Show A CHANGE OP OF BASE SINCE B H ll Roberts Ro erts is i getting etting into the campaign as a a n stump speaker on Uw tIN tb ground that he to desires to call attention to the supposed reversal of V the position po of o several Republicans on the question of statewide prohibition or JoeL Joeal option it iL might be well to recall what Mr Roberts said in the con constitutional nal convention on the liquor question Mr Roberts at that time was wasI I opposed ed even evea to option and am hie bi only solution of the liquor question was regulation Now Wow he lie h is i i advocating statewide prohibition Here is his state statement tc pent ment Mr Mi Chairman I want WaRt to call atten atteR attention Hon tion to the report made mad by the minori minor minority ty of ot the committee in th article they propose to submit for tor separate parate vote ef of the people They say aay not only that the I manufacture for tor sale ie e or gift as a bever beverage age ace gu of Intoxicating liquors shall ahall be beI I prohibited but no person association or corporation shall import any of ot the same for tor sale or gift or sell coil or offer to t tt t keep the same earn for sale ante Ie or gift barter t or trade a am a n beverage In that particular air sir I think at least leut the minority have haye undertaken to todo tod tod do d something that is impossible Impo ible for tor them to do In other words that wo we w weI I cannot under the decision d of the su supreme suI supreme I preme court of the Ute United States Stated pro hibit the importation Into state of intoxicating liquors liquor as aa a beverage and 1 would ask gentlemen who intend to torote vote rote for tor th the submission of this clause I I to take lake the matter mattei under consideration I lion tion I think it is M something you can cannot cannot cannot not do doIn doIn doIn In considering a question of this character I cannot for the life ute of me met t I understand how you can consider conal del it I separate and hid apart from the tile merits of the question The Tb merits of the ques que question queI tion are inevitably w Involved InYo l in it and I nee ought to be because bec Ulle upon the n rits of the th question depend the propriety of either putting It directly into the or permitting the people t x their vole YO to te put it into the constitution and I bold hold air sir that th the majority report of the committee is cor cot correct wherein It states that prohibition ix IN J but an experiment not only in hi the way of legislative enactment but also b by constitutional provision I think it was only last year ear that the thee e good od people of the state of Iowa rooted tO ted out of or their constitution the prohibitory clause on OR this subject I lived Jived for some come length of time tilDe myself in the state of Iowa when that was a prohibition state by legislative enactment t and I know not what the experience of other gentlemen n may be in prohibiting states state but 1 wish to declare that I know that i in that state stat prohibition was nothing Lut tut a hollow hullow mockery and the very vary Snot fact that the people have but recently j even repudiated the constitutional pro is very iU strong Kreng evidence ee to te me that this matter is la but In its experimental ex erl erlI I mental stage tage and that we cannot afford afford 4 I to undertake that experiment by con constitutional provision n and as stated In Inthe Inthe Inthe the majority report If It tried at all aU it should hould be undertaken by legislative en enactment enlI lI Now New sir IiI I am of the opinion that there are things thin worse worM than even in intemperance intemperance temperance in the use of intoxicating I liquors H and one of these things worse than the intemperate use of intoxicants is the demoralization which cornea to a community which threatens civil JOY goy nl itself and that is disrespect I j I and ana disregard of law Such is in the na 1111 nature nature ture of this question that it is js not a II difficult matter to evade the law and 4 wherever r it has bas been tried men have hayo evaded the law Jaw and a d that successfully more successfully in respect to sumptuary laws than In respect to any ao other kinds of law lawi i 1 say that it Is IB easy to evade this class dasa of law aw and ned when wh n you teach a community er when you create condi condl conditions condition tion tl ns which lead a community to regard law you create a greater evil evile e even aen en than Ihan the evil you attempt to crush I by law And fr tr this reason I do not want to engratt engraft into the constitution this clause I believe it Is the right of this convention to deter determine determine mine what to put into a constitution and what would be more proper to leave to the legislature and for that reason I think it is quite competent for tor this convention to eay aay to toI I the people notwithstanding the pet peti petitions that are before us that It is not a proper matter to Insert Into the con constitution constitution Mow o sir air prohibition bring being b an experiment eJI rl w meat ment and for tor the most post part an expert went ment W Dt that baa laas ha failed tailed in my m judgment oilier ther gentlemen D of ot count coure may dif differ differ fer tel from that thu but It U is a difference ute la in judgment Jud but being belo nn na experiment that ha has baa failed I hold bold that Shut there U Is nothing binding biDdIng upon un u to attempt it by bT constitutional There Is no gentleman upon this floor but what is III aware of the tho evil of Intemperance It Is not because I am amin amIn amin in favor of patronizing saloons and that I have no regard for the evils of intemperance that I am connected with those gentlemen who have made the majority report on this question but my observation teaches me that the proposed remedy for this evil is not equal to the task proposed for it I Iam Iam Iam am against It It is for that reason that I shall shan vote against submitting this clause for a II separate article on prohibition There lh re is another question connected with itI this thU subject and this Ibis Is la recognizing the impracticability of lion either by constitutional or legislative enactment lu Iu conse COUe consequence quence of our cur being belu surrounded by b atea and they may milT manufacture and selL Hell U those Intoxicants nu SM beverage b in spite of oC all aU that we vc could rould do they would Import those beverages ea Into luto our territory and they would Mould be sold and the result would Mould be that we would not Dot materially lessen leru the evil but ne I pay pa out a n rave reve revenue n nDue nut Due to surrounding Dud and terri tern territories tories that we e I absolutely ly need ned here In our own state And nd I cannot annot close clone my PlY era ejea to the tb fact that hat It would be In Increasing increasing creasing the burdens burden of ot taxation upon the th people of oC this territory and at the same name time not Dot curing the evil ut which this thU prohibition clause Is In leveled Now these are considerations from which we cannot remove ourselves and I think It is competent and proper for tor this convention to favor tavor the adoption adoption adoption tion of the majority report of this com coin committee committee on this Issue I believe belle that we can eaD better control this thin thia th evil 11 of oC Intemperance by bT locating it where we ne know the thc evil edl edlIs Is end and where It ran can be he under the guard guardianship of DC the law stud nt strictly Holly regu regulated regulated of ot blind lions about u us producing evil 11 Dad and yet Tet Tete we e know not the course of ot that evil I am firmly convinced that you can cannot cannot cannot not legislate men Into morality I am am I persuaded that it ls impossible to tomako make men temperate by legislative enact enactment enactment enactment ment I do not close my eyes to the fact that there are other forces in inthe the world than legislative enactment and congressional provision Why hy sir sirI I want ministers of the gospel to have something to do and there are better forces to be arrayed against this evil than legislative enactment I believe in the liberty of at the Indi Individual IndivIdual vidual and if you want to know how haw dear to me the liberty of the individual I I is 2 I want to tell you that quite con contrary contrary contrary from the position taken upon this floor by the gentleman from Sevier county notwithstanding all the array of bloodcurdling incidents that may be related as growing out of the acts of men under the influence of intoxicating liquors notwithstanding all that so dear to me Is the liberty of the indi individual Individual vidual that I would pay that price for forit forU forit it U and if It I could I would not destroy the liberty and agency of man Mr Miller May I 1 ask the gentleman a question How about the weaker ones the wives and children of the unfortunate men Mr Roberta You may add that to the list also abo If you will I recognize sir air that Omnipotence has lies the tho power to blot this thing out of ot existence and yet He withholds His Hla Hi band hand He per permits permits mits it to exist You will see lee there therefore therefore therefore fore gentlemen that I am prepared to vote against the amendment which adopts the minority report and in fa ta favor favor tavor vor of the motion to adopt the majority report I From reading the foregoing would one deduce that B IL U Roberts is the proper sort of man to question anybody y else ose suppose that it ought to he be his l s duty to criticise some one else who has changed his position on the liquor issue 7 Just Jest who Mr Roberts is so anxious to expose it is not at all clear but it may develop |