t as tippling shall cease entirely. But till
that day comes, till humanity has taught itself and raised itself, I
want to see fair play."

"What do you mean?"

"The rich man can lay in a stock of wine, or go to a hotel or club, and
get what he wants at any time and all times. It is not fair, because a
man's pockets are filled with nickels instead of eagles, that he shall
not have the same right. For that reason, I have always spoken for the
saloon, and even for Sunday openings. You know what I think myself of
that day. You know what I think of wine. But if I claim the right to
spend Sunday in my way and not to drink, I must concede an equal right
to others to do as they please. If a man wants to drink at any time,
what right have I to say he shall not?"

"But the poor man goes and makes a beast of himself," said Watts.

"There is as much champagne drunkenness as whisky drunkenness, in
proportion to the number of drinkers of each. But a man who drinks
champagne, is sent home in a cab, and is put to bed, while the man who
can't afford that kind of drink, and is made mad by poisoned and
doctored whisky, doctored and poisoned because of our heavy tax on it,
must take his chance of arrest. That is the shameful thing about all our
so-called temperance legislation. It's based on an unfair interference
with personal liberty, and always discriminates in favor of the man with
money. If the rich man has his club, let the poor man have his saloon."

"How much better, though," said Mrs. D'Alloi, "to stop the sale of wine
everywhere."

"That is neither possible nor right. You can't strengthen humanity by
tying its hands. It must be left free to become strong. I have thought
much about the problem, and I see only one fair and practical means of
bettering our present condition. But boss as the papers say I am, I am
not strong enough to force it."

"What is that, Peter?" asked Dorothy.

"So long as a man drinks in such a way as not to interfere with another
person's liberty we have no right to check him. But the moment he does,
the public has a right to protect itself and his family, by restraining
him, as it does thieves, or murderers, or wife-beaters. My idea is, that
a license, something perhaps like our dog-license, shall be given to
every one who applies for it. That before a man can have a drink, this
license must be shown. Then if a man is before the police court a second
time, for drunkenness, or if his family petition