Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1910-10-14
A FEW THOUGHTS ON PROHIBITION,
YELM, Wash. October Sth.

AS the question of prohibition and
local option is likely to come up again
IN the coming Legislature, want to
express my opinion publicly on the
subject and the readers can Judge for
themselves of its stability.
l look upon both as vultures born
of the same egg and hatched in the
incubator of DO as we do or be
damned. | am in favor of absolute
liberty when it does not conflict
with the liberty of others. l have
no right to infringe on the rights of
another, neither has he the right to
restrict me from exercising my natu-
raj rights of eating or drinking. If
he does. he assumes too much. The
theory is based on false principles.
Its a noticeable fact that the men
who oppose prohibition are usually
the solid, well-to-do men of the COM
mnnity. the heavy taxpayers, the
men on whom the schools, the
churches and the State depend for
support, while those who champion
it on the rOstrum are usually living
in some way upon the industry of
others. The man who has brain
enough to make money and keep it,
usually has too much sense to be a
prohibitionist. 1t is the fellows who
have made failure of life; who live
on donations, who weep DER the
worlds wickednese, then take up a
collection to get to the next town
that are prating of prohibition. If
we required a property franchise, you
couldn't muster 5000 prohibition
votes between the Straits of Fuca
and the Mississippi river. The sts-
tistics furnished by the prohibs that
a million Americans die every year
from the effects Of strong drink,
probably emanated from a preacher
who was familiar with the Bible but
he evidently overlooked the story OF
Ananias and Sapphira. for it appears
from the census reports that the sta
tistical experts could find but 1882
victims of Bari Johnnycorn." The
doctors we'll know that more people
die Of over-eating than of over
drinking. In the year in which
1882 people were laid away by alco-
holism 3O.094 were credited to dis
eases of the digestive organs. If the
prOhibs are trying to save the peo-
pie from premature graves, they
should direct their crusade against
the sale OF indigestible food. Who
can tell how much misery and crime
the wretched cookery of female pro-
hibitiOnists are responsible for
The theory that strong drink is an
unmixed evil that must be abolished,
is not in accordance with the genius
OF this government which would give
to the individual untrammeled liberty
in matters concerning only himself.
Experience has proven prohibition
a rank failure, and the customs ol
mankind from the dawn of history,
brand it as a rotten fraud. The
people of every age and cline have
used stimulants. and we may safely
conclude that despite the prohibs,
they will be employed so long as man
exists upon earth. Banish liquor
and he will find o substitute-even
tho it be opium. morphine or co.
caine. AS Brown of the Iconoclas,
says. Il do not oppose prohibition
simply because l am friend oil
liquor, but because I am friend ol
liberty" 1 would rather see few
bOozers than Il race of bondmep.
am not so much interested in pre-.
serving the liquor traffic as l am in
the perpetuation of those principles
tl'at ennoble a people and make
steady men-men who rely upon
themselves for their social salvation
rather than upon a public policy
which may change with the phases OF
the moon or the arrival of some new
demagague from distant parts.
l have but little use for the men
who must swing to the apron-strings
of a public grandame or 60 to the
dogs. Men whom we cannot trust
with the guardianship of their own
appetites should not be allowed to
run at large. But the prohibs tell
us the biggest men of the world are
ruined by strong drink. They as
sure us 1T is not question of in
tellect but of appetite" What was
judgment given us for if not to con-
troll our appetites The idea that
the brainiest men of the world die
drunkarks, is the merest moonshine.
If only men of genius drank liquor,
a one-horse still would supply the de-
mand and be idle six mon this in the
year. Take the thousand greatest
men the world has produced-the
thousand Immortals-and while not
two per cent. of EN- died drunkards
yet SO per cent. of 'em drank liquor.
The prohibs assure us that prohi-
bition prohibits. 1t does. 1t pro-
hibits the sale of LIQUOR ~ .. rlies
its place with coffir- paint. 1t pro-
hibits the sale of good ice-cold
beer and gives us forty rod bug. juice.