The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-08-20


this prohibition question has been
brought to Oregon by political or
ganizations, by Misrepresentation
side the state. Oregon has been Sc
lected from many western states up
on which to focus every conceivable
pressure as first step toward ma
tionwide prohibition. These outside
organization by Misrepresentation
and distortion of real facts and con-
ditions regarding prohibition where
ever it has been adopted as state
or national policy, have enlisted wor-
thy people and organizations of our
state, who have accepted their mis-
representations as truth and have
become obsessed with what cannot
be termed as anything short of
passing hysteria, similar to what has
spasmodically swept the country at
different periods of our national his
tory. We feel that many good, wor-
thy people have been blinded to the
real issue, viz, a healthy, healthful
and helpful temperance, which shall
make men and women permanently
temperate from deep moral and men
tai conviction, and not by radical,
revolutionary short cut to what
they theoretically hope may prove
a stolen taste of the millennium in
their lifetime by trying to force uni
versal sobriety on the human race;
by a specie of legislated eugenics d.
rected against the human will. They
would say by law that the hands OF
life's clock be turned ahead a gen.
Grafton. We contend that such an
act arouses so bitter an antagonism
that no public opinion would per-
manently support it. Failure OF
public support means abortive ad-
ministration of such law and abort
ed law will be followed by what is
being proved in every so-called pro-
hibition state, viz, loss to the state
of revenues needed for government,
depreciation of realty values, des-
truction of industry, decrease OF in
comes from commerce and trade, in
crease of taxes and disorganization
of healthy public morality by sub
stituting deceit through illicit and IL
legitimate liquor traffic.
1--WE have fund of convincing
statistics and facts along these lines
covering present conditions and
those of the past fifty years in every
so-called prohibition state. Misrep-
resentation of these statistics on the
part of prohibition workers is re-
sponsible, we contend, for many Of
our people in Oregon being on the
side of prohibition. We can only
educate all people to exact facts by
means of that public forum allowed
us through the press and the public
rostrum. 1t is these ACTUAL
FACTS and statistics that we desire
to print in your columns in the shape
of display and display readers. We
believe the facts are sufficiently ell
oquent to make unnecessary and per-
sonal attacks. This should be a
campaign of reason, 4ogic, sober
thought and deliberate considera-
tion. That will be the keynote of
everything we shall attempt to print
or speak. Whether you favor or op-
pose us, therefore, we merely desire
the opportunity to state our facts as
we see them for the study and edu-
cation of the electorate of your COM
munity. You must concede the fair
ness of this proposition. Fairness
alone will win any public battle per.
manently."
AS the campaign goes on there
should be ample opportunity given
these people to have their say. The
alleged facts put forth in this letter
have been proven time and time
again to be unsound. We are will.
ing, however, to have this prohibi'
ton question fully discussed in these
columns, for and against, when l,
is done in the right spirit. Honest
discussion never hurt any good
cause, and it is in this manner that
people finally arrive at what they
want.
Personally the editor of this paper
is not in accord with the position ia
ken by these people.