Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-03-30


only wrong, but it is idiotic.
Prohibitionists operating under
this ridiculous principle would run
society on the principle of an in
sane asylum, giving to every man
a keeper.
If prohibition is right in prin-
ciple, the government should pare
every mans tongue from his
throat The bible informs us that
the tongue is an 'tunruly evil full
of deakly poison; Herewith bless
we God and herewith curse we
men,"
The tongue, like water, fire and
liquor, has dual nature. If it is
right to abolish a thing because of
it's abuse or misuse, then the tongue
must go, because it is an unruly
evil, full of deadly poison.
When a thing has a dual nature
the divine order is moderation and
regulation, never prohibition.
Prohibition is. based upon the
right Of government to forfeit enc
mans liberty because of another
mans act This principle is not
only wrong but unjust, oppressive
and monstrous.
Our prohibitionist friends try to
answer this contention by calling
our attention to the fact that we
prohibit murder. They don't seem
to understand the difference be-
tween asking a man to have
friendly drink and cutting his
throat
We prohibit murder on the
ground that murder does not be-
come evil by excess, but is evil in
itself. If it is logical and reason
able to prohibit a thing that is evil
per Sc, it is illogical to prohibit
thing like drink, which is not evil
in itself, but becomes evil only by
excess. Our case against prohibi-
ton of drink is just as strong as
society's case in favor of prohibit
iting murder You cannot apply the
same law and logic to a thing that
becomes evil only by excess, that
you apply to an act that is inner
entity wrong.
Before our dry friends could even
start to prove that prohibition is
right, it would be necessary for
them to show that the liquor traffic
is evil. Dry orators and editors
damn the liquor traffic but never
define IT. One is not in a position
To discuss a things prohibition I'M
til he has defined the business to be
destroyed.
The liquor traffic consists in
manufacturing intOxicants, selling
it to volunteer customers and de-
livering the goods to the purchaser
by freight or express.
This is the Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end of the bev-
erage liquor business. If the traffic
is wrong, the evil must be located
either in manufacture, sale or
transportation.
Give a prohibitionist all the
brains in the movement, and he
could not invent an argument to
prove that the liquor traffic is evil.
If he were to locate the evil in the
art or the act of manufacture, then
government would be compelled to
prevent its manufacture for any
purpose. The act of making liquor
is the same, regardless of the use
TO which it is put. If the principle
OF prohibition is right, as applied
ID the manufacture of liquor, then
you must not make it for mechan-
zeal, scientific, medicinal or sacra-
mental purposes.
There can be no evil in selling
liquor, for you could buy and sell
ali the liquor in the world, 10 times
every day, and never harm your
self or anybody else.
Then if the evil is not in making
and selling it, it must be in trans
portation. This is equally absurd.
You can go down to the railroad
and watch 10000 train loads of
liquor go by and never get a smell,
much less a jag.
When a man gets drunk it's not
the brewers fault, it's not the sa-
loon keepers fault. it's not the
liquors fault-it's the mans fault.
When a man goes down to the
river, jumps in and browns himself,
you don't blame the river: nobody
calls an election to vote the river
dry.
OF course it's possible to miscon-
duct the liquor business the same
as anything else. Some banks are
not run properly, but this cannot
be used TO destroy the banking sys-
TEN. Neither can a bad saloon Jus
tify the destruction of the beverage
liquor traffic l am not here to de-
fend the bad saloon keeper, but !
"Oulu rather MS O6Iens6
than to Justify a bad preacher. It
would be wrong to close the
churches because of a few bad
preachers.
The evils associated with the IL
quor industry cannot be properly
charged to the business. The evil
IS found only under the hat Of the
man who drinks to excess Excess
is always evil, whether II is a mat
ter of drink or food. work or play.
The liquor traffic not being evil
in itself, you cannot condemn II be-
cause of the weakness and folly of
a few of it's patrons. II IS Just as
unreasonable to condemn the IL
QuOr dealer because Of the misuse
of the commodity he sells, as il
would be to condemn the hard ware
merchant when a customer buys
hammer 10 drive a nail and uses II
to kill a man. The liquor manu-
facturer and dealer are no moro
responsible for the misuse of their
commodity than the manufacturer
and dealer in automobiles A man
buys a machine. runs over some
body and kills him. It's too bad,
we are all sorry for the victim. but
can you demand the abolition OF the
automobile industry because of the