The Menace of Prohibition by Lulu Wightman

Let us not forget the principles for which our great American republic stands. Recollect, that the tendency toward imperial government and despotic rule is here today as it has been in every nation and in every age of the world. Menaces to the rights and privileges of the people are ever-present: the continued structure of safeguarding laws and constitutions presuppose the enemy to be ever near:tyranny may slumber, but let bigotry and intolerance call ever so softly, and it springs into active life and being, and on every occasion, with consummate cunning, justifies its demands with a specious pretext -- censorship for the good of the people.

Prohibition censorship is one of these specious pretexts; but censorship invariably arrogates to itself the prerogatives of monarchy and the exactions of martial law. Government of an Emperor is as well as government by unreasoning, tyrannous = majority = . In government, middle ground is rarely found, and if it is, it is only for a temporary period and for reasons of expediency: it; is a question of republic or empire, freedom or slavery, liberty or despotism, the life or death of the people! Censorship by = the majority = -- as to what the individual shall eat, or drink, or wear, or religiously or irreligiously do or observe -- is as hateful to the genuine American citizen as would be the censorship of = a Czar = ! Censorship is dictatorial and despotic: it overrides American law and American ideals; it is the rule of = a suzerainty = in place of = fundamental government = : it claims to be acting = under = government, but it is actually acting = above = government. Censorship is not = freedom = ; the very word itself precludes the view: censorship is = slavery = , intensified or modified; it is the same thing whether it be under American rulers or the Great Khan of Tartary. Prohibition censorship is only the = beginning = : it is not the end. Beneath it all, lie the claws of the tiger -- the claws of fanatical bigotry and misrule -- and ultimately, if not checked, the whole American people = will feel those claws = . = But then: IT WOULD BE TOO LATE! =