The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1914-08-14

!
yesterday determines for me, and III spite OF myself,
what shall do today. What humanity did thous
and years ago influences, now IN spite of us, what
humanity is doing today Just so long as it takes to
form habit just so long, and perhaps longer does it
take to uniform it. am not saying now whether this
most ancient, most widely spread, most deeply seated
habit OF humanity is good evil, wise or foolish If
1t be evil naSmuch evil thing can be eternal, it
WILL at some happy time at present far off in the dim
future be eradcated from the experience of humanity
But today and for all practical purposes OF today this
habit is impossible of eradication. Those temperance
reformers who have been aborng to eradicate it have
been IN the position OF the people OF whom the poet
CoWper tells
dropping buckets into empty wells
And growing tired with drawing nothing up.
The only sensible course to take is to recognize this
habit fact in human experience fact that is
not by any present possibility to be got rid of
fact of which the best possible thing must be made
If we can't do what we would it is always safe to do
what we can We don't want scheme which prom
lses to deluge humanity with cold water some thous-
ands OF years hence, we want scheme which does
not throw cold water. on any honest effort-even
moderate drinker-which can be made to help hum
anity just little bit to-day Assuming the habit
to be an evil if can't destroy it, the next best thing
is to regulate it. This can be done in thousand ways
and done SO effectuay to relieve society of nine
tenths of the evils that now come OF excessive drink
ing, and done by people who have not lowered their
manhood by taking an arbitrary and artificial
pledge The Prohibition reormers are faulty in their
methods in another way. They not only trying to
do an impossible task, but they trying to do it
Wrongfully They are going in hot and strong for
Legislature of the state of Wisconsin. He introduced
bill into the legislature of Wisconsin last year, with
the view of prohibiting forever the manufacture and
sale OF Intoxicating drinks within the limits of that
reformed drunkard. The presence of glass of
whisky in the same room with him is enough to rob
him of his self control. That good man, who can't
control himself wants to control everybody in the
WI can aic fbo
That! temperance orator in Chicago the other dav-
Prof Foster there were in these United States
9OOO persons whose physical, mental and moral lib
erty was impaired by alcohol. That is to say there
are 100000 persons who cannot take glass without
making fools beasts of themselves | am very sor-
y Tor the 9OO 900, but object to being ranked with
object to have restraints put upon because there
are 9OOO OOO fools and beasts who can't Take that es
innate as correct, then what follows? Say there are
dOO, 900 OF inhabitants in these United States
That would give you TO- OOO0 900 Of adult persons Saw
hat 4OOOOOO OF these pledged Prohibtionists Gt
is impossible to say how many there are, for so MANY
OF them are constantly violating their pledges and get
100000 Subtract from these 9OOO 900 the nine hun.
dred thousand, whose physical mental and moral lib
erty is said to be impaired by alcohol, and then YOU
nave seven million four hundred thousand temperate
drinking, self reliant, self-controlled people, whose
physical, mental and moral liberty is not impaired bv
alcohol And yet the prohibition plan is to punish
these H. 400 w to prohibit them from nduging in a
hapii, whlch they hold to be perfectly legitimate
which does no harm to them and harm to society,"
Tor the sake OF doing an exceedingly probematca act
OF good to the 100000! Is that fair Why not conne
our efforts to the sick who need physician and leave
the healthy people alone. Because my neg ghbor has
got the rheumatism am to make my throat an open
seepulchre by swallowing nauseous medicine because
also may have the rheumatism some day? The law
can only rightfully deal with offenders, it may deal
vi the drunkard but has right to touch the So
Der man. But then it is said these prohibition re-
trans must be put upon the necks of the sober men
% prevent them from becoming drunkards inasmuch
Is Is we'll ascertaned fact that certain percentage
Continued in the next issue.