Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 77, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 February 1909 — A WORD ON THE “OTHER SIDE.” [ARTICLE]

A WORD ON THE “OTHER SIDE.”

Should Investments Be Destroyed Without Kedress Or ComNation? While The Democrat never has defended the liquor business and is not defending it now, yet that there is another side to the question which is generally lost sight of, in view of the general recognition of the business by our national government and the various states, cannot be denied by any fair minded individual, and the logic of the following editorial from the Cincinnati Enquirer cannot be entirely overcome by any amount of Sophistry: The old saying that the King can do no wrong was not true. That Kings can do wrong has been proved in thousands of instances. The world rejects the statement in toto to-day. In our republic that old, discredited saying relative to the King’s doings h.as been more or less applied to the state, and some of our good and trustworthy citizens are almost ready to accept as true that the state can do no wj-ong. Unfortunately for many equally good and worthy citizens the state can do wrong and the power of the state often is used directly and indirectly to work an injury to individuals and sometimes to a class. The state should do no wrong, that we can all aver and conscientiously affirm. When the state, through its legislators and officers, recognizes the existence of an evil, the utmost care should be taken that in elimina- . tion and cure of such evil other evil is not done by the wronging of its own citizens. We have in mind those citizens, and good and worthy ones many of them are, who put their money in and improved their realty for the purpose of manufacture or sale of liquors, and are now suddenly confronted with a situation in a numof states which threatens ruin to their investments and their holdings. States protected the traffic for years; states drew their revenues in part from such traffic. It was not only recognized by them but so safeguarded by ttieir laws and regulations that the states made it a safe and profitable business for individuals, firms and corporations to enter. Is it right now that at one fell swoop those investments be detroyed, without compensation or redress to those who by state action are driven out of business, and not only their capital deprived of all earnings, but their real property, where they own it, rendered almost valueless? If a citizen of Ohio, of New York or of Pennsylvania Mas invested his money in distilleries in the state of Tennessee, for instance, can his interests be virtually confiscated by the laws of Tennessee without redress or compensation to him? King» should do no wrong. States should do no wrong even to eradicate other wrongs. There are some means that are not justified by , the ends attained or attempted.