Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-11-12

ihe moment Intoxicating liquors cease 20
J be sold they will In great measure cease
% be drank. Is there any reason fn the
world Why the seller should not be cOeFeed
into an abandonmsnt Of the tngbfeP Any
which does not apPIy with equal force 10
gambling establisbmeuts, 70 lotteries, Sc,
% which coercion has been applied2 There
is one which have beard that may IIeserv e
consideration. The amount Of capital in
vested IN the mauufaoture and sale Of these
i Nquorsit Il is said is very great; while the
amount Invested in gambling establish ;
ments, lotteries, &C., Is or was compare
lively small. Be Il 30. But reply tkst
the amount Of evil produced br' ths maui.
factuTe and sails Of these liquors Is more
than PrOpOFtiOnatley great. What, ask, is
the evils produced by gambling or any other
social vice compared with those which
| flow from intemperance There is indeed
q large amount Of capital invested % pro
dues such evil; bat If it were hundred
or Thousand times more than u ~ it3I
destruction. TO get rid Of the evil, would beI
cheap remedy. After all, however, when
the question lies between the posstble bn,
not even necessary loss Of q few th0usand
dollars; aud the ruin, intellectually aud
morally, temporarily aud eternally, ot
thousands of men annually between these
few thousands employed ia creating iuI01-
icatiDg liquors and these thousands of men
ruined by using them are we go brutal
iEed that We can say ''saVe the money let |
the men co." We cannot mistake In be- |
lieVing that nine out or every ten Of our /
fellow citizens will exelaim when brought |
to look Of this matter square In the face,
ITO peFditi0n with the treasure bat save
the men from e." The public good Is not
to be sacrificed thousands of men are not
70 be delivered over remOrselessly to ruin /
in body, soul and estate, and their families
10 misery nspeakable-merely TO aecumu-
late few millions Of mouey.
There are now in West Virginia thous-
auds Of men and women who cannot read
or write. And Of those who can, bow
little as to have almost no knowledge Of
history, politics, the characters Of our
public men, or the merits or faults Of pub
lie measures. The millions annually spent
in brain destroying drink aud the equal
sum indirectly lost by the i'll thrift which
drinking occasions, account but too we'll |
for the thousands of non-readers, and
those whose reading fails TO fit them for
the great duties Of judging between men
and measures and parties, aud of storing
the minds of their children with knoWl.
edge. Ask any Of these or any of the un-
numbered boys and girls who are growing
up to swell the hosts Of ignorance aud vice,
Why they are so mindless, and the true
answer Of vast majority would be, be-
cause our fathers could not spare from the
grOg shop the S12 a year that would
have schOOled each Of Us aud bought us
the needful books. Half Of those yearly
wasted sums WOnId build n school house
and support q very good school Ia every
habitable district in the State; aud thus by
diHasing Knowledge and virtue, fulfill
that precePt which no democracy can dis
obey and live-ths m0mentOus Preeept:
''Purify and enlighten the people" The
Of Republic Is the intelligence
aud virtue of It's people.
The coercion of these men into an Rban-
donment of the debAsing teafie, Il merely
cOereioD-c0ereiOn employ
ed to puE down coercion on their part,
wholly iutolerable in . free eountry.-I
There are thOusands Of families in this
State alone, that have each q son or . ia .
lher, or husband, known by them to be
forming, or have already formed the habit
Of intpxicatiop. Any man can form q con-
ceptiOn of the feelings OF these families as
they look on these dearest Of earthly Ob.
iects and see them steadily advancing to
ruiu any one can guess what they would
be willing TO give II intoxicating liquors Il
we're no where accessible; any one can i'm !
lgine now intense and fearful would be
the earnest desire that not q drop Of this
isStg0yer existed. Ahl me thinks hear a
lhem exclaim, Oh If there were none Of
these detestable liquors accessible, Onr son,
bur father, my husband would be sayed.-l
Again, how many families that have each
I SOD, a husband, father dangerously ex-
posed TO the temptations of intempeFance.
It is not difficult % Imagine how they feel;
what anxieties ell their hearts; how many l.
5leepless nights arc passed by themj with
what regret they see these loved ones leaV.
ing home; and with what aPpTehensions,
Watchful affection listens for their return.
And every year from the beginning 70 the
end this is going on. Constantly is this !
incalculable suffering pleading with stream 4
ing eyes for deliVeranee. And what an-
swer is given by the manufaeturers and
selIers7 "Wby,H say these Shyloeks,
awe have our money invested 10 this trade {
which yields us handsome profit, aud do
you think your whining and weeping can
induce us TO abandon this calling; your
sons, fathers aud husbands are not obliged
70 drink; If they will dFink what is that 70
us Let as alone" Nor is this all; these
men, through their wealth and influence
over the dFunkards they make, aud over
other interested men, have managed TO
control legislation, and thus ride rough
shod over these helpless suPPliauts crying
IN Ptnable distress TOR mercy turning .
deaf ear 70 the misery Of so many thou
sands, Bud use sll the power they can pos
sess OF purchase, or without puFChasiug
control, 70 pefpethate the cause Of this
misery. Shall this tide Of death and woe
be suffered to roll on; the very vitals oft
liberty, Of social peace aud dOmestic hap
piness be bIasted9 Il eannOs be that our
Intelligent, enlightened aud ehFistian Leg-
jsIatiEe body will allow this. sincerely
hope that such action will at once be had
as shall forever free our people from this
fell dssireyer, and thus disseminate peace,
bapPipesS and prosperity thEOughOat our