The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1915-11-25
PROHIBITION
From a Woman's Standpoint.

TIOlll q SSOlHdu STANDPOINT.
MY DEAR JOURNAL: May talk free
ly upon subject that is very near to
my heart May presume upon a very
long friendship to give you some of my
views-a woman's views-upon the SUBJ
ject of prohibition, hoping that if you do
not agree with me at every point you will
pardon my plain speaking, and "accord
me patient hearing" l am firm be-
lever in Prohibition. | believe in the
sort of prohibition that constitutes every
man his brothers keeper. that protects
and defends the weak even from their
own weakness, and works for clean
hearts, clean homes and better and
stronger nation. | believe that the
Governor of State, who, if we can be-
lleve what we see in the newspapers,
has said In effect that he cannot enforce
the law and will not try, because he does
not wish to stand up and be laughed at,
has greatly disappointed the best men in
both parties. believe that the ex-mavor
OF Name city, who goes forth to use his
gift of eloquence in telling the outside
world that prohibition in Maine has been
a failure, is perverting his gift and put
ting tn base uses the talent that would
better be wrapped in napki in and buried
for safe keeping. Prohibition is not,
never has been, and never can be, fail
ure. No great and holy cause that has
called forth the highest impulses and
emotions of the human heart can ever
be called that. The cause NAV be de-
1eated, but defeat is not always failure.
The high principle remains unchanged
and interchangeable, and l believe that
those who work for it are right and
those who work against it are wrono
and that between such right and such
wrong there is, in the sight of God, no
. compromise
Do not misunderstood me. | do not
mean that no good men argue against
prohibition. Even our Governor and our
ex-Msyor may. for anything l know, be
what the world calls ''good men," Bnt
listen to me, dear Journal, and believe.
or try to believe, what l tell you. For
thirty years | have worked for the pub
tic in capacity which could not but give
me an intimate knowledge of human
nature, human character and human af-
falrs. During that time l have heard
good men" argue for license and for
high license. 1t is my firm belief that
nirety--i inc out of one hundred of those
men, whose argument has been largely
the specious one that to prohibit men
from drinking brought about the desire
to drink, had, whether they realized it or
not, been already caught in the tolls of
the alcoholic serpent. Deep down in the
heart of each one of those men was a
secret, personal interest in being able to
now or then easily procure the cheering
glass. believe that ninety-nme out of
one hundred of the men who argue for
license or high license or local option or
for anything besides prohibition, and
made effective, if they answered truth
fully and honestly, would admit that
either they liked liquor in some form
themselves, or else-and oh the pity of
this other side of tor else they or
some Of their family somewhere we're
making money out of the weakness of
their unfortunate feIloumen
If our ex-Mayor calls prohibition
failure in Maine, may ask if he calls
license success in New Hampshire and
Massachusetts, where men and women
may, if they choose, drink what he has
called good whiskey," openly and free.
ly, without let or hindrance. l have
spent, as you know, two summers in one
Of the best hotels in New Hampshire,
and tell you frankly, even at the risk of
seeming traitor to those who have
shown me much kindness there, that the
open bar, which passed and repassed
daily, was to me in its gilded allurement
and its effect upon the men and women
who frequented it, as near my child
hoods conception of the word "Hell," as
any place ! ever expect to see, unless my
sins are such that they shall'merit eter-
nal punishment.
am convinced that there is nc such
thing as ''good whiskey," or any good
alcoholic beverage, and that the men
and women who enter grill rooms and
bar rooms in search OF such will-o'-the-
wisp, find there only the same old wine
cup, that in the end 'biteth like SER
pent and stingeth like an ADDER" and