Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-08-04
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

, The use of these liquors as a bever-
| age is not involved. Accepting the
Scriptures as the ultimate moral
standard, it must be admitted that
the excessive use of intoXicants is NOR
! ally wrong; the moderate use is not.
! The Bible is not prohibition book;
the Koran IS. No one can intelligently
| and honestly base such extreme total
| abstinence views as were entertained
! by the aquarianS of the early Christian
| centuries upon the Bible. Methods of
! restraining and regulating the sale
| and furnishing of intoXicants may diff
fer. Hence, men of high moral stand
ing are found on both sides of all
| methods of control and regulation.
Some favor one method rather than
| another because, though not absolute
| ly the best. yet it produces the best
results. They can conscientiously say,
as did Israers God on reviewing the
legislation he had given his people:
| Wherefore l gave them also statutes
that were not good. and judgments
whereby they should not live" But all
systems of governmental regulation of
the liquor traffic are legislative and
political. They necessarily imply a
more or less elaborate system of regu-
lation, inspection and control which
! interferes with the moral liberty of
the citizen. Local Option. the writer
| assumes, is at present the best method.
| Yet 1t has its defects. These in some
| instances are OF so grave a character
that many sincere, conscientious citi-
zens are opposed to it. They even claim
that the greatest of it's defects is it's
| rotten basis as to morals, where its
| presumptuous elective system appears
most audacious." That Local Op-
| ton, as a principle, is the ignoring of
| the moral in law" The prohibitionist,
therefore, regards it as wicked thing
to vote for Local Option. Perhaps the
| best method of regulating, or of abol-
ishing, the liquor traffic remains to
be solved.
But in contradiction of what has
been here stated, it is contended that
Local Option is in the interest of pub
| lie morality. Nevertheless it is not be-
fore the people as a moral issue. For
the elector it has moral element in
It, So has every question on which any
moral agent may be called to act
/! There is a moral element in street
sweeping. One man does it very i'm
morally. Others do it as service to
God. Even the question of the coin
age of silver at 16 to l had moral
| element in it. The voter, hence, needs
to consider whether Local Option is
morally right or wrong. He must also
| ask whether rs q measure of public
policy it is wise method of dealing
with this great problem. Will it abol-
ish more and greater evils than It will
foster? Will it promote the public well
fare give increased efficiency, insure
greater safety to life and property,
and eliminate other evils? No con-
scientious voter can avoid these ques-
| tions on this or any other subject up
| on which he may be called to act. Up
on these questions he will need all the
light he can. get. Not the guidance
| of authority, but the light of authentic
facts and of truth. And even then men
will differ in their views and opinions
on the question of Local Option. Men
| of all religious faiths, and no faith
will with like honest hearts be on op-
! posite sides. Neither priest, nor
preacher, nor politician can dictate
a mans course.
AS a political question Local Option
rests on political grounds. and upon
their merits it must be decided fear
lessly, but with due regard to the
moral considerations which should
ever be present with the conscien-
tious voter.
While Local Option is necessarily
political, it nevertheless is non-parti-
san and non-religious in it's charac-
ter. It should also be free from all
the articles, tricks and frauds so
frequently characteristic of political
campaigns. The 'purloining" of votes,
the raiding of parties. the deceptive
ministerial authority to ensnare the
unwary and to coerce the timid. and
kindred practices are too Jesuitical to
| be approved. So must all false logic
| be discountenanced. To say that Pro-
| hibition, and therefore Local Option
lis popular assent to the divine law
and expresses the consent of men to
the rightness of that law and willing
ness to keep it," is, as Job virtually
puts it. lying for God" 1t is also
true, that Local Option would sit in
a higher than Moses seat" The end
does not justify the means, as the
practice Of too many would lead one
to believe. While, therefore, advocat-
ing Local Option, it is well to be
charitable; nay. rather to be just and
fair, to those who oppose it, and new
er to consent to do evil that good may
come. All laws, and especially Local
Option laws, must be the outcome and
expression of the free will of the peo-
pie. To be effective any law must have
behind it the deliberate judgment of
the people, and not be the result of
the influence of small percentage of
minds of higher class to give i'm
pulse to the rest, and thus control and
regulate their exercise of the elective
franchise. In such q case the re-awak-
J ening of contrary impulses will again
J make thcIn dominate over the higher,
and make the law dead letter. Thus
} the latter end will be worse than the
} former.
. (SigneO EUDIA.