The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-09-18

Infamy to whom lnfamy 10 due.
Mr.. Editor,
Your last issue contained q
Communication signed Taxpayer. It
is leveled against the entire temperance
town. It is obviously written in the
sentiment of large majority
Of the voters and taxpayers Of the
corporation. 1t makes a scape goat of
the Village Council, who were put into
Office by vote of over two to one for
the express purpose of carrying out the
reform involved in that election, with q
gentleman, as the president of the Viii
fage board, who is at least as good, if not
better lawyer than the one who signs
himself Taxpayer. Taxpayer seeks
to disguise himself by an obvious ignor-
ance Of the Law of the case but the car
marks are too plain and the disguise too
thin to miSlead any one as to the pattern
| ity of tn article in question. He either
! ignorantly or wilfully wi,helds the facts,
since it is a plain truth that the Ordi
nance in question does not transcend the
Authority conferred by the Statute which
expressly confers the right to restrain the
! GIVING" As well as the sale or furnish
ing many other manner The words of
the statute passed by the legislature are
as follows;
and TO restrain any person from Civ
ling or dealing in spirituous, malt. fer
mented or vinous liquors, unless author
lied by such village council"
And because this is foilowedby the Or
dinance. and the Giving" as we'll as the
selling is prohibited, it is called in the
10 nf
Financial Scheme that out Sherman's
Sherman" 1t is a fact well known to
the legislature that passed that law, as it
is to every one, that those engaged in the
unlawful sale of liquors resort to many
devices to conceal the fact of such sale
and that it would be difficult to prove a
case unless the witness actually saw the
money paid. Hence the clause which
Taxpayer" seeks to make so odious in
the ordinance in question. One of the
legal disguises spoken of above is OBJ
vious from the following THE utmost
that radical temperance legislation has
attempted heretofore has been to pro-
hibit the sale of spirituous liquors &c.
Until the creation Of the present Vii!
lage Council of Redwood Falls. it never
entered into the heart or mind of man 10
make the giving Of glass of wine or
beer, under any and all circumstances. a
misdemeanor with penalty of fine and
imprisonment" 1t will be seen
what trick it is to insert the words
above quoted, "under any and all cir
cumstances", which words are not in the
Ordinance at all, nor is that the scope or
spirit of it. 1t is well known by every
one who knows anything on the subject
that. it has entered both the mind and
q he o$ Nv tNp,f for
long years past, to legislate on that very
question as is shown by the laws of the
State of Minnesota and nearly all the
other States of the Union; and under
such laws many convictions have been
obtained, and sustained by the highest
authority in the land.
1t is obvious that when taxpayer goes
into print, to create popular prejudice
against great moral question, which is
near the heart of so many people. he is
bound in justice to himself and the com
munity to keep at least a semblance of
truth on his side, or if he is ignorant of
the truth he should keep silent altogether;
for it often transpires that these cunning
inventions like those of Macbeth return
to plague the inventor. 1t is often
said, "Where facts and argument are
wanting. make an unsparing use of ridi
Guile. and Taxpayer" has rigidly follow
ed this maxim through his entire article.
He seeks to be witty at the expense of
consistency. and by his great unwisdom
in casting himself headlong upon the
shield and buckler of a sacred public
sentiment. he has again verified the truth
of the old adage that, fools rush in
where angels fear to tread. The article
IN question contradicts itself repeatedly
and needs no formal refutation at our
hands. In abiding to the first Ordi-
nance, it is spoken of as a measure that
did great credit to our town." and yet
it contained the same obnoxious clause
as the second one, against the giving
away" &c. In the next sentence he pro-
ceeds to associate this temperance meas
ure with the advent of 'longhaired gen
tlemen and short haired women Of the
radical persuasion, ''book peddlers pat
ent right agents. from down east. invalid
ministers drinking Hostetters Bitters.
&c. &C." If the above filings mean any
thing. it is that in the estimation IF
80 Taxpayer" at least. the associations and
following Of the temperance reform are
neither desirable nor respectable. This
is the latest. the lowest and the most APP
proved style of the pot house politician,
in flinging his rocking garbage in the
face of every temperance man and wo-
man in the Village who dares to organize
or express themselves for the purpose of
protecting their homes. their friends and
the community against the curse Of
drink Such a spirit does not hesitate to
drag into its ri1icule the name Of the
Savior of mankind the sacrament of the
Lords Supper the disciples, the church.
the ministry and to besmirch and tram
pie upon everything that is sacred and
pure, and good. 1t is the same old rule
or ruin" war cry of the rum power, un
der the guise of a taxpayer, who either
does not know or care to distinguish be-
tween a revenue derived from legitimate
taxation. and the blood money wrung
from the pockets and the lives and tn"
homes of its victims.
VERITAS.