Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1919-02-28
FRIDAY, FEB. %, 1919.
STREAMING AT A GNAT'

S lNCE Ine frOnlDlIlOn propaganda COOk TOOC
- and proved so popular with the masses of the
people, particularly in this state it has resulted in
a lot Of ambitious legislators lying awake nights
in order to surpass themselves in the conception
and execution of something new on the subject,
in order to produce a new burst of applause from
the galleries This was demonstrated by the con-
stitutiona amendment which was passed two
years ago and submitted to the voters OF the state
While it did no particular harm, SO far we can
tell at this time it appears to have been entirely
unnecessary and to have placed us in the attitude
of man who locks himself in room and then
throws the keys out of the window, lest he may
let himself out again. We are sufficiently con-
verified to the benefits of prohibition to believe that
there was not the slightest danger Of future leg
islature repeating the anti-liquor law, without all
this demonstration of "clinching" the question.
And now, with a most stringent liquor law on
our statutes, with constitutional amendment
which requires an overwhelming vote of the en-
tire people in order to open the matter again. and
with the backing of the entire United States to
make the law efficacious, when the nation goes on
a bone-dry basis next summer we find men still
in the State Legislature who are not willing to let
the matter rest, but are trying to emblazon them
selves by an attack upon common household rem
edies and favoring extracts, certain kinds of med
icnes used in doctors prescriptions, etc.
Such measure is House Bill 1877 by Hinckley,
which if enacted into law will prevent the sale of
a lot of the common od-time remedies on which
the public has come to rely in the treatment of
minor diseases in their families. On its face the
measure is harmful, and dangerous. Harmful, be-
cause many tried and proven drugs which cannot
be held in solution or made available by any other
method than the moderate use of alcohol win be
put beyond our reach entirely. Dangerous, be-
cause it would take from the poorer classes of the
people, who cannot afford to employ physician
for every little ailment in their families the means
they have found in the past of combating many
of the common kinds of disease and preventing
their developing into something more serious.
We don't know whether the medical profess
sion is the instgator of this bill not but certain
it is that if same passes it would be very much in
their favor, and place the public more than ever
at the mercy of some who are inclined to be eX-
tortionate.
We expect that at least for number of years
until the appetite for strong drink has been
entirely eradicated from the human animal-there
will be some abuses in this matter. A few ndi-
viduals will be found in every community for a
while who will be so lost to decency and regard
for their health and welfare that they will imbibe
of anything and everything, deuatured alcohol
not excepted, as long they contain intoXicants.
But who shall say that every woman In the state
shall go without spirits of camphor, every family
without such remedies as Castoria, Chamberlans
collie remedy, Tanlac, and hundreds of other prep
arations dependent upon alcohol for their exist
ence because few of these vitiated individuals
occasionally steal and drink them?
This paper fought courageousy and consist
emily for prohibition when apparently the prepon-
derance of sentiment was on the other side of
the fence, and we have fear of our sincerity
being questioned; but we believe that the desired
object has already been fairly well attained. Let
us for the present let well enough alone" and try
out little more thoroughly what we have, es-
pecially when the new federal law comes into OBJ
Grafton. Later, if it is definitely discovered that
there gaps in the>fence, we can take measures
to stop them. If the matter is over-done now and
it can be shown that an injury is being inflicted
it will react detrimentally for the cause so com
pletely won at present