Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-09-22
a MORAL ISSUE.

with prohibition as political Issue
y,o have no concern whatever We have
refrained from taking any part in the
discussion, since the question was TO-
duced TO a kind Of a party "shiDDoleth'
And we do not intend deviatins iro"
that purpose. But when, as IN hoi''e
OF our Eastern contemporaries the ns-
tenders OF the saloons and dens OF IN
iouity set up the claim that prohibition
has been the cause Of drunkenness anu
YOU may say. moral rottenness and an
archy. they do not keep within the
boundaries Of legitimate politics ana
challenge criticism in the defense OF
truth and morality.
II in this connection we consider
prohlbitory laws in general we find
That in spite Of the penalties attached
10 murder. for instance, the unlawful
taking Of human life goes on almost
every day Men and women Kill, some
for purposes Of robbery, some for re-
venge: some because they believe IN
red anarchy. Lynchings are so fire.
auent as TO be popular In some places
Similarly. the prohibitory laws against
immortality are openly dehed. oven
city officials claiming TO be highly re
spectacle are on record as favoring in
stitutionalized vice. But what would
be thought OF the man who should say
TO the American people. Fellow ciu-
gems! Let us abolish prohibition against
murder. robbery. and social crimes be
cause prohibition does not prohibit. Let
us repeal the laws that prohibit those
evils and make laws 10 regulate them
The laws against murder have resulted
in so many murders that It is time to
change to high license N killing instead
Of prohibition The laws against thiev-
ing have made thieves so let us have
regulation Of theft" Any man that
would argue against prohibition OF
crime on such grounds would he ad-
Judged At for a place OF safe keeping.
But that is precisely the logic Of some
~ the defenders Of saloons
With regard TO the State OF Maine. Il
is well known that It has for years
been the battlefield between the two
opposing forces In spite OF prohibition.
It has had its scandalous record for
drunkenness Strangers have carried
away the story of anarchy and disre-
gard for law, and warned the people
OF other states against adopting the
dangerous policy. Investigating com
nittees have been sent there by LIQUOR
dealers and others, and wired back ad-
verse reports of blind pigs. kitchen
bars. and pocket peddlers, and when
the battle was on against the saloon In
the states OF the South, a sheriff from
Maine went at the call Of the brewers
10 hold up as a delusion and snare
the prohibltory law, and help fasten
the saloon upon states that were strug-
Cling from freedom. But the fact has
been sorupulously kept from public
view that The failure In Maine was not
due 10 the law itself, but TO the failure
10 enforce il, just as the moral rot
tenness in any other state is due TO the
failure 60 enforce the prohihitory laws
against vice and crime OF every kind.
Mr.. Howard at a union meeting of
churches at Portland, pointed out this
fact. He said
Maine has furnished tho most e.
fective weapon I'm the hands Of the
| devil TO ,smltc Prohibition in the nation.
the chief argument Of the saloon In
| every hEht Is the failure Of Prohibi-
| tion In tho state OF Maine They make
no discrimination between Prohibition
and Nullhcation and they charge 10
| the ProhibitorY law the official anarchy
! that YOU have permitted in this state
/ IN snitc OF the law.
"'You have failed 20 give 20 tho pen
! ple a demonstration OF what PTohibi-
! tion In the hands Of It's friends would
| do: and by supporting official anarchy
! IN the politics of Maine you have given
| 10 the rum power "a CLUB to brain Pro-
! hjhition I'm tho states outside
The temperance men ~ Maine have
| forged the weapon that has won FOR
| the saloon scores 81 victories and kept
| this Christian nation In bondage TO the
| curse"
solid fact--a home made biscuit.