The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1915-09-24
Our State Capital Letter.
Especial Service to the Times
Boise, Idaho. Sept. 28. 1915.

preme court sustaining the constitu-
tionality of the strong statewide pro-
hibition law enacted by the last leg |
islature, better known as house bill |
No. so, has met with a small measure |
of criticism from two or three papers |
in the state, it can be safely said that |
it meets the enthusiastic APPROVAL of at |
least 95 per cent of the people of the
state. The many do not share in the |
argument of very limited few that
it abridges and imposes upon the per-
sonal liberty rights of the citizen
ship of the state. To the contrary,
they are firmly fixed in their belief
that the personal liberty right of no
man allows or should allow him to
debauch his fellowman, bring sorrow
to and impoverish the homes of any
citizen of the state or to lower the
standard of citizenship among his
neighbors. They concede that every
man has and should have the right to
do as he pleases and what he pleases,
SO iOtl6 do liC plCetSCS W uO Ll64lt puL
that his right of personal liberty must
cease at this point or that as con-
sequence our country will suffer
moral degeneracy.
They place special emphasis upon
the fact that no advocate of the whis-
ky traffic will have the audacity to ar
c..n haA hn fro fo Of h soly fba
Indulgence of intoxicants is morally
right and that whatever is wrong
morally should not be made legal.
They further point out that the
mere possession of liquor evidences
a purpose of an immoral wrong and
that it should not be tolerated by
civilized, christian people. They
strongly stress the idea that to have
set aside this law would have been
to have made respectable one of the
worst vices of the age and thereby to
hav given encouragement to the boys
of to-day who will be the men of to-
morrow to drink and to practice the
companion vices of drinking which
inevitably follow in the wake of
drunkenness.
That they contend that the evil con-
sequences of drinking does not mer-
ely affect the one who INDUCES in
drink, but many others and that the
constitution of the United States very
explicitly provides that every man in
our country shall have the right of
personal liberty to the point of in
fringing upon the right of others, but
no further, and that the example set
through drinking and having whisky
to drink upon the rising generation
is baneful and so detrimental that to
all fair-minded people, it can but be
regarded as the limitation of the
right of personal liberty in this con-
nection.
Moreover, it is highly probable that
this thought was influential in the
Conclusion of the court, the members
Of which have sons and grandsons
and caused them to view this ,prcVis
ions of the constitution of the United
States in a practical manner and tc
regard it as embracing as one of its
essentials the duty of policing such
an evil. The popularity of the de-
cision is not to be doubted. Public
sentiment is decidedly with the court
There is constantly increasing dis
cussion of the state and county can
didates for office next year. The mex
campaign campaign promises to bt
an unprecedented one in many re
spects. BY reason of the poiitica
scandals of the past year, it is highl!
probable that the voters of the stat'
will take a greater interest in th'
primary election with view o
choosing clean and capable officials
than they ever have in any preced
ing campaign.
Senator Borah has sounded tn
clarion call for cleanliness in stat
government and for the nomination
and election of such men for stat
offices only as will transact the bust
ness of the state in the open and il
a manner which will be above re
proach or in any measure subject I
criticism and the people of the stat
may be depended upon 50 take tina
call up and look we'll to its eNecl
ton. Candidates are likely to be in
vestigated as they never before bee
Investigated, and this advocacy 0
that advocacy which has heretofor
proven so catchy will probably prov
of little if any avail.
In the past, candidates have calle
to the people and offered for offic
on their own initiative. Moreover ]
the future, the people are likely to
voice their demand for certain me
that they will consent to offer for O
flee.