The Russellville Democrat., 1878-11-14
Tine Crime of Drankenness.
TO the Editor ofthe DEMOCRAT:

ID tue EuiloT OI tue DLMOCRAT.
 Free investigation is high priv viege We enjoy. And as legislation is to great extent ex peIimental, and as our lives liberties, and property must be protected by the enforcement of law, how impor tant it is for us to have wise legisla tion, not only to punish crime, but to prevent it also. Now, Mr. Editor l ask the question for information; Is drunkenness crime? If so, against what law? If drunkenness Is a crime, Is it not then subject for legislation? And if it is sub ject for legislation should it not be promptly attended to: Why? Be cause the amount ot crime, suffering and expense caused by drunkenness IS so enormous that it should aaak en the attention of every law maker in the world Then is there no rem edy? Yes, Where is it.? IL IS in law. Law is to crime what medicine is to disease. Then if We can have a medicine for every disease, 80 We can have law for every crime. Have we not h,d legislation in album dance npon liqnor selling, license, distilleues, &c.? Yes. So has the quack doctor given medicine Tn abundance, but did not cure the dis ease. Why? Because lie did not give the right kind of medicine. We'll, then as drunkenness has not been affected by past legislation, it IS clear that it was not the right kind, or 1t would have affected the disease. Then what shall we do, give it up? No. There IS 8 remedy yet that has never been tried What Is 1t? Make law to pumsh tle per son who gets drunk. l any person in the state Of Arkansas gets intoXi- cated enough to injure his capacity for business or good behavior or req son, fine him not less than $5 nor more than $25 for each otfense. Such fine payable in legal money and go to the support of common in the dis triets where the fines are collected. The reason for this is that tempta tiGn with every degree of vice is brought before the youthful mind before it is properly educated and strengthened to stand the pressure. Therefore we should use all the res framing power possible to keep the voutbful mind from this dreadful foe. Some say let him buy his whiskey, take it home and get cry woman and child in the State. No one has right to do wrong any where. Let us have more education. If men will not behave, we should have laws sufficient and well enfol' ced to, make them behave. We should have our jaws made ln the language of the people, plain and pointed, so that all can understand them. Now, Mir. Editor, some quack will begin to say It is uuconstitu tional; you can't Go that. Well, if we have no right under the constitu ton to legisIate on this question, then where is your municipal jaws that take up the drunk man and fine him? Why if we have right to punish man for getting drunk in an incorporation, should we not have the same rigbt anywhere in the State? When the dark cloud of weapon carrying hung over our State. causing cousternation and blood shed, yet people would say it could not be stopped by law. But when the law said thou shalt noC carry weapons. immediately our hor izon became clear. Now,a we by law made him quit carrylDg weap ons. so let as make a law in onr next legislature to make him quit getting drank.
 Now, Mir. Editcr, what would be the result of passing the law spoken of above? Behold the peo! le Of one State sober thousands of dollars saved to those to whom it rightly belongs -educaticn could be had in thousands oi families where there is none. Thousands of dollars saved by crime being lessened joy would take the place of gyief in many iami- lies-manv children could be better fed, clothed and educated tears canld be dryed from the faces of tender females. Industry would take the place of incidence; our tax cs could he lowered by our expenees being curtailed in onr courts. Good immigration would soon fill our love lv land, while society would minglc it's soothing influence in the hearts of our people, teaching us those glo- riaus principles of Religion; whilst Heaven would beam wlth uncommon reulggnce, and all good people could say Praise ye the Lord
 C.. ". H.
 Russellville, Ark
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