The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1909-08-26

some men who conceive 1T to be their
right and duty to regulate the personal
habits Of their neighbors.
Prohibition has not only failed to
accomplish its avowed object, but it
has been the greatest obstacle to true
temperance reform in this country dur
ing the last fifty years. Other nations
are far ahead of us in the way in which
they handle the drink question, and
one reason is that they have not been
SO much disturbed by Temperance
waves Prohibition attempts to do
that which is impossible and prevents
the doing of that which is possible. If
the liquor problem, in its legislative
aspects, is ever going to be solved, the
solution must be found along the line
of regulation, and the sooner we set
our feet ON the right path the sooner
we shall reach the desired end
Nothing is more certain than that
every state and local community in
which prohibition now obtains will ulti-
mately have to return to the policy
of regulation, and just so long as the
prohibitory law remains on the statute
books, just so long will the day of ref
ormation be deferred. Prohibition is
like the quack doctor who cannot cure
the patient himself and will not allow
anybody else to take the case. The
present hysterical crusade is itself an
obstacle to reform even in places where
the license law obtains. It is drain
ON the moral energy of the community.
It creates contention, confusion and
bitter strife. 1t attracts and leads
astray many well-intentioned but un-
thinking people, whose interest in
moral reform and whose zeal and en-
thusiam would, if wisely directed, be
of great value to the community. These
people become infatuated with blind
faith in the pwer Of prohibition to
regenerate society, and they will listen
to nothing else. If you suggest to
them some proposition of reasonable
reform, they fly off into a rage and
denounce you as traitor to the coun
try and an enemy of religion.
Prohibitionists not only refuse to
support, but actively and bitterly fight
against, every plan of excise reform
that does not go to their extreme. It
must be abolition or nothing; their
motto is rule or ruin. In their blind
zeal they actually rejoice in iniquity.
The disreputable saloon is far more to
their liking than the decent saloon,
for the more disreputable the saloon
the more ammunition for the campaign.
If all saloons were made decent and
orderly, the bottom would soon drop
out Of the prohibition movement. Tell
a prohibitionist that such and such a
saloon is certainly respectable place,
and you arouse his fercest anger. He
would rather hear that murder had
been committed in one Of the "hell
holes.' In his estimation the re-
spectacle saloon is the very worst kind,
as it deceives and beguiles the unwary
| youth to his destruction.
| The real character Of the prohibition
movement is thus seen in the way it
reacts on the prohibitionists them
selves. They throw truth and reason
and experience to the winds, and often
resort to the most contemplate and
disgusting methods to gain their end.
Some time ago, a travelling salesman
who lives in a town in the middle
west, was returning home from trip.
On arriving at his station, he noticed
that the streets were filed with people.
Making his way through the crowd, he
discovered that no-license parade was
in progress. It was a long procession,
made up Of women and children. They
carried banners and flags, and sang
Temperance songs. Every child
wore badge on which were the words,
''Vote for us; we cannot.' At the
end of the procession were several files
of children dressed in rags and tatters.
One of these, boy, carried a huge
banner. Printed on the banner, in
large letters, were these words: "My
father is drunkard. Our friend the
salesman looked at the banner and
then happened to glance at the boy.
Suddenly an expression of amazement
came over his face, and, breaking
through the crowd, he ran up to the
ragged banner bearer, and grasping
him by the arm, exclaimed: "My
God, what are you doing here, my
boy?" 1t was this gentleman g own
son that had been dressed up in these
rags by the good Temperance women
and sent out to carry this banner OF
shame and humiliation through the
streets. This exhibition is sample
of the methods employed by prohibi
tionists to gain converts to their cause
If these children really had drunken
fathers, it was unspeakably brutal and
cruel to make such a spectacle of them