Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-10-12
Letter Box.
Prohibition or License, Which 2

More than 5000 years ago there
were written on tables of stone, the
Ten Commandments Their wisdom
has never been questioned and they
have been enacted into the statutes Of
all civilized countries Everyone Of
these Commandments Nave been bro
ken every day all these thousands of
years, and yet have never heard that
God has ever once thought or proposed
that. as these laws are so constantly
violated, they, or any of them. should
be repealed, and the evils they prohi-
bit, licensed.
The seventh commandment has Deen
violated every day since il was writ
ten on the table Of stone 3,400 years
ago, but Gods prohibitory law sun
stands. Men have sometimes repealed
il and enacted license instead. pc
llieve Maine, and perhaps the othef
New England states have never been
guilty of licensing this prohibltory
law of Gods but some of the other
states in our Union have to their sor-
row.
believe that at the present time, all
these license laws have been abandon
ed. and all our states have gone pack
to prohibition. | believe some EURO
pean countries. claiming to be CIVIL
zed, are still licensing prostitution, ana
the rest of the world look upon them
with contempt Since prohibition does
not prohibit. and prostitution ana
adultery prevail in spite of the law
prohibiting it, why not repeal the pro-
hibitory law and enact license and let
/
these licenses?
The scriptures in general way, ana
all nations, civilized and savage, pro
hibit the selling of diseased meats ana
adulterated foods, and yet tins evil
prevails to an alarming extent. why
not say that prohibition does not pro-
hibit, and, since people will violate
these prohibitory laws. why not try IL
cense and let the state get large rev.
enue out OF the evil?
| | believe that lottery tickets. and
other forms of gambling are prohibit
ed in all parts of the United States.
but gambling still goes on. Prohibi-
ton does not prohibit And since
people will gamble why not license it
| and let the State get millions out of
it for licenses?
The printing and circulation of OBJ
scene literature and pictures are pro-
hibited by law. but prohibition does
mot prohibit The prohibtory law is
violated every day in the year. why not
| try license? Since people will persist
| in such evil ways, why not let the State
collect thousands of dollars for the IL
censes?
TIE United States is trying very
hard to enforce a prohibitory law to
prevent trusts and combinations in re-
straint of trade and to prevent high
prices, but the trusts and the high
prices go on still. Prohibition does
not prohibit. why not try license?
suppose Rockefeller would pay the
government millions of dollars for a
license, and would also help the gov
eminent to punish or dissolve all the
other trusts In all these cases and
many others. the licensed party would
be very glad to help the government
punish his unlicensed neighbors.
Then consider how business would
be promoted by all these licenses. Ev
cry licensed man would build fine
manufactures, stores and houses.
would employ men and teams. pur-
cry kind. Why not license all crimes
that are so hard to enforce PIT is so
much easier and so much more agreea-
BILE. 1t is sometimes claimed that to
enact a prohibitory law that is contin
ually violated has a tendency to bring
all prohibitory law into contempt That
doesn't seem to be true in regard to
the Ten Commandments. They are
the oldest prohibitory laws we have. |
No law in the world has been more
extensively and persistently violated. |
and yet they are more honOred and |
respected than any other laws ever
enacted. Would it add to our respect |
for these laws if God in his infinite |
wisdom should prepare another table |
of stone repeating those prohibitory |
laws and writing i'm high license and |
local option?
1t is said that to prohibit the liquor
traffic encourages lying and hypocricy.
Don't all prohibitory laws do the
same? How is it with the sixth. sew
enth and eighth commandments
Don't the breakers of these command
ments lie and deceive in every possi-
bic way to escape punishment; and
yet COO has never seen fit to prevent
hypocrisy and lying by amending the
constitution of His government and
enacting high license and local OBJ
ton.
l suppose manufacturers and sellers
OF diseased and adulterated foods con-
tlnually lie and deceive to escape de-
tectlon, ana yet | never heard anyone
propose to avoid lying and hypocrisy
oy repeating these prohibitory laws
and enacting high license or local on
ton.
B. c. JORDAN.