Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-04-11

as If he was not wrong, and let us
turn to Mr. Warder for more opinions,
for, after all, his are really the most
interesting
Mr.. Warder, kindly give us your
opinion of such men as Episcopal
Bishop Williams of Detroit; Cardinal
Gibbons, DR.. Charles H. Parkhurst,
Francis Murphy, John Quincy Adams.
Thomas Jefferson and our beloved
Abraham Lincoln.
Bishop Williams says: "I do not be-
lieve absolute prohibition is possible
at the present time; take the saloons
away from man and you leave big
gap which there is nothing at the
present time to fill When substitute
for the saloon Is found then prohibi.
tion can be worked out"
Cardinal Gibbons says: "The church
is not fanatical on the subject of
liquor, but she teaches moderation.
Her path is not one of rigor, nor yet
laxity, but the middle course the
golden mean. The use of liquor in mod
GRAFTON Is not to be condemned, but if
there is danger of abuse, then it
should not be used at all.
"Our Lord was present at banquets
where wine was used, and changed
water into wine, and by his presence
sanctioned the use in moderate GUAM
titles. ! cannot too strongly applaud
those who denounce the vice of intern
perance. 1t blasts the flower of youth
undermines the constitution and rem
ders its votaries degraded members Of
society. But we must take men as
| they are, and moderate use Of liquor
has never been condemned by the
church"
| DR.. Parkhurst says: 'T believe in
the passage of laws only so stringent
| as to be sure of the Endorsement Of
the average sentiment of the commun.
ity If you enact laws beyond that
point your statute will not be enforc-
ed, and a statute that is not enforced
is a great deal worse than no statute
at all. The degeneracy of morals in
our country Is due to considerable
extent to the fact that the legislation
has been above the tone of the coun-
try's moral sentiment"
Francis Murphy says: The prohibit
ton policy amounts to Caesarism.
They believe in going ahead, right or
wrong. In the states where laws have
been passed prohibiting the sale of
liquor, the entire state has been legis.
lated into crime, for If it Is a crime
to sell liquor 1t is a crime to buy it,
and the majority has done one or the
other. So unpopular have such laws
become that the method Of enforcing
them has become more Injurious than
the original evil, and the officers
whose business 1t is to enforce them
have lost the sympathy of the common
people.
"The drink evil will be eradicated
by the brotherhood and good sense oil
the people. The prohibition party
shows neither one nor the other. II
is folly to say that we are going, as
Rome went, 10 destruction"
John Quincy Adams says: Forget
not. I pray you. the right of persona
freedom. Self government Is the
foundation Of all our political and SO
cial institutions, and 1t is by self gov
eminent alone that the law of tenn
perance can be enforced. Seek not Il
enforce upon thy brother by legisla
tive enactments that virtue which hi
can possess only by the dictates O
his own conscience and the energy O
his own free Will"
Thomas Jefferson says: mo mar
has a natural right to commit agrees
sion on the equal rights of anothe..
and this is all from which law ough
to restrain him; every man is under
the natural duty Of contributing to tn:
necessities of society, and this is al
the laws ought to enforce upon him
When the laws have declared and en-
forced all thts. they have Fulfilled
their functions and the idea Is quite
unfounded that .'n entering in+o soci
ETY. we give up any natural right"
Abraham Lincoln says: prohibition
will work injury to the cause of tenn
perance. It is a species Of intemper
ance within itself, for it goes beyond
the bounds of reason in that it at
tempts to control a mans appetite b,
Legislation and in making crimes on
of things that are not crimes. A prohi
bition law strikes blow at the yer,
principles on which our government
was founded. have always beer
found laboring to protect the weake
class from the stronger, and never
can give my consent to such law a.
you propose to enact Until m,
tongue shall be silenced in death
will continue to fight for the right,
of man."
Please, Mr.. Warder, let us know
what is your opinion of the worth,
men quoted above.
Ottumwa Wholesale Beer and Limo
Dealers Association.
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