West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1881-03-16
From the Permanent Seat.
CHARLESTON, w. VA, !
March. 1881. [


Mr.. EDITOR The West Virgin
la FREEMAN has evidently started
out free, and seems to enjoy liberty
so well that we may hope it will
never submit to bonds, nor rest till
West Virginians are all truly free
men. The permanent Seat" is
also in special manner "Satan's
Seat" in the whisky business. We
have eighteen or twenty saloons,
and it seems of late that every bus
mess house that becomes vacant
is at once rented by a saloon-keeper.
Some of the best buildings are desc
Grated to this base purpose, and the
business is clothing itself outwardly
with as much responsibility as our
first class dry-goods stores. ! sup
pose not less than 100000
are expended in these saloons
in the course ola year, by the drink
ing classes, representing less than
ten thousand Counting five per-
sons to family, this would average
fifty dollars family, worse than
thrown away out of the earnings of
the year. If the people spent no
money for liquor, and were compell-
ed to pay this additional amount in
taxes, they would say, no wonder we
have hard times, and would be sur
prised that business was not entire
| ly Frustrated but many think that
inasmuch as it is spent for whisky
it is a great benefit to the commu-
nifty If Paul was reasoning with
such people, he certainly would be-
gin by saying, chou fool" But |
am not Paul, and will simply say
that it is oery foolish for any one to
suppose that the sale of liquor adds
anything to the wealth Of a commu-
nifty. Ifthis hundred thousand dol
lars was being expended for
things that are profitable, who can
doubt that it would add much to the
prosperity of the city and communi-
ty?
We have been keeping up amonth-
ly temperance meeting eversince the
Murphy wave rolled over us, but it
has not been well attended of late.
The people are getting tiredof fight
ing the monster evil in this tedious
way, and the good accomplished by
the meetings is not sufficiently APP
parent to keep up their courage and
zeal. They want something to strike
more directly and more effectively
at the root of this evil, and the prohi-
bition movement meets that want
We may hope for more interest and
enthusiasm in the future. Many
Of the druakards, that signed the
Murphy pledge have gone back to
their cups. This shows the i'm
practicability Of keeping the
drunkards away from the drink ];
SO unless the drink can be
put away from the drunkard, there
is little hope of securing his refor-
nation. The Murphy movement
did much good here, however, in
creating public sentiment against
the traffic, and in securing many
from temptation. But King Alec
hol seems to be gaining strength at
present, and something must soon
be done to check his progress that
what we have gained may not be
lost. | am glad to see that there is
hope for our amendment yet. A
little time may enable US to i'm
press the minds of some of our Sena-
tors with the fact that we mean
business at least, and know tolera-
bly, well what we are about. All
honor to the representatives from
this district, for their willingness to
submit the question to the people.
Prohibition is knocking at the doors
Of many legislatures and even of
Congress itself; and the day is not
far distant when the liquor traffic
will be everywhere under the ban
of the law, and its victims reduced
to the number at least Of ordinary
murders. Yours, hopefully,
T. c. J.