Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-04-02
The Temperance Movement.

course as representative in conns o.ion with
the local option bill lately before the General
Assembly, and it is also clear that DO strongly
sustains the facts asserted in my former article
in the Gazette.
No ore SO far as | know ever supposed that
Mr.. NJ. was personally in favor Of The bill His
official conduct alone was The subject under 70
| view Evidently his views Of the merits OF the
| bill were never changed. But his course 10 70.
| lation to lis passage was suddenly and radi-
| cay changed"
When letters aud petitions asking for tho
passage OF tho act were daily pouring upon hin
''signed by many property holders, mechanics,
and business meD," be says, II had 70 obtice
but to put tho measure through" But when
| he was led to believe from other letters and
petitions that majority of the voters of the
city of Alexandria wera opposed 10 tho bill he
killed it,
Several suggestions, however, of his article
must be noticed, and lead me to say:
| l. There Was no general canvass of the city
for names to the local option petition. Most of
the canvassing was done Saturday night after
the meeting of the City Council.
| 2. c,cnot think it possible that there were
pames of little girls" Oh any petition sent to
| MIR. Nj. May he not be equally mistaken about
boys and fictitious sionatures" being 90 tho
liquor sellers petition?
! 3 Mr.. Fl. stated in published letter that
he had received petitions for The bill signed by
| HOO petitioners lie Afterwards explained that
he thought this nunb.r was incorrect, but is
perfectly clear that he oraits from the corrected
list the names of several hundred voters who
authorized their nsmo' to be attached.
4 1t j. clear, however, that more than 600
voters pctilioned against the bill. Among these
we're many OF our best ciiZe1s-eveu Christian
| meo.
10 me this is o most sad and humiliatine
faof. 1t shows that the rum power is immense.
1t shows hcw extended are the ramiRcatiors of
a business which impoVishes our people beyond
any other evil at work among us-a business
which demands al expenditure vastly beyond
| What 1t pays say rOthiag about the crime aud
misery that it promotes. 1t shows how easily
even good men become the abcttcrs OF great
wrong By what considerations DIS they led to
do this?
1t nay be that many Of our German citiz,ns,
who drink beer as no other people do, arc
healthy and industrious but even With them it
is ackpowled 10 be an evil, and those who free
themselves from it lose nothing in health and
Industry. But be this ss it may tho result Of
l!q1or drinking upon Anglo American, Irish
and African blood 10 this climate is simply ap.
pal!lag. as shown by criminal and vital atatlslics
1t may he that sicof ic driuks con bo used
without detrime1t to health and sometimes as
| q medicine but the ti9hts. medical authority ia
| the land, the International Medical Congress,
has declared strongly against 1t aud admits that
enormous evils have arisen from Tho use Of
alcohol. Sec tho proceedings Of this body for
1876.
1t nny DO that many men arc killed. by the
klckioE OF horses, and it is flippautly ask WHY
not raise tho question ct prohibiting horses?
This Is kind OF question which has immense
popularity. and its shoW Of logic blinds many.
Let hors!s be good for nothing but TO kick and
pay revenue. Lot men open halls oil over the
land where horses are kept for the purpose Of
kicking at people. Suppose that every person
who cncls these places is struck at and thou
saads are manned for life aud carry fostering
| sores to their homes which poison whole fami
lies and bring poverty and crime and terror to
tho community. There is cot State Legisa-
ture in tho land which would not suppress the
ab0mluabe busocss ard Offer heavy premium
Tor every horse sciap in tho county as for the
scalps OF wolves. A ptowliDg. dangerous wild
animal Is rum whose scalp will be demanded
some day by an enlightened people. | pray
most dcvoutIy that this mpy be accomplished,
net by legal measures, nor by vItcs-l have an
utter dis!aso for the strife which these eugcn-
dcr-but by az cnliphtencd colsceuco and
personal courage which will lead men to let the
dangerous thing entirely alone aud so stsrce the
furious animal 10 death.
was quite affected by tho earncss and SIN
cere entreaty OF Que OF our oherwsl bts. cili-
zens that ho be not disturbed in his business as
q liquor seiItr-the only support OF his family
81 dear to him as any mans family. But |
cortass | was moro deeply affected an hour agn
when went into homo in this city where |
saw Womsn with q scratched and wounded
ltc, and gu almost broken heart. Her husband
the day before had been tempted into licensed
rum shop end came homo o demon to break
tho furniture End pcund bis wife. This nan is
ordinarily good husband and kiod father. lie
had signed the pledge, but there is 20 safety
for him ID this clty with licensed whisky a.
most as ttos os water.
| There are scores CT mco like him 10 this
plsc, who GIN BIO saved ouly by driving from
their daily walks the rum shops which Lave
mado them druckards. Some know would 20
out OF their gay 10 get drink bu. tho msiotity
would not. 1t is not, however, so much FIR
these wrecks Of manhood that [ plead. made
wrecks by licensed whiskey, as for their wives
and children who are not guilty, but DO all that
Woman's tears and cbi!dren's Irayers Gao do to
| tutu seiNC UIUH tHat RDIS6Cy Cealg,-
There is hardly day ia tho week when womor
do not come to me and cutreat mo to US, some
means to keep their husbands from dtioking,
but how GIN this be dono when 1uu Shops On
every corocr tempt them TO drink, aud they
have almost lost the poser to resist?
A woman told me 10 day that every night
she waits with anxious soiciude for the return
home OF her ceutIy reformed husband, fcaiog
lest the salooDs that he must mass will temnt
him too s'roaslv asd the bright hopes 20 out
10 darkness. When | SEQ so c!csr;y that it is q
question between hundred homes where wo-
men and children suffer uutold evils end half
as many BONES that nro6t by the evil | cannot
hesitate with which will take sides though
that decision causes my name 10 be cast out
But the question OF local option in this citv
ls no issue which will hardly be raised again 10
o decade sud | and my co-lsborers will patiently
DO what we may for manhood and human han.
| rlDess the FINN nf he fnr,ihlo oJJ,