Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-05-18
Evils Of Prohibition
Is Theme Of Divine
REVEREND WILLIAM WATSON IN PEARsoNs MAGAZINE
I IN PEARs0N'S MAGAZINE.

siderations will reveal few of the
more general reasonB 3.
H Prohibition Is an attempt To de-
prlve men of what they believe to be
an inherent right. The question Of
individual rights Is the underlying
issue In this whole controversy. Ma
jority rule Is. of course. q sound 20
litical principle, but 1t Is obvious
that the application of this principle
must he confined within reasonable
limits. II n majority has right to
say to q minority: You shall not
drink beer. another majority has the
fright TO say TO another minority:
You shall not drink tea. Now, IL
the people In any State or town
should take II into their heads TO
enact a law prohibiting tho use of
tea, what fearful howl would go
up from the camp of the W. G. r..
u. and what an unenviable Job the
officers would have In attempting to
enforce such law! what. deprive
us of our right to serve tea ut our
mothers meetings and parlor So
CABLES! Why, It's an outrage"
"oh. but. good ladies. we, the ma
jority, have thoroughly Investigated
this matter. and we have found that
tea Is very injurious. In fact. It's
n poison. Look at the thousands of
women that have gone down to tea
topers' graves! Look at the army
OF innocent little children that have
been left motherless." eic.. etc. AS
matter OF fact, many experienced
physicians believe that tea, and cof-
fee cause quite as much trouble In
the world rs alcohol. The temper
ance" people will retort: "Yes; but
there is wide difference between
beer and tea" or course there Is,
and that is just why SO many people
prefer the beer. hut there Is no diff
ference between the right to drink
the one and the right to drink the
other. Everywhere and always. out
side of Islam. while drunkenness has
been condemned, the moderate use of
alcoholic beverages has been COM
mon custom and has been regarded
as the inherent right OF the indi-
vidual.
| The use of alcoholic liquors Is and
has always been considered not only
legitimate as beverage, but II Is
consecrated and hallowed In the
most solemn and welghty rite Of Inc
Christian Church. Now you can not,
by mere law, eradicate a senti-
ment and destroy an institution that
has stood for ages, and that Is 50
deeply rooted IN our whole social
life. Prohibition condemns the con-
science. the Judgment and the social
habits of countless generations OF the
most highly civilized. progressive
and moral peoples. Moreover. prohi-
bition passes condemnation on a
great branch OF industry that has
been recognized throughout all ages
as legitimate. an industry In which
some of the most venerable and hon
orcd religious orders Of the Chris
tian Church have been and are to-
day engaged. Prohibition necessari-
ly falls because II makes no discrim-
inatlon between use and abuse. II
ARBITRARILY makes legal crime of an
act which is neither wrong In Itself
nor contrary to the rights and inter
ests of society. Because two or three
men use liquor to excess, prohibition
would compel hundred temperate
men to follow the RUE OF total alb
stinence. One man is lame. and
therefore all his neighbors must use
crutches.
| Again. prohibition has failed be-
cause II is wholly negative and de-
structive. You can not remove an
effect until you remove the cause
You can not abolish the liquor traf'
nc until you abolish the source oi
the traffic. II Is not the liquor traf
fc that creates the demand for liz
uor; Il is the demand for liquor that
creates the traffic. And Just so Ions
as the demand continues. just so lonf
will the supply OF liquor be forth
coming In one way or another. Thu
attempt to abolish the liquor trafli'
by a prohibitory law is as futile al
would be the attempt to dry up 1
river by building a dam. Prohlbi
tionists seem to imagine that the!
are dealing only with the compare
lively few liquor dealers; wherea
they are dealing with the vast mul
titude OF men that are determines
to use liquor. They tell us that tn
saloon is a curse. Well, be that q
At may. the practical question Il
what blessing does prohibition fur
nish as substitute? Absolutel
none. unless Il be the W. C. T. [
mothers meeting aud the week.
. prayer meeting. These institutions
e excellent as they are In their place
are hardly adapted TO satisfy the sc
n cial needs OF the masses. Student
y lof social science, men who hav
: spent years In observing and study
s ing the saloon and the saloon cor
j. lstituency, whatever views they ma