The Republican journal., 1910-11-03
Can You Make a Wrong Right
by Licensing 1t!

To THE EDITOR OF The JOURNAL: The
liquor traffic is either right, helpful and
beneficial, Or it is wrong, injurious, de-
moralizing and degrading to the public.
IT the former, it is entitled to the en-
couragement and protection Of the law.
II the latter, it has no rights which white
men or black men are bound to respect.
If it is wrong, can it be made right by a
license law? Is getting drunk on licensed
rum. any more respectable and harmless
than on unlicensed? If your father or
brother Or son becomes gutter drunk
ard. miserable degraded sot, is it any
comfort to you to be able to say he never
drank anything but licensed rum?
Does any State in this union license
prostitution, gambling or any other
wrong? Why should we license the
saloon, more destructive wrong than
either? Can any reason be given in favor
of licensing the liquor traffic that will
not apply with equal force in favor OF
licensing prostitution and gambling? To
cure, remove or suppress a wrong by
licensing it is the most absurd PROPOSE
ton that can possibly be stated.
We license circuses, theatres, ETC., and
there are evils connected with them, but
not necessarily connected. We do not
license the wrong. The liquor traffic is
all wrong There is no right to it. There
isn't one possible redeemlng feature
about it. Why shouldn' we treat it as
we do every other evil?
Why don't we talk about moral suaslon
and legal suasion, prohibition and license,
high license and low license, local option,
county sheritfs and Sturgis deputies in
suppressing other evils and crimes? This
evil and crime is like other evils, and
should be treated in the same common
sense way. The only possible explana-
ton why we have for the past rs years
separated it from other evils and treated
it differently from others is, because,
first, it has been so common for so many
years. And second, because of the large
political and business interests connected
with it. If we could come to ourselves
and realise that although this evil has
always existed among us, it is the great
est and most destructive curse that has
ever scourged the human race, and that
it is like other evils, and should be treat
ed in the same way, and stop all this
| senseless talk about moral or legal sua-
sion, prohibition, license, high or low,
local option, and in common sense way
treat it as we do theft, murder, gamb-
ling and other crimes, the whole ques-
ton could be disposed in one year.
have spoken of the absurdity of right
ing a wrong by licensing it. Suppose
some good father, who, like every good
father, enacts law prohibiting lying,
fighting and swearing in his family; and
the law is continually and repeatedly vio-
lated. Who ever heard of a father say
ing prohibition doesn't prohibit? My
that my prohibitory law against swear
ing will be brought into contempt
by habitual disobedience. AS the boys
will lie, swear and steal, | might
as well get some revenue out of it.
Suppose l repeal my prohibitory law
and try license or local option. Suppose
l say to one of my boys, if you will pay
me $l.0O per year, you may do all the
swearing, lying and stealing for the whole
family, and if any of the other boys are
guilty, you will of course let me know,
and we will punish them. The boy says
l shall be glad to pay you the S1,00, as |
can easily make that and a good deal
more by lying and stealing, if we can
keep the other boys out Of the way. This
seems to be an excellent arrangement.
The father gets the dollar, and the boy is
all right. He is licensed. He has right
to swear and steal, and he helps to keep
the other boys straight.
Suppose teacher has difficulty in en-
forcing his prohibitory law against whis-
pering, chewing gum and pinching. He
says this mischief is going on more Or
less every day in school. Prohibition
doesn't seem to prohibit. Hadn't bet
ter try license? He says to the boys, if
one of you will pay me we'll for it, will
license you to whisper, chew gum and
pinch all you want to, on condition that
you shall report to me if any other boys
do the same, and we together will punish
them. This scheme seems to work we'll.
The teacher gets some money and he has
helper about keeping the other boys in
order, and the one boy can't do any wrong
be cause he is licensed.
3. C.. JORDAN.