The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-02-27
Must This Farce Be Repeated?

Must This Farce Be Repeater Ia
Cedar Rapids Republican: Inc
house committee on temperance mas
fayorably reported the Meredith reso-
luton calling for the resubmssloh VI
the prohibitory amendment. Whetner
or not this foreshadows favorapie
action on the resolution by the legls'
ilature cannot be known until the vote
lis taken 1t would seen that every
/ thoughtful and sincere man VINO llVeo
through the years that interviewed oe-
tween 1882 and 1894 in this state
would pray that this cup OF folly
which is being again pressed to our
lips might pass from U.S.
The well-meaning, but misguided,
enthusiasts of 1882 brought about IN
this state such reign of hypocrisy
and debauchery as it had never known
before. but which it will know again
liz this folly is repeated. This paper
hopes that the legislature will have
4 wisdom sufficient to kill this matter IN
the beginning. We say this as one
who has no sympathy with the liquor
traffic per Sc. as one who world IKE
to remove the evils of intemperance,
not only from our state, but from the
world. We say 1t. however, as one
firmly pursuaded that this consum-
nation so devoutly to be wished for
cannot be brought about by means OF
statutory or constitutional state wide
: prohibition. If the legislature passes
tho Meredith resolution and the leg
islature to be elected year from
next fall also passes It, and 1t goes
; to the peonIe. then we believe 1t VIII
receive a majority at the polls Ihat
mo ioritv. as was the case with the ma
ioritv of 1892 will not be an honest
majority. There will be enough votes
cast for it by men absolutely opposed
to prohibition, but who hope to gain
; politically by it. as they did In the
mast added to those who sincerely be-
: lieye In prohibition as panacea, to
: give it majority; and then the
5 wretched history of those years from
. 1882 to 1894 will be repeated. Com
munities opposed to the law ard there
are many of them in this state--will
simply go to work and elect peace
officers pledged to the violation of
Z their oaths of office: and we shall
have in these communities not the
% well-regulated mulct saloons. without
', screens. without back doors, without
~ chairs and without music and
- free lunches, but the unregulat
- ed all day and all night and
- all day Sunday hole in the wall. where
- the vilest liquors will be dispensed
=, and the vilest practices INDUCED ir
- under the protection of men who have
taken an oath to support the law, In
tending all time to wink at tie viola
:, ton of the law We shall again set
80 courts of justice turned inc the bald
~ est kind of farces and we shall SCI
~ men file into the jury box, hold vi
"a their right hands and solemly swea
~. to return verdict in accordance witt
"a the evidence and the instructions o
~ the court, and then see them later re
,ss turn a verdict at variance with tn
ter law and the evidence and the ir
-. structions of the court And this wi
ad be only a portion of the perjury tina
ZEN we siiaii wiei.ess. .heie wiz pe nv
49, only perjury in the jury box, but pul
70 jury on the witness stand, and on tn
- part of public officials without nun
49, Der.
nc This is horrible picture: but 1t
~ picture true to experience. Ever
statement therein made can ha yar
.he 'i'e ON iilSue Gan NC Ne'
fled by competent witnesses ever
where and by the court records.
must be that a great many of til
men who are urging a return to tn
I've debauchery do not realize what the
49, are doing. Not long ago company
-, men Jealous in the cause of prohih
~, ton were upbraiding fellow citize
80 for not believing as they did. He VIZ
temperance man in every act of b
-. life, a man who has no sympathy wit
the saloon business at all; but he hs
~ lived through prohibition, and he
- witnessed its fruits, it's bitter frui
:. = and he turned to these men and aske
'n them If any of them had lived in low
en during the reign of prohibitory la,
aie They admitted that they did not; al
NJ he related to them the experiences
pis' those awful years in this state. TT
siai chances are that these men did not b
Is d lieve him. The trouble is that Il
iose average prohibitory advocate has
aue theory in which he absolutely beliey
, of and will not look at tho nast r.
CARDS everyone who differs with hi