Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-05-12

it "draws trade - others that it
ttdrives trade" To the latter class
belongs your humble servant.
Catch-penny trade may be dram
by it, but reliable trade will be
oriUe,a away. Much Of the exodus
of shoppers to GAINESVILLE from the
region beyond us is attributed to
this fact: GAINESVILLE merchants
keep no whiskey. Some seem to
desire a corporate annexation with
GAINESVILLE; but that would be inn
practicable, and the cry of taxation
without representation would soon
be raised. Others think that we
should be Incorporated. If the tax
necessary to sustain the corporation
be laid upon the parties who feel
that they would be benefited so
cially, morally and otherwise by
the sobriety of their neighbors and
fellow-citizens would groan beneath
tax-burden to sustain a corpora
ton in the interest of this great evil.
All! me. AS a humanitarian,
there is a hidden fire burning in my
heart when / touch this subject.
Look yonder! A manly form,
bright intellect, generous heart, and
long prayed-for child sinks to rise
no more. Fathers prayers, mothers
tears, and sisters love are but wasted
aromas at the feet of this once gal
liant brave. What are our hospitals,
infirmaries, workhouses, jails, peni-
tentiaries and asylums but accusing
witnesses against this horrid evil :?
And how many families in our land
who have neither directly or re-
motley suffered from its dire effects ?
Destitute widows, beggared or
phans, heathenish ignorance, squat
| id poverty, loathesome disease,
shocking brutality, wrecked man
hood, final mania, scorpion scOurge,
horrid suicide, and blackness of
darkness forever follow in it's train.
How can conscientious men engage
in it? They murder our country
men by wholesale, and drive them
to hell like sheep. Fill their Golfers
with the price of blood, pour out
poison, scatter crime and misery
through the land. How dare they
say eve do no wrong?' ' They
know the fruits, see the awful havoc,
endless woe, and yet they tell us
they do no wrong. They know
that if one and all would cease from
selling the letters would fall from
hundreds and thousands of VOlun-
tary slaves. But then they tell us
that if they don't sell it others will.
Well, why don't they let others sell
it and take the profits and the curse -?
The wrong of others can be no mans
excuse. Let the wall of women for
their lost husbands, sob5 of childish
grief, and plaintive wall from prison
cells send their warning notes to
their hearts. Then let them enjoy
their gains if they can. Let them
pour out their poison to some victim
till he dies, but heaven forbid that
they should mock his funeral by
standing by and wiping their tears
away. But they tell me that in all
this / err; then heaven help me err
on mercy's side! If L err let it be
in behalf of our nOble-hearted youth,
suffering women and disgraced and
beggared children. God knows it
is not in my heart to needlessly
tread upon a worm. am not bur-
dened with friends, and cherish in
my heart with tenderest love all
whom 1 recognize as such but if l
could send a word Of warning that
would stay this dark river of death
/ that floods my own, my native land,
! would freely give up every friend
/ but Jesus. t. j. DUNCAN.