Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1881-04-01
Correspondence.

/ Mr.. EditOr:-In your issue of tn,
/ 4th inst. over the signature Of voter
correspondent combats local option
or special election by the people o
Charles county on that subject, saying
de not believe in depriving The
State of 80 large a revenue besaust
some people choose to abuse the priv
ilege. neither do ! believe in closing
the stores which sell the same ther
argues that such action would in
crease drinking in the county, whisky
being brought in clandestinely, and
then proceeds as follows: No citizen
in this comfy admires temperance oil
total abstinence more than do, none
can have Il greater adherence for in.
toxica.ion. but as | said before, local
option laws in Charles county to make
people sober with our proximity to
baltimore and Washington, is simply
absurd. Less whiskey might be
drank at stores. but double the quan,
tiry in secluded parks and ience cor.
ners, which | can never vote to sane
tIon.'
Now local option is no new expert
ment in this State, and propose in a
brief way to show its result elsewhere
under even more disadvantageous cir
cumstances than our own.
In Worcester county the vote was
taken and local option carried in
April, 1874, and in Nav, 1875. several
letters showing its workings the first
year from which ! quote.
DR.. Quinn, Of Newtown, says; per
haps there is no county in the State
where local option obtains in which it
has been subjected 10 so severe test
as in Worcester. bordering Deleware
on the North, Virginia on the South,
and district in Somerset county in
this State in which licenses yet pre-
walls. We have been subjected to the
use Of rum within our county pro-
cured outside its limits. We have too
rum mills jast across the river POGO
-i ssi{lssla - =, x ~ 3 "a sf
stores all along the line; Thus you see.
liqnor is very accessible 10 our people,
vet there Is not enc sixth of the drunk
enness now in our community with
which We were formerly afflicted. The
drunkenness which now prevails is
stmost exclusively confined TO the old
drinkers in whom the habit is so con-
f,rmcd and their moral sense perverted
that they have become the helpless
slaves of the appetite.
Rev. r. r. Benson, of the Method
ist Protestant Church, not only con
firms the statement Of DR.. Quinn, but
goes more into details, he says OF
Newtowu: Formerly drunkenness,
fghting and profanity and all the
horrid sights and sounds of inebrla-
ton were the common scenes of Sat
urday. The law has reduced this
nineteen twenticths. Very many who
were accustomed to squander their
scanty earnings for strong drink, now
spend them for the benefit Of their
families aud 90 home sober"
Oar Chief Judge Magruder gives
equally decided testimony to the good
effects Of local option in Calvert
county, that crime and drunkenness
are greatly diminished though they
had at first to contend with whiskey
store. all along these borders, and the
easy access 10 Baltimore Of those who
wished to bring it IN demUohns and
and jugs and sell it il fence corners
&c, as described by voter.
also see one Of your correspon-
dents lately gave good account in
your columns of lis marked success in
Prince Georges county, though much
nearer to Washington and Baltimore
than We are, and consequently more
exposed to smuggling in and secret
sales than We are.
Then Mr.. Editor, with all this ties
timony and much more at hand Of the
good results Of local option elsewhere,
| am unwilling to insult the good peo-
pie Of Charles county (as voter vlrtu
ally does, by charging them with be-
ing worse violaters of law than their
neigh bors, or more lnsanely bent on
destruction by strong drink in secret
than others, but believe the law would
be fairly enforced, not without some
violations to be sure, but so as greatly
to lessen crime in our midst and re-
lieve our people of many burdens they
now bear, and we would become as |
have shown they have elsewhere 3
more thrifty and prosperous people.
OCCASIONAL.