The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-04-28
.NOI.. NIII.-NO. |
What Will You TakeP

he signing pt the tautl-tTeating ball
; by the governor OF " s~-ron~in colnpt,.
ted one al the uoSt unique prices 4,
tcmperauec icsisiAtiuns that ever We.
} an "A statue book Ii J. the latest oi
remarkab. 4 series OF measures euactr,
p By the legislatures OF several state. dur
ing the past Two years aui IL !, likci,
10 call forth widest comment. Virgins
ed OF two years ago IN the direction %
novel restrictive legislation by enactiu.
the bell l-puuch law, under which eyer
bartender was required to record each
drink SOLD by punching tally slip after
the manner OF "A street car conductor.
Oregon followed with law requiring
every man who drink at a public bar tO
have 4 license for 50 doing, and the list
Of licenses 50 issued were made subject
10 public inspection ami of course To
publication If any one saw tit "a print
1t. kansas went to the bottom OF the
whole subject, by adopting, at 4 popu
lar election, a constitutional amendment
prohibiting the manufacture and sale of
( Intoxicating liquors within the borders
| OF the State.
! Massachusetts shows indubtable signs
/ OF going back from license u modified
4 prohibition ONO l. Oh the verge of
enacting general local option law
Name Is moving To enbody her we'll
tired and certainly successful prohlbito-
/ ry policy IN her state constitution. IN
stead OF leaving II, "a now subject To
the tnkerIug OF each successive lcgl>-
lature and even Texas is likely To gl,c
her people an opportunity 10 vote on
: q -
u,nt Canada too has met te rising
question by adopting policy OF pro.
hlbt on as To distilled liquors.
These facts Indicate beyond posSibili-
ty of doubt that public sentiment in tho
the whole country, from Maine to Texas
and from Texas to Oregon, is III state
of terment over problem which has
confronted many generations of men,
but which has never been grappled by
any people with half the persistent
energy that marks the present incrca,-
ing movement In America.
OF the Winconsin law, with prop ,scs
to punish with fine persons who shall
give another intoxicating liquor IN a
drinking resort, il is To be SAID that its
educating force cannot fail to be consid-
CT a lie. Its discussion and its presence
On the statute book, even II made
quately enforced, will call wide spread
attention to the most senselcss, ruinous,
md suicidal social custom that ever
cursed the race. If the statute doe,
no more than this it will have accom-
pllshed much. 1t Is not necessary that
one should be tcctotallcr or a fanatic
order to be a vigorous aud unrelent-
Ing enemy of the treating custom.
One NAV with perfect consistency advo-
cate and practice mo crate drinking and
vet refuse to contenance or perpetuate
this detestabie practice of friends and
chance ;cq laintalnces pouring fiery
drinks down each others throats at all
hours and on all occasions.
Let US assume for the present pur-
pose that citizen concludes that his vel
fare requires him to drink certain al
coholic beverage three times daily, while
more frequent potatlons would be harm
I il 10th to h "a t and character. He
starts out on this line, and might Der
haps live reputable and die sober if left
to his own preferences and his own vol
untary habit But the idiotic treating
custom steps in here, and, because our
citizen is known to be not total abb
1t dragons him into drinking
against his better judgment, of bcver-
ages of all degrees Of impurity and in
toxlcatIng power, at hours when to
drink at all is ruinous to digestion and
destructive o physical and mental eff
cheney. The result, is drinking habits
that steadily tend downward, the kind
ling of appetltes that too often nothing
but death can quench, and the rapid
spread Of the drink habit among young
persons who have no original appetite
and no natUr Il tastes for intoxicants,
but who through cruel abuse of the
social instinct nave been led TO ruin
The treat has come to be. on certain
levels Of American life, the accepted
symbol Of liberaity and conviviality.
\ widely prevalent neral coWardlcc
prevents whole classes OF men from az
sertlng their lnalIenable right 10 control
;Eelr own stomachs and their own
stomachs and their own brains, and
hundreds Of persons in neary every
large community 20 through life not
knowing at what hours ofday and even
ing they viii be compelled, BY the des
potism Of their voluntary bondaze, to
drench themselves with unknown
abomlnation at the invitation of a friend
Or stranger TO step up and take some
thing. he custom Is exclusively
American and it is ridiculed by sensib
foreigners as vigorot sly as By sensible
natives. The 'anti-treating league of
New York business men has for the
past two years been doing good work
Ll ~
not from drinking when they think they
need to drink. but from the insane prac-
tlce of making and accepting gratuitous
drinks, and henc: Of drinking when
Iom, Dick and Harry say the word
The custom Is sure to die at an early
lay, and the Wisconsin law viii do a
welcome work if it ha-;ens the funeral.