Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-01-29
TEMPERANCE DEPARTMENT.
Conducted by
THE GOOD TEnPLiRS or MULBERRY.
TEMPERANCE AND Politics.

NE hVVD IEhfLlAN w hllbfhhf.
TEMPERANCE AND POLITICS.
The cry Of the friends Of the
liquer interest continually Is,
"kccp temperance ont Of religion;
keep temperance out of politics. !"
Some one nniyely remarks that
Inc never could understand whcth-
er religion and politics or tenn
lperance would be hurt by the
mixture but can any one cx-
plain why IL il that they are so
anxious 10 keep il out Of poll
tics? IL is possible they lear
that il will injure their business,
when their cry always is that
prohibitory laws are n failureY
They very we'll know that when
laws Of our country cease to rem
der their business respectable by
refusing to license it, it will be
no longer profitable. But the
cry that prohibiting laws are
failures is all n farce, as may
be proven by a reference to those
places where prohibitory laws
are in force. Under the prohib-
tory law in Connecticut Of 1854,
crime is shown to have diminish
ed rs per cent. On the restora-
ton Of license in the year 1873,
crime increased 80 per cent. in
a single year; and in two years
in Hartford, according to official
returns presented by Mr.. Walk
er, crime is shown to have in
creased 400 per cent. Vineland,
n. j., "A city of twelve thousand
inhabitants, is without a grog
shop, has only one constable for
its entire police force, and reports
some years only a single crime.
Greedy, Colorado, town Of three
thousand inhabitants and no liq-
nor shop, uses and needs no po-
lice force, and in two years and a
half only seven dollars was call
ed out Of its poor fund. Bava-
ria, ILL.,, town Of the same pop
rllation and absolute prohibition,
was without a drunkard, without
a pauper and without a crime.
But why multiply instances.
Wherever on the face Of the
earth prohibitory laws are made
and enforced, people are proper
tionally more happy, prosperous,
moral and healthy. But while the
friends of the liquor interest so
kindly beg us to "keep temper
ance out of politics." forget to
take the advice to themselves, as
the following will show. The
Ohio Liquor Dealers Protection
Association, at their meeting a
few weeks ago, adopted the fol-
lowing resolution: -"Resolyed,
That we, the liquor dealers of
Ohio, in convention assembled at
Akron, do hereby pledge and af-
firm that in the future we will
not support any but outspoken,
honest and just acting and think
ing men in behalf of liberal leg
isIation on the liquor traffic. "
The liquor dealers of Newark,
n. j., also resolved to vote only
for such men for the legislature
as would give them their rights.
Surely it is poor rule that won't
work both ways. But we can
not keep temperance out of poll
tics. Ere many years it will be
the great political issue between
the parties. Almost every State
in the United States is awaking
to the mighty evil they have
been nourishing SO long. Some
of them already have prohibitory
laws, others will have them soon.
Many of our States have local
option or permissive laws, and
nearly every State in the Union
has laws limiting its sale ins some
way, or making the liquor seller
or owner Of property on which
liquor is sold responsible for
damages resulting from such
sales. People who do not take
or read our temperance papers,
have no idea of the mighty tenn
perance boom that is now sweep
ing over our country. From
present indications, | cannot
think a great many years will
pass ere every State in the I'm
ion will prohibit the manufacture
and sale of all intoxicating liq-
uors, except for mechanical or
purposes. And when
sold will be labelled poison, as
other poisons are. And a few
generations hence our children's
children will wonder how it was
possible that we Rugged such a
viper to our bosom; why wise(D i
legislators should license its sale
and use, or why any man should
fall a victim to such a debasing
habit. Ii.