The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1900-05-25

to us ~ as outward law or command,
then (2) going beyond the mere letter OF
the law, the voice OF conscience is heard,
and. lastly (3) our action is controlled by
freedom. And thus, when the "thou
shalt" Of the first and second becomes
the II will" OF the third, duty becomes
transfgured until it achieves the glory
which lights up the historic page with
heroic grandeur and noble deeds Of
valor. The liquor traffic is guilty Of
crime, and it is my duty to kill it, are
the two thoughts wish to present. The
liquor traffic robs man of his reason.
The Incorporate man loses self-control,
RACES in frenzy and prostrates his ra-
tional power. All the evils of intem-
peranee are secondary to this and all
arise from it, 1t is well that it should
be so. When man lifts suicidal arm
against reason, resigns his rank among
Gods rational creatures and becomes a
brute, it is natural and proper and ben
eficial to society at large that he shall
stand, monument of wrath, forever
exhibiting the handwriting of judgment
and woe and constant teacher of what
it means to destroy reason. When go
to the poorhouses and penal institutions
OF the thickly settled states, as | have
frequently done, and see the burden of
thousands Of dollars laid upon the COM
munity, | feel the tremendous guilt of
the liquor traffic as nowhere else. Yet
| wish that it were more, that the burden
might become so heavy that we should
ask in alarm: "How may we be saved?"
The liquor traffic robs man of his genius
and intellect. Edgar Allen Poe had a
poetic and imaginative power with
which he might have thrilled the world.
But one day there came the black raven
of delirium tremens tapping at his cham
Der door, and there was nothing more.
All along the highways of the centuries
there stand monuments OF rude failures
and disappointed hope, accusing wit
nesses of the crime for which the liquor
traffic stands indicted.
The liquor traffic is charged with
criminal robbery and premeditated
murder. 1t makes no defence. 1t has
no apologists. There are those indeed
who plead for its life but they allude
not to its record nor palliate its crime.
1t stands before the tribunal OF mans
conscience and the Judgment bar of God.
What sentence shall be pronounced
upon it? Gods verdict we already
know. The awful wrecks of human life,
the madman's raving, the sufferer s
shrek and the doleful wailing of women
and children bespeak the portentious
doom of Gods curse. Sacred revelation
hath declared that the drunkard shall
not (even ii he could) enter the kingdom
OF heaven. The Bible is full of salutary
warming. But the sentence imposed by
the tribunal of mans conscience is not
so plain. The laws of civilized sociery
are made by its component parts. I'm.
less crystallization OF customs based on
eternal right, they are counterfeit
No one believes the liquor traffic to be
grounded on right. Yet for a money
consideration we place upon our statute
books laws regulating and protecting
the liquor traffic. Such laws have moi
one mark Of genuineness about them
They are spurious and violation Of
those principles upon which all laws
must stand. Being groundless, sooner
or later they must fall, and the liquor
dealer who violates the license law il
not as much of criminal as the mar
who passesit and thus slanders right anC
outrages justice. The license law is &
trayesty upon righteousness, q scarlet
stain upon the historic page of civiliza.
TONS record and foul stencil in the
moral advancement of humanity. Its
legality ought to be resisted sand con
tested until erased from oar statut,
books and no more said about it thar
there is concerning the sale of arseni,
and molasses This reform is incum
bent upon the mass of voters. The Ii
quor dealer, the drunkard, the republi
can, or populistic or democratic voter
are all on par One is entitled to 81
much respect as another. The brewer
distiller and saloon-keeper are NOR,
honorable than many so-called temper
ance people, who, with open-mouthet
hubbub, decry the liquor traffic, anC
then, on election day, vote for rum ant
license, Tradition and family prid,
make the republican party very dear t,
me. The cord OF inclination pulls tight
ly, but | feel the tugging of mightie
one. Duty has an appeal to make
Moral judgment and obligation both de
clare that the liquor traffic ought to die
Gods eternal law commands me to xii
the intruder upon all social happiness
The promptings OF my inward spirit be
seech me to pull out the noxious weed
| despoiling the productiveness of human
intellect and genius, and impelled by tn
"Thou shalt" of the former and latter
join to it the " | Wilt" of the third
and pledge myself by the help of tn
eternal God to strike the institution
hard blow. The license law is illega
and unrighteous. May God speed tn
time when the Christian conscience vii
be sufficiently educated to see the sin
fulness OF any law which legalizes an
protects evil in fragrant form. In
spired by that conscience, may thos
who love men and fear God arise, and
clothed in the might of sovereign power
forever break those shackles which en-
slave mems liberties and possibilities
The sentiment of this town has declare,
that the saloon shall not be licensed
That is righteous law. Today it is be
ing openly defied and mocked at. Their
has been enough hysterical screaming
Plentyof empty barrels have been role,
down the hill. A few Pinkertons and
score of Winchesters would be more ei
fective. At least, their equivalent il
hard cash is needed. Action is an i'm
perative necessity. May God help us t,
strive for the purity of our homes, tn,
legality of cur law and the integrity o
our manhood, Take heed lest by an,
means this liberty of yours become
! stumblipg-blcek to them that are wesk