New-York tribune., 1874-03-07
TIE WHISKY WAR IN TOWN dNl
COUNTRY,

r. ia 10 be hoped that the people who are
engaged in the present salutary warfare
oooirst intemperance will not be discouraged
nv the failure OF tho late attempts to follow
in Eastern cities the methods which have
been an snccessful in the West. They should
NOT conclude. because the rum-shOp and the
sidewalk are not favorable fields for their
work. that therefore there is no work to be
done. IL is true that the most energetic ana
effective of the speakers who have conducted
the recent campaign in Ohio created no pub
lie interest in New-York, and his attempt TO
organize q movement in Massachusetts similar
to that which attained such dimensions III the
West under his hands came to n0thlng' anu
WAS abandoned as soon as his back was turned
In Philadelphia an effort was made, WIN
imperfect organization, to begin series OF
prayer-meetings and visits which it was hoped
might embrace the whole city by its enthusi-
astic contagion. But the result was total
failure. which would have been ridiculous II
it were not so obscure. 1t may fairly De
concluded that in the largo cities of this
region there is no possibility of repeating the
Ohio experiment. The immediate collapse OF
the same efforts in Chicago, where the only
effect was to increase the sales of liquor at
tho places where visitors were expected,
proves that the same influences prevail IN all
towns of any considerable size.
The SUCCESS Of the opposite plan in the West
was due to the fact that in the villages and small
towns whero it won such victories the pubic
opinion was not only friendly, but so compact
and manageable that the whole population
acted as an auxiliary corps to the bands of
visiting and praying women. Every man VINO
was not drunkard, and many who were, took
the part of their womankind, and made their
work easy and safe to them. An insult to
them was promptly and signally punished.
One fellow smoked cigar in the face Oh q
woman in bar-room, and the dispatches
quietly state that he found 1t advisable to move
to Canada. If lively and irreverent boy
should throw q SNOWFALL, or make jeerng ref
ercpces to tho Grecian bends of the crusaders,
he would gain no 6clat among bis own
comrades and would incur only deep
disfavor among his elders, and be groaned
over and chastised at home. Besides, the very
fact of vicinage gave enormous power TO the
women engaged in the work. Where the bar
keeper personally knows many OF the women
in q town. and is acquainted with the names
and the standing of nearly all of them, their
advent in his shop is q much moro serious
matter than the visit OF dozen strangers
would be. lie is not merely put upon the de-
fensiye-he is positively defenseless. If he
does anything to defend himself, he sets IN
motion that powerful local opinion which is
simply irresistible to ordinary men. The
strongest and the coarsest rumseller, when once
fairly isolated, is no match for it. For few
days. he may be jOcosey defiant He may
hire the local fiddler to play profane airs be-
fore his counter. He may tempt tho most
case-hardened sinners by free drinks to keep
I'D their carouse while the prayers are going
on. But tho time comes at last when his
fiddler deserts him and when his bummers
ioin the ipentents, and when the mysterious
influence of organized enthusiasm cOnquers
him also, and he takes up his Ak and floods
the gutter with his whisky. Tho stories OF
Van Pelt and Beck and Goeppert are curious
but by no means anomalous studies of human
nature.
1t is evident that these measures are impos-
sible in other places. Any general attempt to
put them in practice would only prejudice
good work by associatng it in the minds OF
the Indifferent with ridiculous scenes and i'm
ages. The need of thorough and incessant
work to Limit and to remedy the ravages of
intemperance is as great here as anywhere
else. But the more complex social structure
of our largo cities and our thickly populated
towns requires far moro careful organization
than that which has been so effective and has
done 80 much good in the West.