ban
of society. 1t says the wrong doer is not
good citizen. 1t aims to set the brand
of Cain on him and cast him out, drive
him to the land of Nod (vagabonds.)
Now prohibition law has all these
forces behind it and is steadily exerting
its influence on society to educate it
against the alcoholic disease and danger.
There is not speakeasy keeper, a boot
leg peddler, floating rum saloon keeper
or a joint proprietor that is not under the
ban of society, that is not ostracized, that
is not looked upon as bad citizen in a
more or less degree, the same as violators
of other criminal laws.
Place these secret liquor vendors under
the protecting aegis of license law and
they come out in the open day and hold
up their heads among men, claim they
are claw abiding" citizens, that the con-
sensus ofopinion declares the liquor traffic
right, moral, just and of good report II
the law affirms it right and proper to sell
it is also right, proper and of good report
to drink, and all that drinking leads to is
justified and condoned by public opinion
and good society.
These are the sublime and far reaching
differences between license law and a
prohibition law. and not merely selling
and taking a drink of whiskey on the sly
or publicly over licensed counter.