The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1917-10-25

HURsDAY, OCTOBER Is, 1917
THE ANTI-ALCOHO MOVEMENT.
True friends and advocates Of tenn
perance legislation that means some
thing would do we'll to heed the admo-
nitions of the Outlook Of Ameri-
cans most influential weeklies and a
journal that is always the champion
Of every great moral reform move
ment.
The Outlook has always favored
rational temperance legislation which
will lead to prohibition, but it wishes
the foundation for that legislation
laid broad and deep and solid, so that
when nation wide prohibition does
come it will come to stay.
Under the caption The Anti-Alcohol
Movement" the Outlook Of the 18th
inst. contains an exceedingly common
sense editorial from which the follow
ing excerpts are taken:
NOW JIG ODlIcu OCdCeS has pro-
posed to the American people an
amendment to the constitution prohib-
iting the manufacture, sale, or trans
portation of Intoxicating liquors for
beverage purposes in the United
States and all it's territories.
"Vital as is our interest in the war
against the enemy that under the
guise Of joy "steals away mems
brains and transforms them into
beasts" we do not think that this is
an appropriate time for the nation to
consider amendments to the United
States constitution. Such amendments
ought not to be essayed at time when
the best thought and energy of the
nation are occupied with the problem
of it's own self preservation, unless
they are directly essential to that self
preservation. IT,. ....
"But more serious is the objection
that this proposal is not radical
enough for the sixty per cent of our
population who live In prohibition
states to enact policy of prohibition
for the forty per cent who live in non
prohibition states. 1t is not enough for
the twenty-four prohibition states,
mainly inhabited by a rural popula-
ton, to enact prohibition for the man
ufacturing states of Connecticut, Mas
sachusetts, Rhode Island, New York,
Pennsylvania, Ohio and illinois,
states with great cities and great for
eign populations. If We read Alright
the maps which the anti-saloon league
publishes in it's year book, the states
which have been added to the prohibi-
ton column in the last nine years have
passed through a period of local op-
ton on their way to prohibition. His
tory, we think, has demonstrated that
the shortest and surest road to ade-
quate and efficient national prohibi-
ton in democratic America is the road
through local option.
Americans, intelligent, virtuous, and
temperate, some Of whom believe that
the liquor question should be left to
the states; some Of whom believe that
it should be dealt with by legislative,
not by constitutional action; some of
whom belive that the use of distilled
liquors should be prohibited, but that
the use of fermented liquors contain
ing only a moderate percentage of al
cohol should be permitted; some of
whom-and we are among them-be-
lieve that legislation should make pro-
vision to protect the ignorant and the
innocent against patent medicines,
largely alcoholic, the use of which by
unconscious victims has no inconsider-
able effect in promoting the alcoholic
habit. We refuse to look askance upon
these of our fellow citizens as either
ignorant or vicious. We wish to in
vlte them to cooperate with us in a
study OF these four questions. Individ-
uals have studied them,. and the re-
suits of their studies have been given
to the public. But the nation has not
studied them. We wish before the
nation is asked to pronounce on these
questions that the nation should
officially inform itself upon them. For
this reason we have advocated and we
here advocate the, appointment of a
small commission of men Of national
reputation, possessing scientific
training and representing different
sections of the country, but not rep
resenting either the liquor traffic or
the prohibition reformers. We wish
this commission, not to decide these
questions for the people, but to sub
nit their conclusions and the reasons
for them to the people, and we would
postpone all constitutional action on
this subject until the people can have
the report of such a commission for
their information and guidance.
"But in the meantime those who adj
vocate constitutional prohibition and
those who doubt it's expediency and
efficacy ought to unite whole hearted
ly in the campaign of education
against indiscriminate, unregulated, or
uncontrolled use of alcohol. They
may, and should, unite in vigorously
fighting for the adoption of the local
option principle wherever the sale Of
liquor is not now prohibited"
Minneapolis has ofttimes cast as
pensions upon st. Paul for it's pro-
German tendency, but in the sale of
Iihorfv Loan bonds tho saint1v citv