West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1881-12-21
Give us Free Speech and a Fair
Count.

on the subject Of what they see fit
todenominate the "rum-traffic," and
as your paper proposes to be fair,
now let us show what we are doing
on the other side.
The advocates of temperance
claim to be advancing so rapidly
that the uniformed world suppose
that the opposition are entirely
idle. But not so: they are wide
awake, as | am fully convinced by
recent observations.
Let us see. First, there was a
town on the Ohio river between
Ravenswood and Pomeroy, where
there was not a saloon for many
years, and it was so dull that there
was not a fight in the place on an
average, every five years. But with
in the last year two saloons have
been opened, and there is not
week that isn't made lively by a
fight or two.
Two weeks agoa man who, when
sober, was a quiet citizen, got drunk
and undertook to beat little boy,
and while so doing was struck by
the boys brother, and died the next
day, either from the blow, or fall
from his horse while drunk, or from
the poison of the whisky, it is hard
to decide which. At any rate our
saloons have the honor of the MUIR
der and of bringing two families to
grief and disgrace.
Not long since another man came
to the same place and got drunk,
and drawing his revolver, was about
to produce another frst-class sensa-
ton for the daily papers, when an
officer took charge of him, bound
him and laid him upon lounge.
After while he tumbled off on has
nose, and the heartless Mayor fined
Hmm IS, and costs, and in default of
payment he still looks through the
bars.
Now without the saloons it is
likely we would have had none of
these scenes.
But we are doing something on
your side of the river, too, Down
in Mason county the temperance
folks got so sharp as to succeed in
prohibiting the sale by refusing Ii
cense, but in one town at beast our
folks just went on and sold every
day, Sunday not excepted. A great
many men were summoned before
the Grand Jury, and we succeeded
in fulfilling that part Of Scripture
which says, "Many are called but
few are chosen" Only few were
permitted to give evidence, and we
have them awfully scared, and
afraid to even attend a temperance
meeting held in the town.
We Just sell right along. "Who
cares for law" Nor is that all we
have done. We have even got the
commissioners Of the county so con-
fused that they begin to back down
and have granted one man a IL
cense. 1t is true they put him
under ten thousand dollars bond,
but that is nothing. Every saloon
list in the county has been under
heavy bonds each year, and every
one of them has sold contrary to law
and yet not one was ever held to an
account, SO you see we do just as we
please, law or no law. AS evidence
of this fact, | went into one of our
River towns the other day, and hap
pened in a Drug Store, and the
druggist was out. A twelve-year-
old boy presided behind the coun-
ter, and child not over ten years
old entered, and presented a pint
flask that was promptly filled upon
the child saying that "Pa was not
very we'll"
Returning past the boys home
the same day we saw the old gentle
man busily engaged in butchering
hogs. "Who cares for law ?" The
same day a woman entered the
same store and got pint of whisky
of the same boy to make some
campfire" but forgot to get the
camp and took the fire straight.
You see. we do as we please on
this subject all over the country,
and if any body objects like cal
pha" did, we just send up threats
of what we will do, or serve him
like Omaha's braves did Watson B.