The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-03-02

prohih ticniss wlshel 10 lnleriers
With nun ltnerty 10 DIM They
were dnly ~ sfs 70 abollsh tae sais
tie tatIIc, WHIT . Bfaltant idets -
me ni1ndia and sale O. lislaoF
yere topped an over can't
ana tfiis tie ~ tgtie
name of sens cotiId; man eFetse
tifberty 10 SdEtnl Any child knows
Ethat tos prohibit the manufa cture and
sale Of a comm ditys - ~ eject 70.
fprohibit the use ofs that commod ityg
lYousmay5 drink ali lyou please. says my
Eclerical friend, bnt we shan see 70.
lit thatiyoa, don't get nythlRg t.: drink.
\ This Is his version OF personal lib
erty
But, even Il we were to waive this,
iquestion Of personal rights. prohibi5
\ ton must still be condemn ned on the
i ground that It has not made good. It.
has failed, to stop the sale OF 1iQuor;;f
lit has failed to remove orieyen lessen
1.-THE evil Contemporaries. Observation.
land experience backed upby statistics
prove this. And the reason for this
failure IS obvious: Noalaw can reach
a mans appetite, taste, desire. so
Hong as men have the desire to drink,
they willShnd way to drink, law or
no law. Tie combined armies OF Eus
rope could not enforce prohibition in
this country. Keep people who wish
Ito drink from drinking Why, the
thing is a Joke. It Is enough to make
even a prohibitionist laugh. Prohibis
ton has been tried long enough to.
have proved itself dismal failure.
II you. wish to see how the scheme
works or rather doesn't work, go up to
the State Of Maine, where they have
had prohibition for over fifty years.
or come to Long Island and visit some
Of our "dry" towns. MY home town
of R,verhead was officially "dry" IN
to the first OF May. 1907. During the
two "dry" years, more liquor was con-
sumed- and vile stun too-than had
been used during the previous two
years Of license. The Internal Reve-
nue. Collector told me that his receipts
during the "dry" season we're great
er than they mad ever peen Dehore'l ! ue
bition, and, at the last election, voted
for license by a big majority. The
sherin Of our county, whotlives in my
town, recently tod me tnat, ne never ~
saw Rsyeraead 50 lofdefly ana SO iEee
from drunkenness as = = nas speen slnce
the incense laW went NY oetaslou'
the whole mora tone q Jus colliinun
tty mas improved.
Again, prohibition must be con
demned not only because " mas failel
to do any good but chiefly because It
has worked untold harm Not only
Ehas it not removed intemperance, but
it has increased that evil and has add
ed to It many other worse evils. me
officers Of the Army are practically
unanimous in their condemnation OF
the anti;canteen law. And the same
causes that make prohibltton IN tne
Army curse, operate with equal
force in civil community. Human
nature is the same everywhere. the
abolition Of the open, lawful saloon
is everywhere followed by the setting
up of "blind tigers, speakeasies
and all kinds Of demorali2ing resorts.
Young men find their way into these
hidden places. and are tempted TO re-
main until they drink themselves
drunk. All sorts Of vile and poison Z.
GUS connections are dispensed in these
low-down dives. During the vast six
years have seen both systems in ope-
ration, and have observed how, IN
many ways, the no.license plan has
been a curse to our town. The prohi-
bitionist tells US that the open saloon
Es a oOr Sfank kopoDta ftOn IN the v0iI0R.