The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1875-04-15
Temperance Column.
The Liquor TrafIic-Have we
u Right TO Support Ii?
BELFAST, March, 1876.

FBIEND BoARDMAN-Sir: When a
man makes or invents anything that
is in the aggregate, blessing and
benefit to our race, and which is not
prohibited in the Bible, any person
has a right to support it.
When a man makes orinvents any
thing that all wellinformed persons
know is curse to our race, socially,
morally, religiously, and financially,
1 think it is the duty of every good
citizen to oppose it, in every way
that is legal and honorable.
Now everay well-informed person
knows that the liquor business is a
curse to the race-socially, morally,
religiously and financially and if
any other business caused one-half as
much evil, with as little good, as is
caused by the traffic in liquor as a
beverage, my opinion is you would
not have a correspondent that would
give it his support.
1 suppose the reason why persons
differ so much in opinion is, that they
view things from different stand
points. We have very plain case
in the 10Th chapter of the Acts of
the Apostles. Paul looked at the
idol Diana, at Ephesus, from the
standpoint of Christian, and op-
posed it as an evil; Demetrius and
and his fellows looked at Diana from
mones standpoint, and supported
it for gain.
Some of us look at Distilleries and
the liquor traffic from the stand-p point
of the good of our race, and there
fore we oppose them; others look at
them from the standpoint of g de-
sire to put money into their pockets,
and therefore support them.
One of the most difficult things to
do, is to get a person to see or un-
derstand thing when he don't rant
to-especially if it comes in conflict
with his supposed interests. This is
the only reason I see for some per-
sons acting as they do-professing
to be friends of Temperance, and at
the same time giving their influence
in favor of the liquor business, which
every one knows is the road to in
temperance, with all its train of evils,
My opinion is, the Lord will hold
us, as a nation, accountable for the
|, evils resulting from the liquor
a traffic
/ But some one says, "We have not
the poooer to stop the making, selling
and drinking of liquors" We, the
sovereigns of this Republic, have moi
= the power-we, who make our OWL
Constitutions, amend or annul them
we, who make our own laws
q amend or repeal them-we, who
!, elect our own Judges, Senators anc
i Representatives, on our own plat
- forms-have not the pO1oer to pro
: tect ourselves and our fellow
. beings against the evils of the iquo
trafic!! If we have not, then is on
10 republican form of government
farce. and we had better try som
other.
is Chief Justice fancy said: Il
v anv State deems the retail and II
S ternal traffic in ardent spirits injur
ID GUS to its citizens, and calculated
q produce idleness, vice or debaueher,,
r. I see thing in the Constitution OF tt
b. United States to prevent it from re:
36 ulating or restraining the traffic,
from prohibiting it altogether #
thinks proper.
But we say by our acts and cote
ne ''sooner than stop the liquor trafl
us we will bear all the evils resultlr
Is from it. Yes, sooner than stop Il
IS traffic in liquor as beverage, we W
ng run the risk of our fathers, brothe
S. and sons spending all they have, +
mt liquor and dying drunkards-" VIII
7y' a shame is this, for nation enligf
L" ened as we arei