Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-03-24
THE LOCAL PROHIBITION
QUESTION.

alone is salvation, and in the belief
Ill him lies the foundation of all good
deeds. 1t stands to reason that
We are very friendly disposed towards
all just and Christian movements in
favor of moderation and are willing
to support them to the best of our
ability. But these movements are. as
we see in other countries, based on
Christian love and heartfelt pity for
those unfortunates who are victims
OF such evils. They are to be treated
like the sick, to be saved at all cost
Such are the teachings of Christ,
which are obeyed by his true follow
ers to the letter.
What are the teachings of prohibit
ton? Even the children are set
against the father when he returns
from work tired and weary and longs
for cooling drink. Is there any love
here?
But let us touch another point re-
garding the Christian love- Have the
ladies' and gentlemen who are advo-
eating prohibition given it, thought
what is to become of the thousands
of workingmen, fathers and families,
who through the passing of the law
lose their occupation? Have they
made provision for their employment?
| The number of workers affected in the
different. branches is a very large one
There is the farmer. who will lose
! the market for a number of his pro
| ducts; the different classes of work
ipgmenS in the breweries, distilleries,
| etc; these who manufacture bottles.
glasses, the coopers, the photographers
who make the labels, the saloonkeep
ers, the walters, and other employees.
Who reimburses the owners of brew.
| cries, their factories and machinery
for the capital invested? Who buys
| their homes, their horses and theii
material that they have on hand?
Another argument against prohibit
ton is that through it personal liberty
granted by the constitution of tn,
United States will be lost. 4 The pro
hibitionists strive to make their per
sonal ideas the law. and want to die
| tate to us what we are to eat ant
drink. Does that mean freedom? VIII!
are they so None-sided in the fulfill
nent of the bidding of the Lord?
Does not the bible also say. The
love of money is the root of all evil?
Why don't they prohibit the amassins
of riches? Why don't they enac
laws for the protection of the workin.
classes and against child labor? The
would have a grand field to worl
upon in this direction, and now the
are bent upon to render valueles
with one stroke of the pen propert.
) that and drive to starvation million:
CT their brethren.
Let us see what history has t.
say about such movements. The ar
. swer is: We find that all nations a
all times have used liquors. and W.
further find that the forbidding of tn
use of liquor has always had the fur
ttering of drunkenness in its wake
The rich have, Notwithstanding pre-
hibition, all they desire in their ce'
, lars, no matter how secretly and fror
what distance it has to be brought
and the poor have managed to ge
substitutes of inferior quality tina
have made them in a short time con
: firmed drunkards.
Nov, to the prohibition states O
this country: Are they progressing
better than the other states? Just OIL
the contrary. Has the use of liquo
been stopped in those states? Nothing
OF the kind, only the place of thu
Strengthening wine and beer has beer
Itaken by injurious spirits of the wors
quality, and patent medicines tina
lecntain liquor of inferior quality, ant
IL some cases even by wood alcohol
: 1t is farce to say that the prohibit
ton laws were passed for the benefi
Ios the working classes. Thousand
iof workingmen have left those nal
rcw-minded states and cities and hay
migrated to districts where they coul
live according to their liking"
: PRESS COMMITTEE ANTEPROHl
IS BITION LEAGUE.