The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-04-04

force to You down here at WilliamsPort,
who voted the whole thing down, as we
have not done in Elmra. | would like to
have that glory for Elmira; and on that
account envy you. For some of the re-
tailers, as, for example, our better class of
hotel keepers, | am aware, proper and
legal license can be plead; but for the most
part the thing is fraud. The law of my
own State never contemplated license for
one i'll hundred of these places, and the
tenor of the license, when given, is reck-
lessly violated. Most of the licenses are
So called tavern licenses; licenses of people
to keep inns for the accommodation of
travellers; and the accommodation of trav-
elers consists, not in boarding and lodg-
ing, but in putting their patrons under dis
abilities as regards travelling which the
traveller did not have when he entered the
saloon On the whole, the objection of
unlawful - lies more against the centinu-
dnce of the business than against any
efforts likely to be put forth 10 put down
the business.
1t has been objected, also, that the meet
ings On sidewalks obstruct business. | do
not know that there is any feverish anxiety
in your city about it; but if it is meant of
this business in particular, then | suggest
that the objection is not well taken, for it
| is a business that ought to be INSTRUCTED.
1t has no legal or moral right in most cases
| to go unobstructed. If the objection is in
behalf of general business, l reply that
there is no obstruction to general business
equal to that produced by the liquor bust
ness. There is no branch of trade in your
city or mine that does not suffer from it.
Beside laying insulfera bic taxation on all
capital ill and out of business, it clogs the
wheels of enterprise in every department
as no other hindrance can do. We could
well afford to have the sidewalks blocked
at every alternate square for year to
come. and betake ourselves to the middle
of the streets as we come out of dry goods
stores, boot and shoe stores, groceries, or
any legitimate trade store in town, if only
these grog shops, which eat up the sub
stance Of the poor, We're put into con
slant state of siege by men or else by
women.
A STATEMENT OR TWO.
cannot refrain from giving you just one
of the statements that have been ciphered
ont of this business-taken from the gov
ernmental returns: The direct outlay of
capital for Intoxicating drinks in the year
1878, was $739, 100000. A workman was
since, and gave these figures, which the
published opinion of our most respectable
journals, | think, will vindicate. He put
it at s739, 900, 600, claiming to take the fig
urcs from official returns. Now, how do
you suppose that compares with other sta
tistics for instance those of flour and meal,
S224, 900, 900; cotton goods, $115, coo, 600;
boots and shoes, S90,000,000; clothing,
$40, 900, 900; wooden goods, 500, 900, 900;
books, newspapers and job printing, $42,
600. 000 SO, as he reckons up, here are
six leading articles of manufacturing in
dustry, involving 100000, 0O0 while the
dollar valuation of the liquor alone, not
taking into account it's moral and indus
trial valuelessness is returned at $739, 000,-
600.
Another writer, who seems to have exer-
cised great care, figures up the amount a
little higher-at 1857, 900, OO0-and COM
putes that the sum might be invested in
some such items as these. l will only
enumerate 4 few of the many he gives:
$780, 900 in manufacturing goods, en-
ploying two hundred thousand workmen;
$50 600, goo on food, employing one hun
bred thousand; $4,000, 900 in building
houses, railways, &C., &c, employing one
hundred thousand; $50,000,G0O in furni-
ture, employing fifty thousand. l think
no one is so dull as not to see that, if this
capital should come out of that ruinous
business which prevents men from being
good producers or mechanics, and such
multitudes from being consumers in any
considerable degree Of these fabrics, it
would be employed in useful enterprises,
employing thousands of workmen. In
stead of this, what do we get for all this
outlay of money?
WHAT WE GET IN RETURN.
The leading statistics say five hundred
murders, five hun drcd suicides, one hun
dred thousand convictions of crime of all
grades, two hundred thousand paurers, six
ty thousand premature deaths, the main
tanning of a standing army of six hundred
thousand besotted drunkards, and a million
moderate drinkers preparing to become such
and five hundred thousand homes filled with
misery and woe. 1t is sometimes said that,
to abolish the liquor traffic, would he to
ruin the 1GS, 600 families engaged therein.
The fact is the community could afford to
take up all these families and support them
as paupers and have fine balance in the
treasury. That has all been figured out.
am satisfied that in my own city we could
better afford to support all our liquor sell
ers in handsome way than to have them
support themselves the way they do.
THE RELIGIOUS OBJECTION.
Now comes another point of objection,
namely, as to the propriety of employing
religious means in such an enterprise.
One of the religious papers Of the land;
speaking, | doubt not, quite honestly on
this suhject-We ChWrchman-thinks the
place where prayer is offered is objection
able, that the closet would be better re
tirement for these women to pray in; that
they would there be less tempted to pray
at the business or at the men, instead of
lifting themselves up to God. Well, now,
that is possible, though | do not think the
temptation is peculiar to the place in ques-
ton. 1t is curious that one of the NEST
notable perversions and prostitutions-for
that word has been used-of prayer that |
ever witnessed was in Westminster Abbey,
where the lessons and the prayers were
rendered by men who seemed to me to be
wholly unaware of any Divine presence,
but chiefly occupied with their own self
consciousness, as much as to say, " Take
notice, all We people, especially those from