Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-03-02

short, permanent tendency and
needs permanent measures to control
it. We have no difficulty at all in
stating where it begun, and will en-
deavor to state it without giving of
fensetOanyone; but we have a sacred
duty to perform and the desire to
hurt no mans feelings, which we
sincerely cherish, must not suppress
what is needful statement to be
made. We make our statements in
the spirit of the Murphy pledge,
"with malice toward none and char
ity for ALL"
If there is one word that compri-
ses in itself ali the obstacles to the
permanent establishment of tempe
rance as the rule of society it is
LAGER BEER.
The sale of this beverage to young
boys sets at naught all efforts at
amelioration, for the good that is
done to-day issweptaway tomorrow
by the growing up of a new genera
ton of boys who have not been in
fiuenced by former movements of
the sort. If boys drinking de-
pended upon his going at once to a
drinking saloon and ordering his
whiskey straight, comparatively
few would begin, and they would
begin later in life. But unfOrtu-
nately there are, or have been,
among us establishments not pre-
senting the external features of a
drinking saloon at which this bev-
erage can be had without the scan
dial of visit TO drinking saloon.
The habit of drinking it once estab-
lished we are convinced that no
instance could be found of a boy
combining himself to it and it alone
for six months. First comes the
Rhine wine, which is littlestronger,
but he does not like the taste; then
detestable compound which passes
under the appellatiOn of port wine.
The cOmpOunder of it alone knows
what it is made of, but whiskey fol-
lows it as certainly as night follows
day, and then the career is assured
so easily entered upon, but which
it costs so frightful a struggle to
escape from.
/ Now Is there no way to suppress
the beginnings of this career? We
| PROFOUND the question to the seven
hundred who have pledged them
selves nOt only to abstain from intOx-
icating drinks themselves, but to en-
courage Others to abstain. Nineteen
/ out of twenty of the young men who
are now drinking whisky (Or were
q week or two ago. commenced as
/ young boys by drinking lager beer
a few years ago at an establishment
such as we have indicated above.
/ Is there, we ask, no means of with
drawing the boys now approaching
/ the same age from the same temp
/ tatiOn? We have laws relating to
the selling intoxicating liquors to
minors which seem to have only
one defect: it is made nObOdy's es-
/ pecial business to see them executed.
The occasions on which a cOnVic-
ton has been obtained under these
laws have been so rare that it pays
the vendors well to keep up the
practice and pay the fine when con.
victed. 1t would not be so if a con.
viction followed every time the of.
tense was committed, and here, with
the purpose clearly understood an6
the organization wisely perfected
the action of our converts to tempe
rance might come in with strong
effect. They could make it theil
business to watch this matter, t.
prosecute in every instance, and Il
see the cases through the courts
Their action would be similar to tina
of Bergh's association to preven-
cruelty to animals, or that of severa
societies in our eastern cities for The
protection of women and children
from the perils threatening them il
great cities. These act directly
through the law; they watch for vi
. Citations of it, call in the police anC
appear as prosecutors in the courts
We are proposing no fanatical cru
sadie against the saloon keepers
, they are pursuing a calling recOg
nized and licensed by the law, anC
are entitled to its protection, bu
that law which protects them they
must be compelled to obey. This i.
part of the work appropriately fall
ing upon our new converts to tenn
perance. Will they take hold Of it
Will they make an effort to secur,
their younger brothers from the
temptations which were in many
instances too strong for them? |
they don't do it, we see no likeli
hood of anyone else undertaking it
and, unless somebody does it, al
the work which has been done anC
well done within the last two week
will have to be done over again il
a year or two.
THE EASTERN QUESTION-NEGO
THATHON.