Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1916-03-23
"The Other Side!"


There are two sides to every ques-
ton, even to the question of prohibi-
tion, though its advocates donot seem
to recognize it. They are like zealots
of all kinds the world over and in ev-
cry age. They have no just sense of
proportion. They see only the one
thing and only one side of that. In
deed, they refuse to acknowledge
that there is another side. And if it
were permitted to some Of them they
would call into requisltion the rack,
the thum bscrew, and even the stake,
to silence opposition and to stifle free
expression of opinion on the subject
of their obsession. And the strange
thing about it is that this spirit of
bigotry and intolerance is more often
and more violently manifested with
regard to questions like the one under
consideration, in which religion or
morality is involved, than any other.
Now, take this question of prohibition.
OF course, it were idle, if not criminal,
to deny that great harm results from
the use of alcoholic drinks. For the
sake of argument, let us grant that
prohibition advocates have not exag-
gerated the extent of the evil. We
say, granting all that, and more, even
then, may there not be at least ques-
tion as to whether or not prohibition
is the only or the lest remedy? Is it
absolutely certain that there is no
other way by which the end aimed at
may be attained assuming that end
TO be exclusively benevolent and not
tinctured at all with malevolence?
Has the preacher or the teacher lost
his influence entirely? Have their
occupations gone? Can nothing be
done by education and moral suasion
and reason and argument? In short,
is the application of force the only
recourse? And is it absolutely cer-
tain that prohibition will prohibit?
These and many other questions, it
seems to us, might reasonably be ask
ed. But let them be put to the aver
age prohibitionist, and it will be like
waving red rag in the face Of an in
furiated bull. He will unload upon
you torrent of invectives. He will
impute to you all kinds of dishonor-
able motives. He will accuse you OF
being in league with the saloon ele-
ments, or say something worse, if his
ingenuity can conjure it up. And as to
his giving fair or any other kind Of
real consideration to your objections,
why, that is entirely out of the ques-
tion.
There are thousands Of people who
are opposed the abuse of liquor but
who do not object to its moderate use.
There are thousands of others who
are opposed altogether to its use and
who would even favor laws for a
reasonable regulation of its manu-
facture and sale. But they have not
gone crazy on the subject, and when
they see how violent and unreasonable
the prohibition leaders are in their
advocacy--how they exaggerate and
falsify facts and how they seem to
want to ride rough -shod over every
body's rights and to persecute even
for an honest difference Of opinion
why, when they see all this, they be-
gin to wonder IT the zealots, in theii
madness, do not constitute a greater
menace to society than the evil they
would extirpate
It Is well not to be one sided about
this or any other question or problem
Anyhow, the truth will not hurt, and
it 10 confession Of weakness and oi
lack Of faith in one's own positionnot