The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1912-1984, 1912-05-03
Local Option a Failure

i am sure no man feJOlctu more
than | did when the grand old coun-
~ of Lincoln, in which was born,
said TO the world in tones of thun-
der that we would not have the Ii
censed saloon. Ii made Inc feel that
her people were my people, heT God
my God and beneath her sod | want
ed my ashes to rest. But how much
nearer are We the goal of prohibition
than before the electioni Ii seems
to me that the dear Christian peo-
pic ot our land have neither tine nor
inclination to think the question out.
Suppose the gamblers were to petit
tion for local option election to de-
eide whether or not we would license
gambling saloons. The answer would
be II is illegal, II Is wrong and the
people have no right to vote upon IT.
The same would be said of counter
feiting, of lottery OF any other wee.
And Vet we propose TO regulate and
control the greatest of all evils. by a
local option law. a law that makes
1t Illegal to sell TODAY and illegal to
sell tomorrow. illegal in one town and
legal in another, illegal IN one coun-
~ and legal in another.
Our laws say all other evils are
Illegal on all DAYS, in all towns and
in all counties. The next question is
How came tins local option law on
our statute booksl l. it to be sup
posed that the people who desire
complete destruction of the liquor
traffic would enact such law ?
And il they did not. who didi
1t l. no fancy story when | tell
You that over forty years ago the
people of Kentucky sent TO the legis-
!aigre q petition OK nearly three
hundred thousand names, asking for
state wide Prohibition. The bundle
of petitions was 80 great that II re-
quired a wheel barrow to transport
1t into the halls of the capitol. Ii
passed the House and had a con-
ceded majority IN the Senate. The
liquor forces were IN despair and
SAID something must be done to at
tract the people from this prohlbi-
ton movement or tnev were ruined.
They got together and in n whole
sale liquor house ON a Sunday even
ing in Louisville. Ky. the first local
option Law was drafted. They lob
bied il at Frankfort and argued with
the temperance people that state
wide prohibition could not be enforc-
ed. but that local option would lead
up TO state prohibition by creating
public sentiment. And thus were
the temperance forces led into a trap
by these fallacious arguments. And
today Kentucky j. a synonym for
whisky with it, debauchery and muir
der and yet over ninety per cent. OF
her territory i dry, under the local
option law.
John NJ. Anterior, one of the brain
lest men in the liquor business, years
ago said Let the Sunday school
man and the preacher advocate low
license, high license, local option.
anything but prohibition Ana re-
Gently this same wise counsellor in a
speech at a liquor dealers conven-
ton said you can avoid the re-
strictive measures of high license,
cal option territory. but | warn YOU
You can conceal your retailer IN To-
you cannot hide YOUR distillery and
your brewery. The day prohibition
goes into effect that day your bust
ness dies" | pity the intelligence
of any man who does not know that
as long a. the vile stuff j. made il
will be sold and drunk. For more
than forty Years we have been strik-
ing at the serpent's tail. the saloon
and the blind tiger, and missing that
IN many instances, as has been
abundantly demonstrated recently
by attempts to prosecute undoubted
criminals in both our circuit and
United States Court. Men and
brethren, henceforth let US strike at
the serpent's head which is the mil
llonaire brewers and distillers. who
pollute our legislatures. Surely the
time has fully come "when the bay
onets of the north and south should
point IN the same direction" for the
protection of our noble men and
boys from a drunkard's doom. And
II we are true soldiers of the Cross
and children of the most high we
will put ourselves where God can
use us, and by voice, vote, pen and
purse do our best to destroy the
greatest enemy of mankind.
A. w. CARPENTER,