A  man  had  an  old  dog  that  would  rather  stay  in
the  house  than  to  go  out  door:  his  master  told  the  dog
to  go  out  door,  but  the  dog  went  under  the  bed;  the
master  then  said  "go  under  the  bed  then,  for  I  will  be
obeyed."

The  authorities  in  New  York  and  in  many  other  cities
have  forbidden  the  sale  of  liquors  on  Sundays,  but  the
saloon  men,  like  the  dog,  refuse  to  obey.  "Well"  say
the  authorities;  "if  you  will  not  obey  the  laws,  we  will
change  the  law  and  allow  you  to  sell  on  Sunday,  for  we
will  be  obeyed."

The  master  of  the  dog  will  be  obeyed,  and  the  ambi-
tious, but  weak  mayor  will  be  obeyed  and  both  act  on
the  principle  that  where  there  is  no  law  there  is  no
transgression.
This  principle  applies  with  equal  force  and  propriety,
to  any  vice  that  can  be  mentioned.  It  is  the  same  prin-
ciple that  spoils  children,  whose  parents  cannot  make
them  obey;  and  shows  weakness  of  the  ruler.
There  are  men  who  could,  and  would,  if  in  power,  en-
force every  law,  or  know  the  reason  why.
Laws  should  be  just  and  strictly  enforced.
185


The  proposal  to  give  the  liquor  dealers  more  liberty
and  less  liability,  is  not  urged  by  the  those  who  drink,
but  by  those  who  sell;  and  the  people  demand  a  reason
for  giving  more  liberty.
If  the  demand  were  made  by  those  who  drink,  and
if  habitual  drinkers  cannot  get  along  from  Saturday
night  until  Monday  morning  without  alcoholic  drink,
it  is  high  time  that  the  saloons  were  annihilated,  or  al-
coholic fiends  will  be  as  drug  fiends.
