The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-05-17
REV. MR.. DIckEY ON LICENSE.
An Able and Kloquen. Discourse.

Sunday evening Rev. Dicket, of the
Presbyterian Church delivered ser
mon on the license question. Psalms
KEW; 40; "Shall the throne Of in
EQUITY have fellowship with thee,
which formeth mischief by q law"
was the eminently appropriate text
for the eloquent discourse which fol
lowed. Mr.. Dickey started out with
the assertion that he was not only
opposed to license, but that he
was in favor of prohibitory law.
For" said he, "what is the use oflop-
ping off the branches of tree, when
the trunk still stands, and saps the fat
of the land?" The whiskey men were
then handled with ungloved hands.
Things were called by their proper
names. The notion that wrong
could be made a right for the sake
of expcdiency was declared to be an
idea which no sane man would advo-
cate. "Shall we do evil that Grace
may abound? God forbid" is the
evidence of Holy Wit. The speaker
went on to show, which he did with
convincing force, that the whiskey
dealers stife con science for the sake
of money. They destroy conjugal
happiness; they rob their customers,
and give no adequate return; they
ALLEVIATE promising sons from loving
homes; they estrange fond husbands
and fathers from dutiful wives and
dependent children; they blast hu-
man hopes, and the highest ambi-
tons of brilliant intelects. Are they
one step above the highway robbcr?
Are they one step above the common
thief? Are they single step above
the murderer? Nay, they are all
these and worse. They are already
under Gods condemnation. The di-
vine evidence is; "Woe unto him who
giveth his brother drink, and puttcth
the bottle to his lips that he may be
made drunken" License men argue
men will sell whiskcy; why, then
not license its sale, and thereby con
troll it?' Men will commit murder;
why, then, not license murderers?
Men will commit adultery why, then.
not license adulterers. Men will
steal; why, then, not turn pack Of
licensed thieves upon the neighbor-
hood, for any of these are more re-
spectacle than the whiskey seller who
is combination of them all. The
retiring council were arraigned for
their course. They were elected a
year ago to transact the legitimate
business of the year, and not for n
year after they were elected. BY
their course they showed themselves to
be towards, and by unrightcous means
forced upon the people this disgrace
which they had no right to do. They
transcribed their power, and should
be remembered as men who cannot
be trusted with office in the future.
In conclusion Mr. Dickcy made a
passionate appeal for the cause Of
sobriety, decency, morality and the
good order and well being ofsociety in
the effort to stop the whiskey traffic,
and obliterate from our town any such
parsonage whose highest aspiration
is to be a low, mean whiskey seller.
The sermon was undoubtedly the
finest that has been produced in Nor
gantown for years, and was delivered
with most convincing eloquence. The
arguments of the license faction mel
ted before the clear and scrupulously
accurate logic Of the speaker, like
the hoar- frost before the morning sun.
The strictest attention was accorded
throughout, and we wish every voter
in town could have heard this sermon.
We regret our inability to reproduce
it at this time.