The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-01
Letters to The Lditor

|
 have to say on the subject gets a prominent place In the anti Pahers: ! and so far as we have observed. these preachers are not tagged as ponlca, parsons" Now won't you be good, ana deal gently with one whose position ,s identical with theirs, with the single exception of being on the other side.
 to % pccensly w0uid 5ubIished bke ed lett letter by the
 Rev. w. T. Allen. rector. of the Epis- eopal Church. Jacksonville. We want In the beginning to acknowiedge our attempt to present his objections In
 logical, way This is the exception
 with the average anti. He deals
 with the subject under six heads; Tn which order we shall note them briefly. | Objection Tt strikes at God's or dained method of development of mor- l al and spiritual character.
 | The amendment does not strike" at anything. Like other articles of :he | Constitution 1t Is a statement of what
 the people conceive to be basic prm- cipie in our government, VIZ: that It | to engage in the liquor tramc end
 therefore 1t shall be prohibited. Now It seems to be the theory of the "an- tis' that this principle would be en- power of execution. Therefore. from Brother. Aliens standpoint, at least. l this objection would be entirely irrel- evant to the amendment.
 But we take 1t that the brother re- | ferred to the. prohibitory laws. While that is aside from the real issue we will say: The argument that prohtbt- tion is contrary to divine government is short sighted and does not take knowledge of the facts. Still this ar gument Is not new. being one or the strongest so el0guently urged by Bish- op Johnson. To speak of the divine government as one of moral suasion and love is very beautiful and sentt- | mental; but when We look at the facts
 
 every physical and ;horal law Is the sentinel of pain; and In due time the punishment for violation comes with unerring and sometimes terrible exact ness. Could this feature of the dirine government be abrogated the Govern ment itself would be destroyed; and the hope of redeemed race perish. We l first fear, then love God. No great forsaking of sin ever occurred apart from the earnest proclamation of the reality of that world where their quenched.
 Objection 2-"It strikes at the root of personal liberty" Here again we must must enter a demurrer This objection ory statute: and the amendment, apart from protecting and perpetuating the statute, adds nothing whatever to 1t. But as the prohibitory law is the real
 milk in the cocoanut" with many of the "antis" let us ask the brother to come to solid facts and answer the question: Whose liberty Is threatened7 Certainly not the liberty of drinkiag all one wants AS matter of fact. an unlimited supply may be obtained by every citizen of Alabama who has fectly legal way. Certainly not the liberty to keep 1t in ones house for | any purpose whatsoever except for sale. This right has absolutely never | been questioned and there is no law | against 1t. But we are told that he | amendment will open the way for such | law to be passed. Now, judging from Brother Aliens article he for one is | from keeping in her home and giving | little cordial to her sick babe" And We doubt if Brother Allen knows in all l his acquaintance one man who does so | object. And yet it is fact that such 1 a law couIu not be passed and become effective until a respectable majority of the people of the State Would stand for it. To base an argument on such an improbable occurrence Is to leave the realm of reasonable facts and be- come chaser of moonbeams. Whose liberty then is interfered with? only the man Who desires to traffic in | liquor. If Brother Allen desires to add l the sale of liquors as an adjunct 10 his sacred calling then he has just | utory laws; and we challenge him to produce reasonable proof that it's ef- feet would be otherwise.
 Objection 3-"Prohibition is an ex- pertinent and should therefore not be | incorporated in the Constitution"
 Here for once we have an objection relevant to the issue. Let us examine its merit. For something more than a half a cntury the State has been in legal copartnersnip with saloons for revenue. And the results of that part nership have been written in tears and | blood, in wrecked homes and diseased | bodies. We have peopled penitentiarles and mad houses; We have fostered tg- norance and sensuality; we have fhraE fh ha m nf AO yhpp and orphanage over many home, and | placed a burden on the heart of many | a wife and mother and daughter that | has brought them to an untimely | grave. So universal has been our | work that could the great book of the l past century's record of the private | homes of Alabama be opened 1t would | De seen that our victims are numb cred | not by the thousands, but by nun 1 dreds of thousands There Is hardly a | family in the State today from some | claimed victim. Now we don't know | how much of this kind of thing 1t takes | to satisfy Brother Allen. We don't know how many precious lives would | be demanded to make out case | against our copartnership in the liquor 1 traffic. But we believe the people of Alabama are ready to write in the Con stitution the perpetual dissolution of that copartnership as one of the most precious, because dearest bought, prin- | eiples in that great document.
 Collection 4The The possible s ,sDt violation swered in the latter part of the sec ond objection above. .. l
 Objection 5-"It invites perjury" etc. This objection Is not only irrel- evant to the real issue. but so mani | festly without force that we pass it.
 Objection 6-This Is sort of blan- ket clause intended to cover any other reasons which might have been over looked. However, after showing, to his 1 own satisfaction, that prohibition is against the development of moral anu spiritual character" that it strikes at the root of personal liberty that Tt opens the way for the violation of every home" and Invites perjury Brother Allen uses these words T believe prohibition the least-by far i whiskey case and am therefore in fla Vor of it. Every pro-amendist in Alabama re-echoes that sentiment Ne believe that prohibition Is by far the least of evils of the whiskey case" and are therefore going to vote to pro- tect and perpetuate it as far as pos sible by placing 1t in the Constitution. Brother Allen closes with the beauti- ful prayer that the Spirit may lead Ls to thai conclusion which shall most glorify God and benefit humanity We cannot but feel that the logic of his position would join hands with the Spirit in leading him to vote for the amendment as the surest way to an- swer his own prayers.
 Demopolis, Ala. Sept. 2S. 1909.
 THE OLD FIGHTING
 SPIRIT IS OPPOSED