New Britain herald., 1924-09-18
NEW BRITAIN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1s 1924

of our Republican brethren, but with heads erect. imbued with a feeling that it is better to be right and lose, than to Do wrong and win.
 The 18th Amendment.
 May direct your attention to another phase of present day intol- erance. My reference is to the eighteenth amendment. Prohibition is result of an intolerance, which, however, has none of the charac- teristics of bigotry about it, but on the contrary possesses many attri- butes of commendation. We'll might we applaud the efforts Of well -mean- ing individuals which aim at the uplift of mankind, were the result of their endeavors and theories not so antagonistic to Democratic prin- ciples and so disastrous in practice.
 The great mistake of the prohibi- tionist is his confounding prohibition with temperance. It Is doubtful if one can be found so unreasoning as to deny the blessings of temperance. If by the magical power of some fairy wand, could bestow upon the people of this country this moral of excellence, gladly and speedily would l do so. For any nation espoused to its cause will rise to greater heights than will that dedicated to the phil osophy of the cup. However, virtue is neither bestowed nor forced on any man. It is acquired only by self-restraint and f-discipline. Void of freedom of action, what lwould virtue be? Not the least of the virtues is temperance, the ob- servance of the moral law of sobri- ety. It is strictly personal, as per sonal in it's attainment as the virtue of chastity. The enactment of legis- lation with the power of government behind it never has, and never will, make a man more robust in virtue. For if coercion and force can create "a higher standard of morality, those incarcerated in our penitentiaries will attain the highest pinnacle of righteousness.
 f What Is The Law
 Law should be something more than mere legislation. It should be the expression of a well-accepted custom, if not of time honored mem- ory, at least of universal acknowl- n d nthoruicn x,,itI oa tainted with artifcIality. Create any artificial offense and place it in the same category as horse stealing and man will regard the law as a sham, worthy of no respect or observance, or else he assumes the converse to be true, that horse stealing is no worse than the artificial offense, and his actions against both laws are governed accordingly. Can human eye see or prophetic mind foreteli the end of the regulation whose origin is found In the Eighteenth Amendment Already comes word that the self-appointed custodians of American mode of living, enthu- siastlc over their successes in ef- fccting prohibition, are marshaling their forces against tobacco. When the twenty-frst amendment | is ratified to prohibit the transpor- 1 tation, sale or use of tobacco, in what direction shall our keepers then turn? Shall the twenty-second amendment forbid the eating of corned beef and cabbage? The Lord forbid, for life without them would indeed be dismal. Yet it is just as logical for those who have endeav. ored to attune me to their standard by the Nolstead Act to do likewise in any other manner their passing and whimsical fancy might decree.
 Questions Govt. Rights
 Our people have never acknowl-