The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1873-07-18
GOOD TEMPLAR'S COLUMN.
To the Voters Of Lincoln County

There Is no fact more obvious than that
the whisky business is an evil TO any
community, without one extenuating
Plea 20 shelter Il from the Just and sure
condemnation Of any man who loves good
government II tserves no good, nor ac-
complishes any good purpose. Il di.
minishes wealth IL demoralizes society,
and oorrupts the officers of Law. II isa
cancer spreading over the body-politic,
and slowly eating out the vital parts of
moral and political integrity. lie who
does not admit the existence Of these
evils, in the saloons and tipping shops
Of the land, may not be reasoned with,
and he who admits them and then casts
his vote to perpetuate them and multi
ply them. adds his testimony against
mans ability for selfgovornment.
II is claimed that men have a right to
run the whisky business Whence this
righti Is it divine or human in it, orr
gini Did the Creator authorize man to
follow business which must, in its very
nature, corrupt and destroy in the pro-
portion Of its succcsS No; for God has
pronounced woe upon the man who
putteth the bottle 10 his neighbor and
giveth him to drink, Eat the last it biteth
like serpent, and stingeth like an ad-
der"
The whisky business then has re-
ceived no license from the Almighty,
but the burning sentence of condemna-
ton has gone forth from his mouth
against il, and his curse will rest on il
forever. How then can a christian man
sanction and license by his vote, that
which he knows God has everywhere and
always condemned : 1t may be possible
We shall judge no mani But we never
intend to bear so fearful a risk.
Then, the right to carry on the whisky
trade can only be derived from civil law.
But all civil law must have for its object
tho greatest good to the greatest number
Of persons. A law that did not secure
this end, would be tyranical. oppressive
and unjust. Is there one legal voter in
Lincoln county who can place his hand
upon his heart, and truthfully affirm it
as his belief, that the saloons and whisky
shops in Lincoln county, licensed by law,
are working the greatest good to the
greatest number Of citizens? If such DO
not your honest conviction, then you can
not vote in favor Of n license-law, under
which these whisky shops are run, with
out voting for a law which you believe
to be oppressive, evil in its fruits and un-
Just to the interest Of the commonwealth.
But there is another evil feature in
connection with the law that grants H.
cense to sell whisky, to which we wish
to call the especial attention of every
Peaceable, law-abiding voter Of Lincoln.
II is the use politicians and candidates
for Office make Of whisky to secure their
election. The same evil will be brought
into requisition at the August election to
secure a majority Of voters in favor of
whisky. The history Of tyranny is the
same in all ages. II never yields nor re-
Tents its grasp without a struggle. When,
once inducted into power, and entrcnch-
ed behind the ramparts OF a usurped au-
thority, and a demoralized patronage,
tyranny knows no God but ambition"
and seeks no good but to perpetuate her
own supremacy. r.r
Tyrants have never been the patrons
Of free speech, free press, or an en-
lightened Judgment. Tyranny never seeks
the light, but seeks to accomplish its
purposes clandestinely. Hence those who
make the effort to carry the August cleo
tion in favor of whiskey, dare not make
that effort through the public press
they dare not make an appeal to reason,
to an enlightened judgment, to the pub
lie conscience We challenge an open,
full and exhaustive discussion on this
whiskey question, before the bar of an
enlightened understanding and of the
public Judgment.
But this we shall never obtain. ''He
that doeth evil hateth the light" Hence
the appeal will not be made to reason.
but to passion, TO appetite and prejudice.
Whisky is the tyrant, already in power,
seeking to prolOng her dark and bloody
reign, by firing the passions, obscuring
conscience and pervorting the Judgment.
Whisky can only be peFpetuated in pow
er by holding the majority under the in
fiuenee Of her maddening cup. VIII
those, then, who may seek to carry the
election in favor Of whisky, employ ar
gumenti VIII they seek 10 inform the
mind as to facts, and aid voters to arrive
at just and tue judgment on the mer-
lis Of the question Or will they resort
10 the secret use Of whisky in controlling
the votes of the eolored man, and Of as
many others as can be induced 10 sacri-
fee their manhood before the altar Of
naok.sp Iat ofI;oa aoakars na,y a1iuaf