The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-03

for His Views and for the Lam
guage I'm Which They Were
Couched-The Controversy Con-
stdered Upon Its inertia - The
Aims and Objects of Prohibition.
To the Editor of The Globe:
Bishop Potter, in his recent dogmatic
reply to a letter from Lyman Abbott,
editor of the Outlook, requesting the
bishop to furnish an article for publ
cation, giving his plan for dealing with
the saloon evil, instead of submitting
some feasible plan for restricting the
liquor traffic, confines his brief article al
most wholly to malevolent TRADE
against the prohibitionists. He embraced
the opportunity to grossly insult, In I'M
called for abusive language, a multitude
of deserving men and women belonging
to the organized body of earnest temper
ance workers who conscientiously believe
that 1t is not only legitimate, but highly
promotive of morality. to advocate, and,
far as possible, secure restrictive legis-
lation, both state and national, to pro-
hibit the sale of intoxicating liquor as a
beverage.
If the invective of Bishop Potter
against the prohibitionists, In character
izing these countless thousands of sin
cere people as 'Pharisees and arrogant,
ignorant. untruthful, INSCRIPTIONS, fool
ish and hypocritical,' did not stand in
evidence against him, it would seem In
credible that leading teacher of the
Christian religion should deem 1t con-
sistent with his consecrated calling, and
should so far forget the ordinary courtesy
due to ladies and gentlemen, and be so
unmindful Of the spiritual duty he owes
to the rising generation, as to write in
such diSrespectful terms of a large and
prominent class of citizens who are wide
~ and favorably known for their benevo-
lent works, not only in advocating the
cause of temperance, but in responding to
the calls for charitable relief generally.
DR.. Potter writes as follows:
ut Is the old .situation-as old as the
religion of Jesus Christ-With the ScribeS
and Pharisees on the one hand, the Sad
ducees on the other, and, over against
them, the Truth.
No more perfect reproduction of the
first named has appeared In our day than
the .Prohibitionist, ct id omne genus, ar
rogant, .denunciatory ignorant, unscrupu-
lous, and untruthful; holding one meager
fragment of the truth to their eyes, and
denying great and fundamental facts in
human nature, in their foolish and futile
endeavor to remedy the perversion of
human instincts by extirpating them true
children of the medieval systems of mo-
nastic ascoticism, which they would fain
substitute for the freedom of a regenerat-
ed manhood, The grotesque hypocrisy of
the prohibition system, from Maine to
Kansas, is a sufficient commentary upon
their theories. Meantime, the endeavors
of wiser men and women to better the
condition-the homes, the domestic life,
the recreations-of their less-favored
brethren go untouched of these, fit sue
cessors of those to whom Jesus said:
Woe unto you, scribes and Phar1seeS.
hypocrites, for ye bind heavy burdens
upon mems shoulders, and grievous to be
borne, and we yourselves will not touch
them with the tips of your fingersi'
And over against them as of old, are
the modern Sadducees critical indiffer-
ent, apathetic. The dissensions of those
who are not agreed as to the problems of
intemperance and it's cure are entertain
Ing and amusing to these-and no more.
The bishop quaiifcatively commends
''men of wealth and intelligence for the
noble and generous things which they
have done for their fellow men, and sug-
gestively refers to "fanatical and hyster-
ical people, as follows:
What l have said has its considerable
and inspiring qualifications; and men of
wealth and intelligence who had original
ly dismissed the saloon question, and
all that it involves. equally hopeless
and insoluble, have in recent years, and
in some conspicuous instances which /
need not recall, grappled with the larger
problems of the housing and lettering of
wage-earners in all the various aspects
in which those various problems present
themselves, and have done noble and gen.
erous things along the line of a wiser
and more brotherly consideration for
their fellow men.
Meantime 1t may be we'll to relieve the
minds Of fanatical and hysterical people
by saying that there is no one cure for
SO vast a mischief as the saloon stands
for"
The gratuitous attack Of Bishop Potter
on the character of these philanthropic
people, representing almost every local
district of the United States, in harshly
denouncing them just because he Is pref
udiced against their method of work of
intoxicating temperance principles, and,
to quote his peculiar phrase. 'et i'd omne
genus '("everything of the kind''), is ex-
ceedingly reprehensible and calls for crit
zeal rebukes by all classes Of well-disposed
people, and especially those processing
Christianity. It is evident that the bishop
does not clearly comprehend the scope of
the work of the Prohibitionists when he
charges them with denying great and
fundamental facts in human nature, In
their foolish and futile endeavor to rene
dy the perversion of human instincts by
extirpating them" This is a narrow and
misleading Interpretation of the theory OF
these people for practical temperance
work, and is an unbecoming reflection on
the Intelligence of readers generally.
While it is devoutly wished by all that
depraved human instincts may in time be
wholly extirpated. and it is believed that
in the providence of God, the time will
eventually come when depravity will be
generally eradicated, the primary aim of
the Prohibitionists is to aid as far as
possible in regenerating fallen manhood
by counteracting, through prohibitory
liquor laws, the prevailing human propen-
sfty to indulge an acquired taste for alco-
holic beverages.
1t has been demonstrated by the tests of
practical experience that the sale of in
toXicating liquors as a beverage has
largely diminished in each community in
the states where prohibitory LIQUOR laws
have been enacted and strictly enforced.
RMS salutary result naturally follows the
cloSfng up by law of innumerable licensed
saloons and other drinking resorts. and
thus essentially reducing the opportunities
10 readily crafty a pernicious appetite
Tor Stimulating drinks Furthermore. the
old adage, "Out of sight out of mind. y
Is especially exemplified In the fact that
1t is the experience of those addicted
to strong drink, and is also the observa-
ton Of people who have given the sub
Ject conSfderate attention that 1yi+y,