The daily sentinel., 1912-01-30
COLORADO is FACING
GREAT DRY CAMP PAIGh

Ii now seems almost certain that
Colorado is to 90 through a campaign
to determine whether or not the man
ufacture of sale of alcoholic liquors
of all kinds shall longer be carried on
within its borders. IL is probable
that the question will have to be
settled by Tue people at the ball"t OF
during the coming fall campaign for
the election of state officers. This
is the only unfortunate part of the
matter for a question of this kind,
affecting principally the civic morals
Of the state. should be settled one
way or the other at time when it
can be settled by itself. entirely re-
moved from political or any other
influence. il is entirely proper, how
ever that the liquor question should
be settled openly at the ballot box,
as all other important questions are
determined, for this is the American
way Of settling all questions which
vitally affect the people, and the liq-
uor question certainly does in many,
many ways.
When, as the pendulum of public
opinion swings back and forth. touch
ing the opposite extremes of grave
public problems. the prohibition
/
the abuse rather than the use of
alcoholic liquors, both on the part of
the manufacturers in permitting a
reckless distribution of the traffic,
! and on the part of that vast army of
men and women who need guardians
to prevent them from causing worlds
of distress and misery to others, and
themselves from going to an early
| grave, it is then that extreme and
drastic measures are resorted to by
| the people.
1t is not hard to find reason.
therefore, why the prohibition ques-
| tion has to be fought out sooner or
| later. for when conditions resulting
| from the sale of intoxicating liquors
| are permitted to become almost in
| tolerable by those who manufacture
/ them. public sentiment invariably
| takes the form which the prohibition
| movement has assumed throughout
| the country. and in many cases the
/ pendulum swings swiftly to the pro
| hlbition side of the issue. whereas in
telligent control of the traffic would
have caused the public to be satisfied
| with respectable regulation
The other regret that confronts
many people is the splendid men who
/
uor traffic-men whose morals are
free from criticism; men whose pub
lic-spirited policy is always found TO
be in line with the best interests of
their community. and who in the
minds of many people ought to be
divorced from the business in which
they are engaged.
The public, however, often looks
above and beyond this condition and
takes the view. temporarily some
times, that nothing short of absolute
prohibition will suffice to put a stop
TO the crime, misery. poverty and i'm
morality that is to be traced TO the
oyerflowing glass or uncorked bottle
the cause of 80 per cent of the bus
mess of the courts of the entire coun-
try But tempered by calm Judgment.
which is sometimes possible when
those responsible for the liquor traf-
fic exert their influence to have IL
conducted decently, public sentiment
often is satisfied with respectable
regulation. So it is a question for
the people-who are really most af-
fected from every standpoint-to set
tie by the usual American method of
majorities, and it now seems that this
is the manner in which the liquor
question will have 10 be settled in
Colorado.-Pueblo Star-Journal.