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tigers." If this is the best showing that prohibition
can make, the sooner such laws are wiped off the
stat ute books the bettor.
Tiie reason for the utter disregard of prohibition
laws is not far to seek. Man has alwavs reseated anv
• • •
interference with his personal liberty, ami when such
a law is foisted upon a community in defiance of its
wishes it is not to bo expected that the people of
that community will lend any considerable aid to its
enforcement. Besides this, tin* very means that have
been employed in the passage of such laws have
brought them into disrepute even before they became
oprative Manv good people. in their enthusiastic
support of what they believed to be a righteous
cause, have acted under the erroneous impression
that “the end justifies the means." and only too
frequently have been guilty of the identical acts
which they strongly condemned in the opposition.
Eor instance, in Georgia. which was the first
Southern State to place a prohibitory measure upon
its statute books, then is a law forbidding lobbying
in the eapitol building, but the prohibitionists disre
garded it absolutely and rode over it rough shod.
The corridors, committee rooms, cloak rooms, and
even the streets about the building were literally
filled with prohibition lobbyists, morning, noon and
night. Men. women and even children swarmed over
the place, prayer meetings were held, sans intermis
sion. Senators and Representatives were button-holed
on tin* street and at their meals, were followed to
church or into barrooms, were shadowed to their
hotels or boarding houses, and were importuned
without ceasing to vote for the measure, until life
became a burden.
Concerning women, who forsake their home
duties and force their way into pulpits or upon lec
ture platforms to support or oppose political meas
ures or candidates, the less said the better, and we
cannot too strongly condemn the practice of bringing
innocent children into such scenes. If we violate
existing laws in our (‘(forts to secure the passage
of certain legislation we cannot reasonably expect
others io observe or respect the laws which we have
caused to Im* enacted by such methods. It would be
surprising indeed if they obeyed its mandate. “Two
wrongs have never yet made a right,’’ and good
cannot be made to come out of evil.
Tlu* only permanent good that can result
to the people is by convincing them that in
temperance is a great evil and one of the chief
causes of misery in the world to-day. In the early
part of this century laboring men went on strike
for tin* sake of getting their rations of rum, and it
was considered a remarkable achievement for a ship
to Im* completed and its cargo stowed in tlu* hold
without considerable quantities of grog being appor
tioned to the men: even labor unions maintained a
fund known as “liquor allowance’’ which was spent
in refreshment of the members at their meetings.
All ibis has been changed, and the improvement was
not brought about by legislation but by moral sua
sion. and because the men themselves became better
and wiser.
THE REASON
Just what method of dealing with this perplex
ing question will be productive of the greatest good
to the greatest number, we do not feel that we are
competent to determine, but there are certain evils in
connection with the liquor traffic which could easily
be eradicated. If public opinion declares that a bus
iness or a man is disreputable, they will soon be
come so. whether the accusation was merited at first
or not. It is also true that men whose deeds are
evil love darkness rather than light, and that sins
are committed under the cloak of darkness, of
which men would never he guilty in the broad light
of dav.
c
We believe that incalculable harm has been done
in this country by the social ostracism of the liquor
dealer, and by the accusation, which is so general,
that his business is disreputable, and if conducted at
al] must be carried on behind closed doors so that
the public may not be shocked by what takes place
in the barrooms. Nothing could have been more
conductive to the degradation of the business, to the
propagation of the social evil, or to the promotion
of gambling than this very attitude with regard to
Ihe sale of liquor. The American standing bar with
its screen doors, back rooms and the treating habit
has been enormously instrumental in increasing the
number of disreputable saloons and placing tlu* traf
fic on a lower plane than it would otherwise have
occupied.
We have traveled in many European countries
where men. women and children sit in gardens and
cases, and sip their wine or beer in full view of the
street and of the passers-by. and wherever this plan
is in vogue drunkenness is almost unknown and
boisterous conduct is never permitted.
It has been suggested by manv intelligent men
who have given much careful thought to tlu* temper
ance question, that the best solution of the problem,
in our Southern States at least, lies in prohibiting
the sale of ardent spirits and encouraging the man
ufacture of pure beers and light native wines. It is
argued—and it seems plausible—that human nature
always has and always will demand beverages
containing more or less alcohol; it is pointed
out that Holland was redeemed from the curse
of gin, and became the sober, industrious na
tion that it is to-day simply by the estab
lishment of coffee houses where malt beverages
were given the right of way and severe restric
tions were placed around the sale of ardent spirits.
Thomas Jefferson said: “No nation is drunken
where wine is cheap,’’ and it is stoutly affirmed that
people will be content with a milder beverage, but
where the prohibition is placed upon al] alike they
will invariably procure alcohol in its most concen
trated form.
“The proof of the pudding is in the eating there
of. and not in chewing the string.’’ It has been
clearly demonstrated that prohibition is worse than
a failure, and it is high time for us to try some other
method of regulating the liquor traffic and of pro
moting tlu* cause of temperance. Whether this can
be done by permitting the manufacture and sale of
light beers and wines, we are not prepared to say,
but the proposition sounds reasonable, and certainly
deserves a test.
But. “wisdom is the principal thing: therefore
get wisdom, and with all thy getting get under
standing,”