Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1873-03-12
ADDRESS
To the Citizens OF Juniata County.

FELLOW CITIZENS Under the Local
Option law. enacted by the Legislature,
the entire responsibility of legaliziug the
traffic in Intoxicating liquors, as a bever-
age. is remitted to the people of each
county. On tue third Friday in March,
the qualified voters of Juniata county
will determine, as they may vote For
License" or Against License" whether
this traffic shall continue in our county
for the coming three years or not There
can be no escape from this responsibility.
1t must be shared by every citizen. To
aid you in making right decision, we
respectfully present the following statis-
tics. carefully collated from official sour
ces 20,
The amount Of liquor consumed annu-
ally in Pennsylvania. including whisky,
imported spirits, imported wine, native
jrandies, wines and co,dials, ale. beer
and porter, is 81 ,000,OO0 gallons valued
at SEQ coo 600 or ID gallons, at cost
of Sl7, to each iuhabiiaut If equally
distributed, this would give two barrels
of flour to every man, woman and child
or ten barrels to zach family of five
members.
There are IN tue State 100 900 drunk
ards, over 80, 900 of whom are dependent
on public and private charities. The ag
gregate annual cost of maintaining pau
pers, and arresling. trying and maintain
ing criminals. made such by alcohol, is
50 259,9lO CO; cost of keeping insane
and-idiots, produced by strong drink,
81, ,155,0 900 Add to the above amounts,
for waste Of time, Incidence, neglect OF
business, shortening Of life, accidents,
sickness and hospital services, the direct
and indirect results of alcohol, aud we
have a grand total of 500, ,954,3I9 &c, or
an annually loss OF more than $40 TO
every man, woman and child in the State
taken out Of the comforts of the people
and wasted in manufacturing woe m1re
than one-Miyd of our portion of the en-
tire National debt, about which we mani
fest go great a concern. To replace this
vast amount, the liquor seller pays annu
ally into the State Treasury, for license.
about S365,0e0
The number CT deaths annually pro-
duced by alcohol in CIR State. is not less
then 5,43G cases of suicide, 80 mur-
derers, "a; rapes, l27 robberies. 800;
arson, 400; larceny and theft, 9,4S0-
,reduced anl averaged from U S. Grim
Reports. to say nothing of countless
brawls, rows, fights, wife beats, child
beatngs, and the like.
There are more than four grog shops,
licensed ana unlicensed. to one school
while nearly 100 eco of the children and
wards of drunkards seldom. if ever. at
tend school hlcsho! is the mortal foe
to this fortress Of our Commonwealth
the common schoals
The reports Of police commissioners
and Nagdalene houses prove strong drink
the growing causo of that monster Social
Evil leading the otherwise viriuous TO
the path of her whose steps take bold
on htli
These figures are bnt faint representa-
lions Of The crime, poverty, ignorance.
shame, degradation suffering and eternal
ruin, caused by alcohol. yet are sufficient
TO nerve the am of the brave and true
for its destruction.
Voting "Agains: L'cense,' will close
up numbegless g.oggeries which now
scattered broad cast ;he seeds of pauper
ism AID crime, but will not prevent the
keeping of taverns needed for the accom-
moda,ion of the pu'lic. and should be
favored by the better class of hote!
keepers.
In voting against License you do
not vote against the sale of liquors for
medicinal and mechanical purposes. The
law makes ample provisions for such sale
under proper restriction.
We do rot claim that voting against
License will entirely suppress intemper-
ance II will however. largely lesson
the evi sand diminish panperism and
taxa;ion-add largely to
the industrial resources of the country
save the rising gcneration-promote vir-
place the traffic u"der the ban
of law, instead.of disnifying it by gov
protection. That liquors may
be sold and used to some extent as a bev-
erage, in defiance of law. is no reason
why their sale should be legalized. We
have stringent laws against Gambling -
That illicit gambling taken place. not
is no reason why gambling
houses should be licensed and thrown
open TO the public, as snares for the
, Dung, the inexperienced, the weak, or
the vicious.
We appeal to tax payers and to all
ciiizens who care for the public good
who care for the welfare of their own
families who care for the comfort and
happiness Of their fellow men ; who care
to carry peace and joy into discordant
and sorrowing households who would
replace idleness with industry, poverty
with plenty, eAtravagance with economy
to 90 to the polls and vote AGAINST
LICENSE
VIC LAIRD,
JANES NORTH