Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1919-07-24

tic onOugnj IL Will not accomplish tne
purpose for which the prohibition
is intended. Yet veteran prohibition
lists are rebelling against it. Repre-
sentative Pou of Georgia denounced
the bill as an outrage and said he
would be ashamed to vote for it. He
denounced the invasion of homes and
the arrest of men and women for no
offense at all except exercising their
right to do things, harmless in them
selves and not infringing the rights
of others, in their own homes.
: Representative Moon of Tennessee,
for 20 years consistent prohibition
ist, denounces the bill as tinfamous,
impractical and senselessn- ''wors g
in all its features than the infamous
force bill.o 1t is force bill. 1t pro-
poses to regulate by force personal
conduct as to matters innocent of
crime-made crimes by law.
These prohibitionists are in the
kindergarten of political science.
They are just beginning to learn that
sumptuary laws are inherently OBJ
noxious to the principle of liberty and
cannot be enforced without oppres-
sions and evils that far outweigh any
evils that arise from freedom of ac-
ton and the full exercise of personal
liberty in things that are not criminal
in themselves and do not affect the
rights of others. Such laws have
failed since the dawn of civilization.
If the enforcing act is.not drastic, if
it does'no invade the rights of home
and person, it will be Intellectual and
discriminating. Under it, the well-to-
do will have freedom, will have all
the liquor they want, and the poor
will be deprived of all alcoholic bev-
erages. How can there be social
progress, order and content under
such. discrimination? How long will
the poor endure the privilege of the
rich? How long will the working
man stand for the discrimination in
favor of his employer?
There is another lesson on law
which the prohibitionists are about to
learn; they will learn the truth of the
maxim that law, not supported by
the general opinion of the community
cannot be enforced. Law is the form.
ulated expression of public opinion
and its strength is popular consent.
This is the essence of law, as every
tyrant who tried to enforce his will
upon an unwilling people has discov
cred. AS Lord Parker, the eminent
British jurist, recently expressed it,
"though tribunals based upon force
may deal with exceptional deviations
from the general rule of conduct, nc
tribunal and no force is of any avail
once the exceptions are 80 numerous
that the rule cannot be said to be
generally observed.n
Ia many communities where will
Judges and juries be found to enforce
drastic provisions of a prohibition
law? How will courts be able to clear
their dockets?
Another lesson involving more seri.
Gus consequences is in store for our
fanatic friends. Nonobservance, non
enforcement and contempt of one
law tends to weaken and bring into
contempt all laws. When rebellion
against constitutional government, all
rights Of persons and property and al
law and order is rising in the world
an experiment in drastic laws against
liberty which will tend to bring law
inte contempt is, to say the least
foolish in the extreme. We are SOW
ing the wind.
Congress and the State Legislature,
in their Wild tinkering with principles
and axioms of government and law
are demonstrating how far wrong oul
Mysteries over the social and politica
evils of the saloon and the drink
ing habit have led us. We are rush.
ing to extremes and are about to learr
the folly and the danger of tamper'
ing with the principle of liberty ant
the fundamental conditions of democ
racy and law.