Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-27
PROHIBITION MOVEMENT.

A temperance movement is on foot in
Chicago which is pledged to raise ST.
ooo,0 600 in cash. and TO rustic 1000. 900
votes, for what is known as the national
prohibition party. While steps Of this
kind are honestly meant. no doubt, by
those who take them. they represent the
acme Of Political foolishness. No organi-
cation Of a political character can con
tribute to the Well being Of the people
BY attempting To single out for special
effort any moral question upon which
radical and pronounced differences of
opinion may exist. when the tendency Of
such a movement is restrictive Of the
personal liberty Of the individual.
Any movement which has moral sua-
sion in ~view-which would lead men from
the. paths Of sin and temptation and in
spire within them a desire for a higher
better life-deserves the hearty and
sincere encouragement Of all good men.
But an effort to compel men to be good by
tforcibly removing temptation from their
patH,1 Is IfauSnl with grave dangers 10
our system of government and the rights
of a free people. When the barriers of
personal liberty-the inalienable right
of choice-are broken down the end of
civil government is in sight. ...
If the government undertakes through
Legislation to keep men in the paths of
moral rectitude, by regulating their hab-
its by law, it would soon follow a policy
Of liquor prohibition With tobacco pro-
hibition, and shortly lead up to a fore
ible attendance upon church worship-a
New England, when the blue laws We're
in active operation. There are some who
Will claim that such extremes are justi-
fable, if the majority Of the people SO
will, as they are ayowedly in the direc-
ton Of good morals. But the fact must
not be lost sight of that the constitution
of our republic is primarily designed for
the protection of the minority against the
aggressive tendencies of the majority
Through legislation the majority can al
ways take care of itself. but the consti-
tuition steps in at a certain point anc
places a limit on legislation in the inter.
ests of the inalienable rights of the mi
} ncrity.
j, If the guarantee of life, liberty and thu
/ pursuit of happiness is to be abridged b,
: the government, through an attempt tt
= re gulate the personal habits Of it's citi
: zens, then no check can be placed on tn
: extremes to which enthusiastic, though
: we'll meaning people, may go. 1t is blu
: a short step from such a course to
: union of church and state. and the re
! introduction of the evils which rogre
e lsive men ave out-lived.
Temperance people makes great mis-
take in trying to build up a politica
party founded on the one idea of exter
minating the liquor traffic, for they there
y by make an issue of the question of tn
personal rights of the individual, wit
all which that may imply in every wal
of life. The true work of temperance i
to educate mankind to Withstand tn
temptations CnaC Will always dSSdll III
: individual in one form or another as Ion
as the world stands, and to teach tn
< young that they are stronger and bet
y ter and nobler han the inducements t
: dc wrong which they must inevitable
e encounter.
e 1t is far better in moral ethics to teac
t the Young man that he can go past tn
n open door of a saloon without the de
sire to enter, than to tell him that tn
: saloon must be removed from his path
e way lest he fall into habits hat viii
e lead to his ruin. 1t is not right t
transfer moral responsibility from tn
= individual to the temptation that assail
e him. Were this done in every depart
: ment of life the whole superstructure o
: ~!civilization would tumble into ruins Per