The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-05-18

! the SAFE OF liquor. Take into COnSid-
Grafton the large army of clerks,
sheriffs, constables and auditors who
are kept busy issuing and serving
/ processes to enforce the law against
the rum sellers and those who vio-
late the law whilst under the inhu-
ence OF rum. Look at the vast sums
that are annually requil ed to support
your Jails, almshouses and refor ma
| tory institutions. Estimate the
enormous costs Of your courts, grand
! jurles, petit jurles, criers and bailffFs,
whilst they are occupied in enforcing
the law against criminals, and when
you have completed the calculation,
take nine tenths of that sum and set
it down on the debit side, for it has
been demonstrated that nine tenths
of sll the crime is the result of, and
! directly chargeable to the liquor traf-
| tic. Against this enormous sum, and
on the credit side, put down two
/ hundred and ten thousand dollars re-
ceived by the State for licenses, and
/ you Will find that the debit side will
kick the beam every time as against
! the revenue credit side. Again, the
amounts which are required to sup
port your courts, jails, almShOuSes
and officials have to be levied upon
your property by your County Com.
/ missi0nerS and Wrung from you in
taxes, whilst the insignificant sum
which is received for licenses is paid
into the State Treasury and does not
help you in any perceptlble way.
My friends, you pay more taxes out
OF your earnings for the direct results
of this license system than the State
receives in revenue from the liquor
traffic ten times over. | have known
the court in the adjoining county of
Allegany to occupy whole week in
trying cases arising from the sale of
Whiskey. This is the way the peo-
pies money is taken for taxes as
against receipts by theState from the
licensed sale of liquor.
But there are higher and weigtier
reasons why the licensesystem should
be abolished. Are there not thous
ands of broken hearted wives and
mothers? Are there not thousands
Of half-fed, ragged and neglected
children, all of whom We're brought
to such Wretched condition by the
liquor traffic? Are there not thous.
ands of innocent young girls who are
driven to stain their pure souls with
Sin-Who are almost driven to lives
of shame by the dissipation of faith
erS and brothers? Shall the State
coin dollars in the crucibies of her
grOg-shOps out of the tears of her
wives, the poverty of her children
and the ruin of society? To license
these thousands of grog-shOp1 all
over the State to put a few dollars in
the State Treasury is a disgrace to
the citizens of the State and an out.
rage upon our civilization. Could
we but see the vast army of haggard
women, broken hearted wives, hun
CRY children and besotted men all
together, and ask them what should
be done with the license system, the
universal shout would go up, destroy
it destroy it
The men who oppose Local Option
are not all bad men. There are some
good men, and ministers of the Cos
pei, who contend that Local Option
is not the means by which the traffic
can be stOpped-that no good can be
accomplished by Legislative enact
ment upon this subject that all
must be done by moral suasion. The
men who make this objection forget
how drunkardS are made. They are
made by offering them opportunities
to drink, and He who knew US best
said, Lead US not into temptation"
When man becomes a drunkard it
is almost a miracle if he ever re-
forms. 1t is not so much a retOrma-
ton of the old drunka"d because
that is almost impOssible,) that Lo-
cal Option seeks to accomplish, as it
is to save the boys who are growing
up the men who are to be the hus-
bands Of your daughters, and the
future rulers of your country-it is to
save these.
There are two thousand licensed
places in this State where your sons
may be ruined. 1t is to protect and
save these future fathers of the ma
ton that Local Option should become
a law. Drunkenness is a habit that
grows in strength with age, and
drunkenness has increased to such an
alarming extent that it is undermine
ing our free institutions. L have no
prejudice against the drunkard. l
never go into the grog shops. What
is the use of preaching a Temperance
sermon to a broken hearted wife,
whilst her husband is under the de-
bauching influence of the rum seller
VINO may be selling him liquor hat
will cause rim to go home and beat
her. Thousands and thousands are
ruined in grog shops who never hear
a temperance sermon or lecture. For
the benefit of these destroy the Ii
cense system-take away from them
the opportunities that are afforded by
the license system "lead them not
into temptation"
The pecuniary loss to the citizens
is another objection which has been
urged against the passage of a Local
Option Law. The repeal of the
license law is no abridgement of the
rights of citizens. The Legislature
has the right to repeal the license
law and no one can set up his private
interest against the public good.
Every man who puts his money into
the traffic knows his private wishes
must give way to the public good in
order that the greatest good may be
accomplished to the greatest number.
/ The Court Of meals Of MARYLAND