Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1915-02-05
BUSINESS FALLACY.

AUR State Legislature is again busy with
the question of prohibition which is be-
ing camored for by an overwhelming majority Of
the people of Utah. And as a result the lawmak-
ers were sumptuously banqueter at the Salt Lake
Commercial club by a large assemblage of "rep-
resentatve business men" few nights ago At
this banquet the danger of "any revolutionary
action" being taken at ''this critical period" in
the development of our state was fully impressed
upon the minds of the lawmakers, and every in
fuence will be brought to bear TO defeat prohi-
bition and thwart the will of the big majority
Strange, is it not, that so large an aggrega
ton of representative business men" of Salt
Lake and Ogden view with so much concern the
abolition of traffic that annually wastes MANY
millions of dollars for even the exemplary state
of Utah. 1t is indeed peculiar that men whose
business acumen has proven SO direct and I'M
erring in other financial matters cannot see that
the millions spent annually by this state for in
toxicatng beverages is an absolute waste There
must be some underlying motive that does not
appear upon the surface for the attitude of Salt
Lake business men on this question.
We do not claim to be gifted by second sight
nor to be endowed with the faculty of cairvoy-
ance but we do claim to see through this fimsy
excuse on the part of the opponents of prohibit
two-fod. First, they have thirst for alcoholic
concoctions, and do not want to be Inconvenience
in procuring them; second they realize the weak
ness and frailty of human nature, and know that
when good portion of the state il "dry" there
are lot of people from the rural districts who
will go or send to Salt Lake or Ogden and pur-
chase liquor from their local Dealers thus adding
revenue and profit to those towns al the expense
of the state
AS long as liquor is sold in the State of Utah
under the protection and with tae sanction of
law and responsibility, it is going to be widely
sought and drank by a certain element in every
community. But let Utah as a whole go dry"
and with practically all the CONTIGUOUS states al
ready in the prohibitive column, it will be eX-
tremey difficult to obtain liquor except for sick
ness.
Surely Utah is on par with her neighbors in
the matter of morality and uprightness, and it
is our duty to aid in the general movement for the
emancipation of the race by extending the anti
liquor domain as widely as possible, instead of
acting as menace and obstacle 10 those states
that are trying to aid this great reform move
ment.
No one is such fool as to suppose that the
passing of prohibition law is going to complete
ly and at once eradicate this evil; but all predc
tons and statements to the contrary notwith-
standing, it will be one big step in the right di-
rection, and we fully believe that it viii be taken
by the present Legislature
Representatives from the outlying counties
should not be deceived by the calamity howl Of
Salt Lake and Ogden business men, nor decoyed
and betrayed by banquet. Their only desire is
to enrich and build up Salt Lake and Ogden not
only at the expense of the other business interests
of the state, but also at the expense of the man
hood and character of our young men and boys.
Do not be deceived by theml
-(S)-