The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-15
EMINENT DIVINEs AND PROHI
RITION

BITI0N.
The Atlanta Ministers Association seems
determined TO bring on big fight in favor
of prohibition. AT their meeting on Mon
Cay they appointed committees to inaugu-
rate the fight in all parts of the state,
and they especially requested the ministers
of the Atlanta churches TO preach on the
prohibition question for the next sixty
days.
These good men ought to read some re-
marks of Bishop Potter Of New York in the
last issue of the Outlook and the comments
thereon by the Rev. DR.. Abbott the editor
of the magazine. In the remarks of these
eminent ministers they might find much
food for thought. Bishop Potter expresses
the opinion that no such complete repro
duction of the Scribes and Pharisees has
appeared in our day as the Prohibition
lists" He declares that they are arrogant,
ignorant, denunciatory. inscriptions and
untruthful. In his opinion they hold one
meager fragment of the truth TO their eyes.
and deny great and fundamental facts
in human nature. in their foolish and fu-
tile endeavor to remedy the preversion of
human instincts by extirpating them"
Continuing, he says:
THE grotesque hypocrisy of the prohibit
ton system, from Maine to Kansas, is a
sufficient commentary upon their theo-
ries."
In his comments DR.. Abbott says:
There are a great many Prohibitionsts
who have made a fetch of the method
whose minds are not open 10 any candid
examination or any candid statement OF
facts. and who are willing, in what would
be considered in others an INSCRIPTIONS
spirit, to override personal liberty. Men
and women of this temper are not real re-
formers; they are not even advocates Of
real temperance. If they could work their
will they would leave the situation worse
than when they took it up. In order to be
effective a reform must be based on truth,
must be rational in method, and must car
ry with it the Judgment, the conviction
and the support of the majority. The
time has come when a temperance man
can refuse to be a Prohibitionist without
having his motives assailed. without being
accused of working for the saloon"
DR.. Abbott's assertion, that a reform
TO be successful must have the sincere
support of the majority. is so strictly true
that no fair-minded man will question It.
The reason that prohibition has not been
successful in states which have adopted
it is that the majority do not approve Of
IL. The vice of drunkenness in the pro-
hibition states is about as widespread
as in the states in which the liquor trade
is lawful, and the amount of crime result
ing from violence in the dispensary states
is appalling.
1t is strange that the Prohibitionists in
this state cannot let the local option sys-
tenn rescue the state from the liquor traf-
fc It is doing it gradually but certainly,
and when it completes the work the re-
form will be permanent, because the ma
jority will be convinced, and will support
prohibition To force prohibition on the
state simply means to bring about con-
| dition of affairs worse than that which ex-
| lists at present. 1t looks, however, as If
| these good men in Atlanta would rather
have the satisfaction of forcing prohi-
bition on the state than to have prohibit
| ton which actually prohibits. 1t is be-
cause of such a spirit, perhaps, that Bish-
CD Potter deals with Prohlbitionists in gen.
| eral so severely.