Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1878-11-28
The License System.


US the following with request
to publish, remarking that it
fairly reflected his views. 1t is
from an article headed "Who
Killed that Man?" written for
the United Presbyterian by d.
r. Miller, of Omaha:
A poor old man, in tatters
and rags, with hiccough in
his voice, watery-eyed and
haggared-iace, but penniless
and thirsty, asked for drink.
"No, sir. I've got a prime lot
of lightning whisky that I'll
warrant to kill on short notice,
but l can't afford to kill you
unless you pay me in advance.
Times are hard, money scarce
and taxes high, and we have to
watch the corners. Clear outr
And out he goes into the street,
makes mp a apitilul story, begs a
nickel from this man, another
from that, and a third fron an
other, 'just to buy bite of
bread. Can't find any work,
and hayn't eaten anything since
day before yesterday" and
soon he gets enough to buy all
the whisky he wants. He goes
back to the saloon, drinks till
he gets drunk, wanders off |
through the darkness, gels stu
pid under the influence of the
liquor, lies down to rest, not
knowing or caring where. The
train comes along, runs over
him and mangles his body into
a jelly. Coroner's inquest. Ver-
diet: "Accidental death. No
one to blame" And still the
saloon-keeper stands behind the
bar, with his pipe in his mouth
and his license in his pocket,
laughing at the profane With
cisms and ribald jests of the
motley crew around him.
Nobody to blame! / sup
pose not. lie drank legal whis-
ky; the man sold it to him in
legal way; he got legally drunk;
the train was running accord
ing TO law, and the laws says it
it was an accident.
That man was killed by law:
and the government and the
State, and the city and the peo-
pie, as well as that saloon-keep- |
er, are all in part guilty. 1t is
the government that makes law,
but the Ieople make the govern |
nieDt. Il has no existence aside |
from the people. /: is not
thing that lives and acts iude-
pendently and of itself You are
Il part Of that government; | am
a part of it; every voter in it is
part Of IT, The government is
Nhat the people make it. And
when the government, or the
State, or the city legalizes death,
it does it because it is the peoples
representative, and is carrying
ont the principles that have been
delegated to it by its voters. In
"a republic the people are sover
eign, not the executive or tie
law makers Your representative
in Congress, who has any regard
for honor, dare not vote for
measure thai is in known and fla.
grant opposition to the wishes of
his constituency. He is not there
to represent himself, but the peo-
PIE of his congressional district
The same way with your State
legislators. They represent you,
not themselves They are your
servants, not Jour masters; and
by every sense of honor and duty
they are to carry out that line Of
policy which you have delegated
to them. Representatives are but
!he tools with which the people
fashion their laws. They are the
engines of the State, but the
masses rest upon the lever, and
decide upon what track they are
to run. Is it mol plain, then, that
the license system, the act Of the
State, is the act Of the people?
Who then, ask, is responsible
for that old mans death who was
picked up mangled mass by your
railway track few days since?
You say the saloon keeper, the Ii.
cense system. / say the people
who created that license system
and gave the bar tender bis au
thority are not guiltless. Is it
not also plain that if this iEiquit
Gus system is ever put down the
people must do il? They created
it, and they must uncreaie it.
The whole license 81 stem, from
beginning TO end is wrong, an out.
rage on humanity aud disgrace
to American civilization. II
whisky-driDking and beer guzzling
and the barter end sale of alec.
holic poisons are right, why do
you want to restrict it by statute?
Who ever heard of llw being
enacted, in a civilized and osien-
sibly Christian nation, 10 restricts
the free exercise Of the right
Law is made TO suppress the
wreng, not the right. II, then,
the whisky traffic is right, what