The Ethics of Prohibition and Socialism Compared.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 33, 20 October 1911, Page 5

The Ethics of Prohibition and Socialism Compared.

Socialists do mot believe that Prohibition is the last word in drink ethics. At least, the well-informed do not think bo. They are not prepared to assert drink in itself is universally an evil; that it is impossible to take it in moderation; that the people as a whole cannot be trusted with liquor; that it should be labelled as a poison, administered only by experts; or that it should be treated as a capital offence like robbery, murder, etc. These prohibitionists are utterly illogical ; the morality they advocate is a whited sepulchre one. The ethics of the drink traffic are the ethics of capitalism. If it is true society is an organism, and no individual or class can live unto themselves, and that the true interests of every individual are all "bound up together, then that applies to every trade or business existing under capitalism. If the liquor traffic is absolutely immoral, and on a par with robbery and murder, then all trade whatsoever prosecuted with the same motives and in the hands of the same class, is on the same footing. If the ethics of one part or division of capitalism work out an equivalent to robbery and murder, then the ethics of trade generally, and capitalism as a whole, work out-to the same equivalent. If capitalism in the drink traffic should be made a capital offence, capitalism everywhere should be made a capital offence also. "What is the position? Prohibitionists are ready to support an ethic which leads to robbery and murder everywhere else, but in the traffic in liquor. Let mc explain my position further. If society is one, humanity is one, then morality proper has no geography. Murder is murder Everywhere, and robbery is robbery everywhere. If the drink traffic is a capital offence, then robbery and murder aire capital offences, and capital offences everywhere. The ethics of prohibition to be consistent must be universal. I have shown they, or at least many, are not consistent, that, unconsciously if not directly, they are whited sepulchres. Their morality is one-eyed, lop-eared and factitious. Let mc give you a glaring instance. When murder is perpetrated on a wholesale scale or in a retail way under certain conditions by officials of the state, in the name of patriotism and morality and religion and law and order, these snuffle-busters of prohibitionist wowsers who lash themselves into a rage on the evils of drink — where do you find them almost every time? Suppotrtingj advocating, glorifying murder; glorifying it under their class morality and cloak of patriotism. One Sunday in the churches they are preaching the immorality of the liquor traffic, love to man, human brotherhood ; on Monday on the public platform they are preaching hate, battle, murder, and sudden death, and receiving the proceeds of stolen unearned slum property in the shape of rent, interest and profits. Bali! If the tree is evil the fruits will be evil—the tree capitalism is known by its fruits. How can the health or morality of society be good growing out of the ethically and economically rotten, poisonous jnorass of capitalism P It is not a. fantastical class hole-and-corner morality which is wanted, biit organic morality based upon universalism. Health does not spring from disease, and no silk purses of -morality can ever be made from the sow's ears of capitalism. All the prohibition palliative patchings up in the world cannot make the tree of society aaid the leaves of humanity sound if the economic coil is not good or the ideal seed has ethically the old germs. From the top and bottom the heart of society will be eaten out. Society as an organism naturally is healthy, but it is afflicted with the parasitical disease of capitalism. It is the parasitical animals with reform ideas and spider morality and bow-arid-arrow superstitions which the soul of mail under capitalism is tied to, which is holding civilisation in the world and humanity back today. There is no souiid principle in prohibition, and no ethical or economic ideal is sound which has not the abolition of capitalism as its basis or setting out. You could as soon cure a volcano with bread poultices as cure the disease of capitalism with prohibition and palliative patchings tip. Why then mislead or encourage fraud by fooling with the trouble at all? Lot it rip; we have more important work on hand. T. A. EAGLE.