The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-02-18
ENIPORIA NEWS.
Friday, :: s: February IS, 1870.
THE SALOON QUESTION AGAIN.

ferred to last week in an editorial, to-
gether with another in reply to the ar
guments therein set forth.-EDs.l
Eds. News: In former issue MOTTO
ednG article headed ''The Liquor Ques-
tion," apparently written for moral pur-
poses. With the same intention, wish
TO state few facts. l must differ with
w. j., yet purpose to go little deep
er, for the prosperity of State, county,
city or town, cannot be made to depend
upon the manner in which liquor is sold,
or whether il is sold at all or not; yet
he has drawn a woeful picture of COM
munity which has liquor saloon iniits
midst. At present, a man who wants q
drink of whisky, buys half pint, or
more, bottles it up and starts, meets q
friend, calls him into dark corner, in
duees him to take drink, and so it goes,
until all is gone. Veal know that any
one can get liquor who can pay for it.
Men who lay claim to respectability are
selling the cursed poison under the cloak
of n respectable business. But he says
1--WE must use the law TO establish tenn
perance. Where has the law been any
thing but miserable failure? Where,
upon Gods footstool, has the hand of
civilization touched that this cursed
curse cannot be had? Legislation may
close one avenue, cunning opens another.
What would be the effect of saloons in
this town?
LIST. 1t would diminish the sale of
liquor, for who would buy pint for a
half gill.
I'd. II will diminish the consumers,
because three men will drink in the
dark where one would drink in q sa-
loon. The man who enters a saloon is
aware that the outside world knows for
what purpose he entered. Were the
deeds of all men. to be published how
noble they all would be.
Sd. The only way the sale of liquor
can be stopped is to wipe out the buy
ers. A saloon is living temperance
lecture-one which reaches the hearts of
young men, and calls to women to be-
ware of the Incorporate youth.
w. j. throws up his hands with "holy
horror" at the mention of licensed sa-
loon-and why not license every other
crime in the decalogue. My dear man,
they are all licensed. If law in any
country protects the right and Furnishes
the wrong, society may well be thank
full, without asking it to noralize the
people.
say that people license all things, by
which they make money. We. of this
city, have licensed the sale of liquor, by
respecting those who sell it. To be sure,
nor crimes, but we pay homage to
those who have filled their pockets by
selling the seed of woe and desolation.
We do not think of the brilliant minds
that have failed with the cup. Do not
look at the homes desolated, prisons
and poor houses filed by the rumseller.
We smile as he chinks. his ill-gotten
gains. We see his fine mansion, but do
not see the ruined homes, emaciated wo-
men, and ragged children, whose money
has paid for it. No; we honor these
people, but show nothing but contempt
in the position which they occupy.
Shall we close out the liquor traffic in
in our city? Then place the seller and
buyer on the same scale. Show the
same respect to the heart broken wife OF
the dram-drinker that you do to the
jeweled wife of the dramseller. Shun
both the seller and the buycr-not lion
ize one drinker and kick another. Look
Mt principle, not at position.
But the liquor question is not alone to
be considered. The disregard for the
Sabbath and word of honor are sowing
seeds which will yield bitter crop.
We who are here to live cannot take
too great an interest in the growing So
ciety. We cannot too severely condemn
and punish all acts and influences which
have demoralizing tendency. Nor can
we do too much towards developing the
true man. Do we want good society {?
Then let us have reading rooms and de-
batting societies. What have we for
amusement now Pa billiard saloon and
plenty of whisky. Public opinion is
the law of our country. What is public
opinion hereS The dollar, come by 1t
as you may. This is the restraining in
fluence which is thrown around one.
Yet, when the public condemns the liq-
uor seller and drinker, then we do not
care how many sell it.
How many arc ready to shun those
who blight society? How many are
ready to extend their hand to the honest
man, though poor and striving, and to
turn their backs upon those who are rich
through their dishonesty2 Public opin-
ion is cice rersd. We preach one thing,
but practice another. Place the drink
crs and dishonest men, ibertines and
Sabbath breakers before the public,
and what perceptible change there
would be.
In conclusion, let me ask of all who
would see our city and State prospering,
TO both practice and preach the right.
Open places where all can find whole
some amusement, and q licensed saloon,
for then we shall go to work to reduce
the demand for rum. There is no way
to advance the right like making it plain
to n man that wrong will hurt his tinan-
cial prospects. Either call our drug
stores by their right names, our rum
sellers by theirs, or stop the sale of
liquor, or have a saloon. This having
n half dozen drug stores, all doing
thriving business, i'll town where we
have neither sickness or rum, is scandal
Gus, and any man who thinks twice will
voluntarily conclude that it is an I'M
healthy country, or else an almighty in
temperate place. At present there is
some inconsistency between the drug
stores, which are advertised in our local
papers, and the healthy country which
our real estate papers mention. J.W.
MEssRs. EDIToRs: In his celebrated
tilt with the wind mills, Don Quixote
was endorsed and thrown to the ground,
and had not his valiant Esq. Sancho
rushed to his aid, in all human proba-
bility he would have been there still,
and the world would have lost the re-
nowned adventures of the chivalrous