Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-05-07


He was wise man who said that
the people, and not the politicians,
make the issue. The control of the
liquor traffic is the issue paramount
| in the minds of the people. No con-
siderable number of party leaders
have willed it so. It is the issue of
issues of which the professional pol
iticians are afraid. The rising tide
of sentiment in favor Of temperance
has spread over all the land; and the
Model License league and kindred
organizations are fighting to save the
prestage of the modern saloon.
Even in Milwaukee, so noted for the
manufacture of beer, the temperance
issue is the absorbing topic. The
activities of the Liberty league, an
organization in the interest of the
brewers and distillers, have stirred up
the people. On Sunday several of the
ablest ministers of the city attacked
the liquor traffic and its attendant
evils. One of the strongest of these
pulpit utterances was by Rev. Will
liam Austin Smith of St. Paul's
church, who preached from the words
of St. Peter, "While they promise lib
erty they themselves are servants Of
corruption :" He said in part:
lone of the live problems of the
day is the question of personal lib
erty,' Men unaccustomed to such
visionary considerations as freedom
have taken an excited interest in the
problem. They hire theaters-and
auditoriums and expensive clergy and
politicians to speak upon the subject.
They issue lengthy pamphlets and
leave them at our doors that all men
may read and understand.
THE class of society not usually
associated with academic topics are
the promoters of the discus8iOn-brew-
ers, saloon keepers, men who own
dance halls, and the men who own
votes. Suddenly all over America
and Europe too, the men who make
Intoxicating drinks and the men who
make more nOxiOus connections are
deeply concerned in safeguarding the
personal liberty of their fellow men.
Their gifted intelligence has enabled
them to detect in advance of the rest
of US fRee born citizens of our birth
right, that sacred thing called per-
sonal liberty.
''If it were not humorous, it would
be impressive.
personal liberty is not a new
problem.
There never has been one upward
lift of humanity which has not been
purchased at the price of somebody's
personal liberty. Every time a COM
munity, nation takes an upward
step, some portion of it surrenders
some of it's freedom Of action. The
area of free movement contracts.
$50 what we call progress in other
directions is usually an infringement
upon somebody's personal liberty, or
at least his definition of personal
liberty.
"Whether we will or no, the state
steps into our sick room and dag
noses the sickness of our family and
tacks a placard on the front of our
house. We perhaps would shield
from public notice the dear one in our
midst dying of tuberculosis, but no,
the state says the case must be report
ed, that the infested district may be
known. Social progress at every step
has seemed to violate somebody's
notion of personal rights.
"There never has been an attempt
to abolish by legislation an abuse
from the beginning of time that some
man whose selfshness was touched
did not raise that cry of personal
liberty. [ have heard it raised by
factory owners who were seeing their
factories emptied of little children by
child labor legislation. [ have heard
it raised by patent medicine mOngers
and adulterated food producers. The
lobbyist pleaded eloquently for per-
sonal liberty. And today all over
Europe and America, the threatened
liquor and brewery industries are
taking up this same ancient cry
pleading for personal liberty.
CHOW the only consideration that
makes this matters problem at all
and it is a real and reasonable prob
lem-is that all along through the
centuries there has been going up to
God and their fellow men the cry of
the weak-what about our personal
liberty. The slave raised that cry?
The serf took it up,-the unprotected
wage Garner carried it On-little
children morally and physically
stunted because their childhood was
passed in the buzzlng, hot, close fac
tory over the loom, swelled the chorus
of appeal-and today the children
born under a roof with a drunken
father are asking the bitter question:
Have we no personal rights? Shall
we remain starved and beaten, pauper-
zed and diseased because of the
states regard for the personal liberty
OF brute appetite?
"When the factory owner votes for