Washington sentinel., 1901-04-06
THE OLD STORY.
Mulct and PTohIOition Laws in
Iowa.

Jos. Eiboeck. the veteran editor.
in his LOzOa Stats ZeitHRg. is in
terested in the enactment Of good
and just laws. Such laws the
people sustain and aid in enforcing,
while on the contrary, laws that
are unjust and which are at vari-
ance wi h the peoples conception
OF right and justice, or in other
words. which public sentiment
does not sustain, become inopera-
tive at some vexation and annoy
ance and defeat the object Tor
which they we're enacted. Such
law is the prohibitory law OF Iowa
with its unfortunate annex OF the
mulct law. While the prohibitorV
law declares the manufacture and
sale OF into xicating liquors crime,
the annex gives the dealers in
liquors permission to commit the
crime Of manufacturing and selling
upon payment OF a heavy fine or
mulct tax. Fair minded people,
however Jealous in the cause of
preventing the traffic in liquors,
cannot and do not endorse such a
law which apparently has no other
object but that Of getting as much
money as possible out OF the deal
ers in liquors, caring nothing for
the morality Of the question, in
viting crime, if it be a crime, to
secure the sheckels.
II it be crime, no matter what
the verbiage oi the law is, no mat.
ter how stringent its provisions,
there are comparatively few people,
outside of the extreme wing OF the
prohibition element, who sincerely
believe that it is a crime to sell
beer and other liquors. However,
it is sold in every city, town, vii
lage and hamlet in the State, and
even more generally IN the locali-
ties where the mulct law does not
operate and the sale of liquors tails
under the ban of the old prohibit
tory law. To be brief, it is used
and sold everywhere by rich and
poor. high and low, and directly
under the eyes of the prohibition
clergy and their followers; in drug
stores, club rooms, JOINTS and in
every conceivable place and in
every possible manner. This
causes infoTmations, complaints
and arrests and fills our courts with
suits and prosecutions and often
peTsecu ions ioT violations or as
sumed violations OF the law, which.
were just and practical license
enacted in its place, such troubles
would not arise. The liquor deal
ers would be put under proper re
straint and public sentiment would
secure the enforcement OF the law
and he hundreds OF thousands OF
dollars which the tax payers Of the
State are annually called upon to
pay for such attempted enforce
ments and prosecutions, would be
saved, while the consumption OF
liquors would not be greater and
probably much less than under the
existing law.
The constant pickering, deuun.
citation and villification on the part
OF that portion of the Protestant
clergy VIII ch converts its pulpits
into prohibition rostrums instead
OF place where the higher themes
OF Christianity, OF love and for
bearance and forgiveness is taught,
is becoming a source OF unendura.
bic annoyance to the better class
OF the people OF Iowa who are be.
ginning to demand a halt and to
urge the repeal OF the existing un
just and vexatious prohibitory law,
They recognize in its further On
!inuance only further annoyance
and trouble without any compen.
sating gain to morality and good
order. They behold further mil
lions OF dollars annually going out
of the State for beer, wine and
liquors which could be retained
here and would aid in the deVel-
opment Of our towns and cities and
help the farmers as well as the
laboring men and while not caus
ing any more liquors to be used
than are used at present.
Fellow Citizensl Is it not time
that united, concerted move.
ment be made to secure the sub.
stitution Of the present onerous
and oppressive laws by another and
better lawS Let US think and act
promptly and do what is to be
done that the curse Of Sc cret drink
ing and its attendant crimes may
be abolished and a law enacted
which public sentiment " i'll uphold
and which will promote true tenn
perance and not unbridled clandes
tine liquor selling in Iowa.