Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1874-08-13
A Social Talk.

pleasant looking, genial, strange |
gentleman, whOse dialect indicated his |
German origin, called at our Office the
other day, to look over some of our
papers. We judged that he was not
resident of our State, from remarks
made by him. After little while he
introduced the subject that is now the
topic of conversation in this State, the
question of ''license or no license"
and remarked that it was a great mis-
take on the part of the temperance peo-
pie to oppose the adoption of license.
Without indicating our own ideas, we
listened to what he had to say. His
ideas were those advocated by all Ii
cense men, and we admit, that many,
who claim to be temperance men, ad-
vocate the license side OF the ques-
ton, that people would drink liquor
they would have; there had always
been dunkards in the world, and that
it was impossible to prevent the Ger
mans from having their beer, and it
was no use to try to prevent it; it had
been tried for years, and it was a fail
ure, and there was no use in the tenn
perance people trying to prevent the
sale by making war upon the saloon
keepers, thus making bad feelings and
causing enmity between men, and des-
troying the harmony, social and moral
relations in society.
We felt no disposition to enter into
conversation with him on the subject
but, owing to his education and asso
Citations, regarded him as being honest
in his opinions, but wonderfully mis-
taken in his philosophy.
After taking his leave of our Office,
this kind of reflections came into our
mind: Cain was the first murderer of
whom we have any account; he killed
his own brother, and there has been
murderers, and murders committed in
the world ever since. Netwithstand-
ing the persistent efforts in the civil
lied world to prevent this revolving
crime, and Notwithstanding .he efforts
of the best men the word ever pro-
duced, and the enactment of death
penalties, murders are committed dali
ly, and more than halt ofthem through
the influence Of Intoxicating drinks,
too. But will anybody argue, that be-
cause we have not, with all our efforts,
.succeeded in relieving the world from
murderers, and thus preventing the
murder of our fellow beings, we shall
abolish laws for the punishment of
murder, and license men to commit
murder for no other aeason than be-
cause we cannot prevent them from
committing the crimeP If we have
not wholly effected the object, may it
not be possible, that in consequence of
our moral efforts, and our penal code,
we have, in some degree, prevented
the commissiOn-not only of muir
der-but many other crimes in the cat
alogue, that we have not been able to
prevent otherwise ? Who is wise
enough to know what would have been
the state of society if these moral and
legal influences had not been instituted.
So in the liquor traffic; if we have
not succeeded in completely putting
the monster to death, and riddine
our country and society of him and
his ravages, we have throttled him, and
to some extent, disabled him and
weakened his power to do the mischief
that he might. have done, had he nc
restraining power thrown around him
Shall we, therefore, license him, and
give him authority, under the laws ant
the broad seal of our State, to 60 out
into the world, with his authority in his
hand as his shield, to carry on hil