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1887 History of Story County, Iowa by W. G. Allen

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TEMPERANCE: NEWS ITEMS & 1884 PROHIBITION
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ing for a permanent injunction against operating a large brewery at Ottumwa, which was manufacturing beer without a permit from the County Board of Supervisors. The owners of the brewery set up the defense that the law was unconstitutional, inasmuch as it violated the provision of the United States Constitution, which says: `No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law.' The further defense was made that all the beer now being sold had been manufactured prior to July 4th, when the law went into effect. These are the grounds which the opponents of prohibition generally rely upon as sufficient to establish the unconstitutionality of the law, hence the importance of Judge BURTON's decision. The Judge decides that the law is constitutional, notwithstanding the defense alleged. He takes the ground that the Legislature has the right to enact laws prohibiting the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors whenever in their judgment such prohibition is best for the interests of the whole community. He declares that this right is acknowledged by an unbroken line of authorities, and is not an open question.—N. Y. Witness.—(Sept. 24, 1884.)

A man may be a temperance man, and not a religious man; but it is impossible for a man to be a christian and at the same time be antagonistic to temperance or the most radical temperance work. There is no antagonism between the temperance work and christianity. Every movement and every organization formed for the purpose of pushing on the temperance work, take them in any form they may exist, are useful auxiliaries of the church, aids to true religion, and the most effective allies of christianity. Drunkenness is a sin, and as such is denounced by the Bible. It is, however, a sin, which in many instances has its palliations, because of its having become to a great extent, a physical disease. But rum selling is a crime which this day and age has no palliation, no excuse, no defense. No man can be a true christian and apologize for it any more than lie can be a true christian and apologize for theft, blasphemy, gambling, perjury or any other of the crimes against God and society, which are universally acknowledged as flagrant crimes.—Intelligencer,—(Feb. 10, 1887.)


PROHIBITION PASSED.

Prohibition has passed both houses of the Legislature, and before this reaches our readers, will, very likely, be a law. The debate in the House, which began Wednesday, came to a crisis Friday. The bill had already been amended on motion of Mr. McCall, so as to conform very nearly to the Senate bill. The question then was upon a thousand dollar license bill which had been offered as a substitute by Clayton, Republican, from Pottawatamie, and upon the Democratic free whisky bill which had been moved as an amendment to Clayton's bill. The first vote was upon the amendment.

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