The daily tribune., 1909-04-05

wave Of prohibition than this one
swept the country and many OF the
states placed the law upon the
statute books only to later repeal
1t. In none of those states has the
question been revived in the origf.
nal form, Tie local option feature
of 1t Is new and is destined to greater
failure than the former. because 1t
has been demonstrated by every town
voting Cry that the larger scope of
country such as states can more easily
enforce the law than can the town or
city.
The zeal of agitators whose livli.
hood depends upon reforming and
their implantiug and fostering the
claim that the saloon is tho cause of
an appetite born when the world was
Young. has made the saloon the
slapegoat and the target for their
ire.
AS matter of truth the offender is
the one who should be punished.
There are more convicts in our peni-
tentiaries VINO are there to expiate
crimes committed for money than
there are those who have committed
crimes for or by drink, and yet If the
forger, embezzler or thief is caught
he must stand for punishment and
uot the bank where he got the
money. The prohibition theory to
be consistent would be to put the
bang out of business and thus remove
the temptation or opportunity for
those so inclined to get Intoxicated
on money Which very thing men
do exceedingly more than they do on
drink
Prohibition by force will never
be accomplished in country where
the greater part of the people be-
lieve in personal liberty. Not the
liberty to get drunk and become
nuisance or menace to others. for
there are many abstainers who
are firmly opposed to prohibition and
many others who are the bone and
sinew of this nation. No matter
what others may think they also
have their own convictions as honest
a. nd as we'll defended, aud refuse to
ba converted by force. Since there
are many who do not hold member
ship in the chu ches It would be ns
wise to ballot upon the proposition Of
compelling all non communicates I
join and If 1t we're found that there
was a majority in favor of the meas
ure enact such ordinance. What do
you think would result2 Some of the |
best citizens would move away and
the most of the sinners would join to
evade the conseu uence of their crimi- |
nal refusal but what good could come
of It? Their support, their sentiment
and their energy would be exerted
against the church because as they
would feel the tyranical. bigoted
encroachment upo, their personal
rights.
Just so whether or not the guard
ianship of self-appointed guides in
other matters of personal liberty are
or are not good and wise measures
those who prefer to follow their
own conscience In the matter do not
sanction the guardianship and oppose
it with all their American vigor aud
firmly believe they arc fully justified
in their objection, and tho obnoxious
supervision creates nn obstinacy aud
opposition that In both cases Injuries
the good work of the years in which
man has steadily progressed toward
religion aud temperance.
in both cases there must be the
light of truth and the desire within
to embrace this thing aud It is
part of the plaus of his creator that
man must grow in moral strength aud
not be made good by city ordinance
enforced by tine policeman's club,