Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-06-20
Temperance.

The crusade has nearly passed away,
and has possibly done some good In
small towns; but In the larger cities
it has hardly caused ripple. The
spring elections came Oh, and hundreds
of the most loud mouthed declamers
took advantage of the ballot to secret
" oppose what with the tongue they
were pretending to support. Temper
;nce tickets have been overwhelmingly
voted down in towns that seemed to be
completely conquered by the women.
In many places where the saloons we're
closed up, and grog was absolutely
banished, the thirsty fathers and hus-
bands voted that they loved their teddy
better than their wives. The question
stands pretty much where it did six
months ago. The ambitions temper
ance candidates" very disagreeable
breed of politicians, whose only capt.
tai was rant, have been retired again
10 the background. Between the
hacks" and the ''ring-master" on one
side, and the moral attitudinizers on
the other, give us the old line hacks.
They viii steal, but they will not DO it
hHi1C lt1C SliCCb
The problem still remains unsettled;
and what to do with intemperance is
not answered. We have refraiued
from saying one word to discourage
any one who was DESTROYS of doing any
good. We have rather encouraged
efforts which seemed sure of being
spasmodic and temporary. 1t certain
ly was impossible to utter Or pen a
word that should bring ridicuie on
mothers and wives who have suffered
so fearfully from intemperance. Our
sympathies have gone with the praying
bands, against the preying bands. But
the saloon is as much result as drunk
enness itself. 1t is the cause, not the
result, that must be reached to effect
cure And we do not see how the
cure is to be reached Back of all the
dens, bars, saloons, taverns; back of
the drunken vagabOnds, and the equal
ly drunken merchants and professional
men, who are on the way to become
vaga bonds; back of the tipping and
the fancy drinking; back of the reck-
less, heartless tempting of young men
at fashionable receptions and parties
there is cause for intemperance
that must be recognized and reached
before there can be a cure. This cause
lies in the eager, gaudy style of life
which the average man is expected or
compelled to live. Extravaganza lies
back of intemperance Speculation,
the feverish desire to get, and to be
able to live luxuriOusly, with the at
tendant annOyaDces, cares, tormeDts,
burdens, and eternal haste, keep the
pulse beat up to fever The result is
that the interest of vitality is used up
or Overdrawn, and men begin by means
Of stimulants to draw on the capital of
their vital forces The process is as
ruinOus as to draw. on the capital in
bank. But this is precisely what a
large portion Of our people are con-
stantly doing. We do not mean that
the only means for overdrawing the
system are business speculatiOns. Pas
SONS Inuuiged contribute to the same
end. In fine, Incorporate drinking is
the result of other kinds Of intemper-
ate actions, and depends for its cure
upon their removal The subject is
one for volume rather than an edito-
rial but We assure our temperance
friends that if they wish to forward
their cause they must understand that
s all kinds ( incompetence are linked
together. Even Incorporate zeal in
a good cause must result in exhaustion
aud call for the help of stimulus.-,S
Louis Democrat.