Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-08-13

4 plebeian consumers. Pennsylvania
grants license, and, among the twelv,
hundred saloon keepers in the city o
Pittsburgh, the pressure of the whisky
interest compelled the licensing of many
men who rank very low even among
| the "baser sort" In the cities of New
York and Brooklyn, among the twelv,
thousand liquor sellers there, are reck.
oned hundreds who are far from being
either responsible or respectable. From
a high priced license at first,the whole.
: sale and retail liquor dealers, suppor-
ted by the moderate and habitual drink.
er, forced reduction until men, with
but little money and no reputation can
secure the authority and sanctioned OF
the State to sell the vilest of adultera-
ted poisons under the guise and label
of common spirituous beverages. 1t
would be the same in Ohio. A business
which produces the natural results of
disease, crime, poverty, wretchedness
and death cannot be made respectable
or honorable.
LICENSE WILL NEITHER INCREASE REvE-
NUE., OR DIMINISH TAXES.
The financial history of the world
long ago established this fact beyond
dispute. Official documents, prepared
by the General Government, directly
show that the traffic intoxicating liquors
cost the several States of the Union in
round numbers, 100000, 900. 1t bur-
dens the Republic with 100000 paupers,
at an annual cost of 500, 100000. The
price of crime from intemperance is
$40, 100000. The waste of grain and
fruit, at an average cost per bushel,
500, ,0O0,0 900. The loss of productive in
dustry is estimated at $225, 900 900. The
aggregate expense of the rum traffic,
in all its bearings, is put down in fig
ures amounting to $1,4S7, ,OOO, 900 per
annum. But a comparatively small
portion of this immense sum finds its
way into State or county treasures in
payment for license. Beside the ex-
penditures in money, 100000 persons,
from the effects of intoxicating drinks,
are sent to prisons and aims houses !;
10000 to drunkard's graves and more
than 100000 children reduced to want
and beggary. The license State of
Pennsylvania, spent during the year
1870, for liquors of all kinds, $l52, $685.
945, and for schools and school purposes
So, ,S6O, ,42O. She had engaged in the liq-
uor business $1,000 persons, and but IT,
$40 school teachers. Her statistics show
"a 900 criminals, four-fifths of whom
were made SO by drink. But if revenue
be the object, why not authorize all to
sell who may apply? Give the poor
rumseller an equal chance with the rich,
and if every tenth man wishes to buy a
license, sell it to him and fill the treas
ury!
SUCH ARE THE RESULTS
of q traffic voters are called upon to
say, whether or not, it shall be licensed
in Ohio. Let them consider we'll before
they, by any act of their own, throw
around it the sanction and protection
of law. The proposition should not be
regarded as partizan in its character,
but rather as involving great questions
of Constitutional Authority, Political
Economy and Christian Morality, to be
decided by the judgment and will of all
parties and people. The very PROPOSE
tion in question virtually admits traffic
in Intoxicating liquors as a beverage 20
be wrong inflicted upon society, and
provides that the General Assembly
may pass laws "to compensate injuries
resulting therefrom." Will any person
admit the State would be justified in
selling the privilege to one man to
PERPETRATE AN INJURY
upon another, and then punish him by
fine and imprisonment for that which
it gave him license to do? On the other
hand, would it not be unwise, unjust
and :mpolitic for the State to sanction or
protect traffic which entails an annual
loss Of millions of dollars upon the in
dustry of the country? fills our prisons
with paupers? our asylums with insane
and imbecile? fosters disease and idle
ness? is an enemy to education? foe
to christianity? degenerator Of the
human race? a destroyer of society ??
would bias the judiciary? influence
legislation, and Head ta- tho statutory
sanction of other evils and vices?
THE SYSTEM
of granting license to traffic in spiritu-
Gus liquors is indefensible either on the
ground of private gain or public reve-
nue.; and it is earnestly urged that ev-
cry voter, who believes the vending OF
Intoxicating liquors as a beverage to be
an evil, to vote, OH the 18th Of August
next, against incorporating into the or
ganic law of our Commonwealth an ar
ticle empowering the Legislature to au-
thorize, sanction and protect the same.
Let all remember that what Is "morally
wrong, cannot be made constitutional
ly or financially right"
Honestly and fairly consider the pro-
position to grant license to the traffic
in intoxicating liquors, and in any and
every possible light, you will find it to
be against the best interest, peace and
happiness of society. Therefore, not
only vote against it yourself, but use
your utmost influence to persuade others
to do likewise.
J. X. Rukenbrod,
M. c. Stevens,
p. c. Young,
w. d. Henkle,
Rev. s. Y. Kennedy,
Rev. c. L. Winget,
Rev. w. II. Spindler,
DIR. j. NJ. Kuhn,
Jacob Heaton,
r. II. Garrigues,
On behalf of the Columbiana County
Temperance Convention.