The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-07-07
THE II.HESkEr kE-KLEE.

Have any of our readers seriously
pondcred the full meaning of letter
which appeared in our columns appeal
ing for aid to rebuild burned church
at South Haven? Its facts show that
two murders had been committed within
a few months. of each other in that COM
munity, neither of which would have
occurred had there been no whiskey sold
there. Two lives were sacrificed in
order that half dozen or dozen men,
too lazy to work, might make miser-
able living, by selling the rcason.dc-
throning intoxicant at ten cents drink.
That is rather cheap for human life in
Michigan-and rather dear for whisbeyl
And SO the sober, Industrious honest
citizens of South Haven thought. And
this they believe all the more, because
they had always held that law should be
obeycd, and there is law upon our
statute books forbidding the sale of all
Intoxicating drinks as a beverage
And when these murders were com
mitted, as directly traceable to illegal
liquor, selling as were ever VOLTS tracks
to his den, they resolved simply that
the law should be obeyed, and finding
that it would not be willingly, set its
penalties at work in the appointed way.
The result was burned church and
girdled fruit orchard, the latter the
property of the President of the village
board, whose sworn duty as u public
officer it was to enforce the law.
We understand that, in the recent
State Congregational Association, a
prominent minister and long resident
of this State, said that efforts were being
made in the village where he resides to
stop the illegal traffic, and that men
were openly threatened that their houses
and barns would be burned if they
sought so protect themselves from the
taxes and crimes that come as the price
of tolerated liquor selling. This is
South Haven over again.
Now the honest and law abiding citi
zens of this State ought not to tolerate
such a condition of things for day.
This is species Of terrorism that may
have to be submitted to in some parts
of the South for brief period, but not
in as free and enlightened 4 Common
wealth as ours. Indeed, every man
who studies solely for his own interest,
whatever his abstract theories or opin-
ions may be, can sec with a moments
reflection that it is not safe in purely
business point of view to allow such
outrages to 90 unpublished. The good
name of any town will suffer that docs
not use its utmost effort to suppress this
internal spirit of arson and murder
Industrious and cnterprising men will
not settle in such town. Capital will
shun it. If property cannot be pro-
tected, men will 60 where it is safe
Nothing is surer than this. And it be-
hooves the people of South Haven, and
of every other locality that may be
cursed with such wretchcs as those which |
that town has the misfortune to harbor,
to sec to it that they do not get to
so evil and injurious rcpu-
tation. The more churches and schools
any community has the more secure is
property and life, the better is every
mans credit, the more certain of collcc-
ton every mans accounts, the more
solid its prosperity and the more healthy
its growth.
Church burning in the interest of sa-
loon keepcrs-putting aside all moral
direct blow at every |
every business man and
every citizen, and these should band
together with the most inhexiblc de-
to hunt out and cxterpate
that worst enemy to them all-the
Ku Klux.