The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1916-03-17
FRIDAY. MARCH ~. 1919
A TEMPERANCE VICTORY.

The Prohibition or rather General
Local Option law, As finally passed by
the Legislature last week. will event
ually receive the general approval OF
thoughtful citizens, whether friendly or
hostile to Legislation on the subject Of
eliminating the liquor traffic.
That DR.. Hare, the executive head of
the Prohibition party should be disap
pointed at not having secured the pas
sage of Prohibition law is not sur
prising, but we believe this will prove
to be one Of the many instances where
the practical man il n wiser legislator
than il the theOrIst. In other words,
DR. Hare. thoroughly convinced Of the
evils of Intcmperance. says, Let US
make all our citizens temperate by law.
whether they would or would not be-"
the legislator on the other hand says.
LET US make it possible for each unit
of government to abolish by law the
sale Of alcoholic stimulAnts rs fast ~
the majority Of its citizens are ready to
do so -
This il the foundation of all legisla-
ton in n free. representative govern
mcnt and any laws forced on to n peo-
pie by minority are conceived in in
justice, and are guaranteed failure in
their enforcement Most of all is this
true in the case Of prohibition laws. rs
their history universally proves when II
majority Of citizens are opposed to them
they are defnntly broken; when ma
jorlty favor them they are efficiently
enforced and generally obeyed.
The salient features of the bill AZ
passed are:
(a) All ''dry" territory is eliminated
from its provisions and these temperance
people may bend their energies towards
bringing into the fold existing wet
territory; this makes impossible any
steps backwards.
10 Wet units must vote on the
subject next November. IL has hap
pened IN the past that in certain sec.
tons many voters were anxious to do
this but were not given the legal right
to do so, hence this is AN important
step forward for the "drys' and elimi.
mates all charges Of gag law. II II ma.
jOrlty votes dry" the law will become
operative eighteen months later, giving
those running saloons chance to dis.
pose of their stock and put their
real estate to other purposes, instead of
working practical coniiscation by max
ing the law effective at once This in
absolutely fair; it never has been and
never will he the policy of our govern.
ment to practically coniiscate private
property. Ii on the other hand the
''wets' carry the election few will fail
TO agree that these people are not yet
ready for prohibition. and it will be the
duty of temperance advocates to con.
centrate their energies at this point so
that at an early day the rapidly in.
creasng ranks of temperance voters
may be IN the majority.
(c) That manufacturers in an exist
ing wet section which may show u
''dry" majority may continue to manu-.
facturc but must not sell in ''dry" terri.
tory is both fair and expedient, fair
because their large plants will not at
once become dead property on their
hands and their product can go only to
that retail public which has the legal
right to buy; and expedient because un.
der these circumstances many electors
otherwise would be unwilling to help
contiscate 50 much valuable private
property. No fear need be entertained
that such plants may engage in illicit
retail business; the strong hand of the
General Government is n controlling
power over every branch of the bust
ness, and retail business would not
under any circumstances be possible.
The requirement that no new factories
may be started in such territories will
gradually weed them all out. especial
ly ~ the business, in response to mod
ern temperance sentiment in the South
which was formerly the chief customer
for Maryland whiskey, is rapidly grow.
ing unprotitable We believe that un-
der this provision of law Baltimore
county. where most of the refneries
are located, may 20 dry"
(d The only serious defect in the
law, ~ we see it, is that where wet"
spots smaller than county exist they
will be permitted to decide the issue for
themselves. The smallest unit of gov
eminent to pass ON such question
should be the county. The county fur
nshes the necessary machinery of gov
eminent for the control and regulation
of this most trying class of citizens.
and hence it's voice should be final,
while from the practical standpoint we
know full well that one small wet
spot may practically nullify the law in
miles of surrounding dry" territory.
1t seemed to be imperative to make this
concession in order to secure the passage
of the bill. but il is now even more i'm.
peratlve than ever that these spots
should be blotted off the surface OF
Maryland.