Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-06-03


and aro limited to no class or condition of
mon. 1t assails alike the minister and lay
man, the lawyer and doctor, the merchant
and farmor, tho merchant and laborer
and in its train follows degradation
.ormo and doath, both temporal
and eternal. How shull this gigantic
traffic, which poisons and oripplcs every
effort at moral and material progress bo
chcokcdY Temperance societies, while
they have accomplished some good, arc
unequal to the emergency. Antotreating
societies are being formed, ono of which
was rcccntly signed largely in Atlanta,
whereby the signcrs pledge themselves upon
honor, "not to invite others to drink, nor to
drink with others upon their invitation,
nor to pay for suoh drinks at any public
place or olub." These pledges will accom-
plish some good in removing tho temptations
clustering around tho social glass, but they
cannot successfully combat tho evil. Com
munlcations to news papers, lectures, ser.
nous aud statistics of disease and death
flowing from intcmpcranco, will havo q
wholesome influence but all these agencies
will be powerlcss, unless backed by the
strong arm of the law. They scrvo to form
and build up public sentiment; which will
ultimately lead to wholesome legislation,
and then, through tho combined power Of
legal and moral suuBion, wo may hopo to
SEQ the progress and growth Of drunken
ness oifcctually checked aud finally repress-
Cd.
At tho last extra session Of tho present
Congress resolution wos adopted, pro-
vding for select committco of nino on
on tho alcoholic liquor traffic, to whom all
petitions aud memorials on this subject
should be referred. A majority of tho
committee has reported to Congress bill
which provides that "tho President shall
appoint committee Of five whose duty it
shall be to Investigate tho alcoholic, fer
montcd and vinous liquor traffic and
manufacture with reference to revenue aud
taxation, aud tho effect of each class of
such liquors in their economic, criminal,
moral and scientific aspects, in connection
with paupcrism, crime, social vice, and
public health und general welfare of tho
people, and also to inquire into tho prao.
tlcal results of taxation and lconsc, and of
restrictive legislation, for the prevention of
ntcmpcrancc in tho several States, Torrito-
ries and District of Columbia." The bill
further requires report of tho number Of
gallons OF vino, beer or distilled liquor
annually consumed in different countries
more especially within the United States;
tho number of deaths annually from alco-
hoism, the number and character of crimes
resulting from tho use of alcoholic and
malt liquors, and tho diseases produced by
tho use thereof, mental as well as physical;
tic number Of arrests for drunkenness; the
amount of paupcrism produced by the uso
of such liquors; tho amount of revenue
received by tho Government from the
liquor traffic and liquor making; the
amount of tax or revenue received from
such manufacturing and traffic by State and
municipal government the amount of food
transformed into alcohol; tho probable re-
tail cest Of alcohol and malt liquors con
snmcd; tho cost of caring for the insane,
idiotic, criminals and paupcrs made suoh
by tho use of alcoholic and malt liquors:
the quantity of such liquors imported and
exported; the number of persons employed
IN the manufacture and sale of such liquors"
The field of inquiry is broad but tho facts
sought would at this time be of great pub
lie interest and if the bill should pasa and
tho committee should faithfully discharge
their duties, the facts would constitute such
an array Of charges and specifications
against this monster evil, as would lead at
once to some restrictive Legislation. When
tho bill camo up for consideration in the
llouso on the 10th uItimo, Mr.. Updcgrafr,
Of Ohio, advocated its passage. lie be
Ileyed in tho sacred right of petition and
stated that for seven years petitions signed
by over half million of citizens of the
United States had been presented to each
session of congress, asking for somo lcgis.
lation upon tho liquor traffic, and since
March 1879 nearly eight hundred thousand
citizens have pctitioncd congress to have
tho matter investigated and reported on.
The result has been tho bill under discus
sion, which he regarded fair in its scope
and purpose and to embrace legitimate sub
icct of congressional inquiry. Flo thnn