Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-01-05
Temperance Agitation Again.
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa,
January 2d 1879

January Sd, 1879.
ED. MISUNDERSTANDING by the COM
ments in your last issue, on the resolu.
ton submitted by the Good Templars,
with regard to arousing public sentiment
at the present time in behalf of temper
ancc, through the fundamentally Of the
press, it is evident that wrong impress
sion was conveyed concerning the intent
Of that resolution. Nothing was further
from the intent of the resolution than
making any reflection on the negligence
Of your paper in that respect, hitherto,
for all temperance people in our commu-
nifty must be aware, and doubtless fully
appreciate the fact that the BULLETIN
has ever been ready to denouncc in the
scverest terms the liquor traffic with all
its attendant evils, and boldly advocate
the most rigorous measures for its sup
preston in our midst It was the intcn
ton of the author of that resolution sim
ply to request the newspapers of our city
to make renewed efforts at the present
time in that direction, with view to
preparing the public mind for any plans
that may be under consideration, or
Whatever developments may be made in
the future. 1t would not be reasonable
to suppose that any temperance orgsnt-
cation would expect for . moment that
the great work Of temperance reform
could be carried on by the press, indie
pendent Of any assistance from temper
ancc people or temperance societies.
With regard to the propriety and ne.
cessity of u special effort being made at
the present time to awaken public inter
est in this great moral question, there
can be but one opinion, for it is admitted
by all who possess even ordinary powers
Of observation, that there has been more
liquor sold in our midst, and more drunk.
enness in our streets within the past four
or five months than ut any previous time
In the history 0fnur city for the last ten
years. The number Of saloons has In.
creased, and the liquor dealers themselves
declare that now, indeed, they are reap
ing a golden harvest from their Infamous
traffic.
Not long since one of the employees at
the mill made the statement that no less
than tWenty drunken men visited the mill
in one afternoon, and some Of them SO
far gone in the depths Of inebristion that
they were hardly able to state their busi-
ness or tell their own names. Look al
the drunken broils and disgraceful rows
thak.are occurring on our streets with
startling frequency, Of late. Surely there
is need of special effort being made to
check this torrent Of intoxicatiOn in our
midst, ere it overflow Us like tidal wave
and law and order be set ct naught.
Some three months ago new palace
billiard hall, (which is only another name
for grog shop) was opened in prominent
business locality, SURPRISING all its COM
petitors in elegance and capacity, the
very gliding Of which renders it all the
more powerful to carry on its work Of
destruction. This place, ever since its
establishment, has been throEged day
and night, with young and old, many Of
whom were not in the habit Of visiting
saloons previous to its advent, and es-
pecially among the younger portion Of
our community, but who were attracted
within its balcful influence by the very
elegance of its appurtenances, which in
sures at once its entire respectability. ~
We admit the truth Of the remarks
made in the comments before spoken Of,
that the work Of bringing to justice the
fifteen or twenty saloon keepers who in
fest our city. must be done by few, and
with peculiar propricty by an organiz.-
ton like the Good Templars. And we
beg leave to remind the editor Of the
BULLETIN, that with one or two excep-
tions, all the prosecutions that have been
| n nj 1, I vyn mt
few in number) have been made at the
instigation Of Unity Lodge Of Good Tenn
plars, or two or three prominent men,
bers Of that society, with the sanction Of
the lodge, and yet it is none the less true
that there ever have been men among u
and those who profess to be temperance
men, ready to raise howl about fanati.
| oism aud "onc man movement" whenever
such prosecutions have OCCURRED, whom
the proper way to remedy 1t would have
been, if they really wished 1t to be other
than lone man" movement, to go in
and become c0-workcrs in the glorious
cause instead Of standing aloof and damp
cning the ardor of those engaged in tho
noble work by their sneers and insinua-
tions. The BULLETIN assumes that when
the work Of prosecution u once begun.
al temperance and order loving people
will range themselves at once on the side
of law and morality and lend oil encOur-
agcmcnt In thoir power, and yet We have
no hesitation in saying, and We think
past experience will boar us cut in tho
assertion, that hitherto that portion Of
our community, with . few exceptions,
not directly identified with any temper
ance society, yet who arc professedly
temperance men, men who would roll
their eyes in holy horror wcre any ono
&c question the gcnuinencss Of their tenn.
perance principles, have been culpably
rcmiss and have manifested an almost
criminal indifference as 10 the result Ut
any liquor prosecution that has ever &C
CURED in our city. How was It at the
last liquor suit which was brought 10
February last. when We were endcsvoring
to test lin Justices court) the validity
Of the then newly adopted beer and wine