The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1908-10-02

sential unreality. and discredited
by widespread and consistent fail
ure. There is a drink evil: and
you and I must not ignore IT,
There Is a task for Christian men
and women. just here. 10 perform.
and you and ! m1st not shirk H.
But let US begin BY trying to rec
ognize the facts. and then let Us
strive 70 deal with them in a way
worthy OF their pOrtentious sig
nificance."
False Doctrines.
II is false doctrine TO make people
yirtuous by the force OF law. 1t has
never been possible. it is not possible
now. To some people the law is a
fetish which they worship with blind
zeal They think that IL anything is
wrong anywhere. all that is necessary
Is to have a law passed II IL does
not work have another law. and so on
indefinitely They forget that they
have not to deal with things. but with
human beings that cannot be treated
as autonata. but have a soul. a mind
and a will of their own and each OF
them his individual conscience. II that
conscience is not in harmony with the
Law. there is no power on earth strong
enough TO enforce the law. The stste
OF Kansas had prohibition for twenty
fiye years until the first attempt was
made toward its enforcement. and then
Il could only be enforced in spots.
while in other places the attempt was
a miserable failure
God knows. intemperance is a great
evil and there are abuses in the liquor
trade. but il is a false doctrine TO for
bid use altogether. merely because
there is abuse II is a false doctrine
10 take from man the possibility OF
self-control and subject him In the ex-
ercise OF his personal rights and habits
OF living 10 the control of government
II II is attempted TO treat him as
machine 70 be regulated by one par
ticular set OF men. he viii rebel, and
the evils arising therefrom are far
greater than the evil which IL is in
tended to cure. Jubilantly the Pro
hlbitionists point 10 the constant grow
ting OF dry territory, while the sale
OF liquor goes merrily on, not only
without any apparent diminution, but
with a positive increase OF drunken
ness. II may be that the saloon is a
temptation. but prohibition in remoS-
ing that one temptation. which is un-
der the public eye. substitutes a great
many temptations infinitely worse. be-
cause hidden and concealed II sub
stitutes the blind tiger. the kitchen
bar. the secret club. the boot-legger.
for the open saloon. whisky in place
OF beer. the bottle for the glass. and
lays before the young all the tempta.
tons Of secrecy and mystery.
Temperance . Question Of Civilization.
True temperance is not a question
OF legis lation. but one OF progressing
civilization. The human race is i'm
proving from day to day In habits.
manners and customs. The time was
and not long ago when a man was
admired for drinking the other fellow
under tie table. today the drunkard
IS ost-aci5ed from good society. Mod
em business methods and public sent
iment demand sobriety. and coercwe
or pr0hibiIive laws only hinder these
agencies in having their full beneficial
effect
Liquor and Crime.
II Is a false doctrine that most crime
is caused by liquor Undoubtedly
many transEressions and misdemean-
ors are committed in a state Of drunk
enness. Unouestionably IL has hap
lened that murderers have fortified
themselves for the commission Of their
awful deed with strong drink. but such
cases excepted. all the great crimes
require clear heads for their execu.
tiOn. The defrauding bank cashier:
the note-forging bank president. the
embezzling clerk: the thief: the rob
Der. the skilled counterfeiter. who
makes false notes or coins OF the
realm: the burglar. who stealthily
creeps into habitations az night. care
ful not TO awaken anybody: the gam
bier who plays with false cards or
loaded dice. the briber and bribe-tak.
ing official IT. these and others need
strong nerves and steady hands and
nothing would render them less At for
their criminal career than indulgence I
in liquor
tell YOU Wall street causes more 4
misery. crime and suicide in one day
than all the liquor drunk in a whole
year. yet nobody speaks OF closing IL 4
The state prisons OF Maine and Kan I
sas are ss well filed as those OF any
state. ray. even better than those OF \
many a license state During the year
ending Nov. 30. 1907. the state prison 4
OF Main --~~'v~i II convicts or 10 4
for each thousand population;
that in N1 averaged 207 In 1905 \
and 1906 lcluding prisoners from \
Oklahonl l72 per hundred thou 4
sand: ir uLio the number in 1906 was \
652. or las per hundped thousand. and \
in Illinois In 1906 and 1906 The annual 4
average was Sal. or 15.5 per hundred
thousand population.
un~. shat a. v,nuaff,fa 10 drfrb tu tha