Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1881-02-23
For the HERALD.
The liquor Traffic and Crime.

san ounce Of prevention is worth q
pound of cure.", Self preservation is
the first law of creation.
Society must protect itself against
evil, especially when that evil would
destroy the very foundations of the
social fabric. If the natural and proxi.
mate result of the use OF Intoxicating
liquors IS inloxication, and the natural
and proximate results of intoxication
are disorder, violence and crime, he
must needs be bold indeed who would
deny to society the right, through its
regularly constituted government, to
protect itself BY prohibiting the en-
dangerlng act.
Can it be denied that many crimes
are the direct result Of The sale and use
Of intoxicating liquors Hear the testi =
mony Of the eminent Juri.t, Sir Mat
thew Hale.
After an observation of more than
twenty years in the courts. have
iound that if the murders and man,
slaughIers, the burglaries and robberies,
the riots and the tumults, the adulter-
les, fornicalions, rapes, and orher ener-
miles that have happened 10 that time
were divided into FIVE parts, four of
them have been the issues and pro
ducts OF excessive drinking, of tarerp or
als.kOuse drinking"
Judge Davis, Chei-Jusiice Of the
Supreme Court of New York recently
delivered an opinion in which he says:
Whether judging from the declared
judicial experience of Others or from
my own, or from carefully collected
statistics running through many series
of years. believe il entirely safe to say
that one half Of all the crimes ofthis
country aud Of Great Brltian is caused
by the Incorporate use of Intoxicating
liquors; and that OF the crimes involv-
Ing personal violence, certainly three
fourths are chargable to the same
cause"
Lord Morpeth In his Official capacity
as secretary for Ireland declared thai
of cases OF murder, attempts of murder,
Offences against tie person. aggravated
assaults, aud cutting and maiming.
there were iu 1887 tpelre thousand and
ninety sir in 1888, eleven thousand and
fifty eight: but in 1889 only one hous,
and ninety-Seren: while IN 1910 there
were only one hundred and serenity three.
The cause Of this remarkable dlmln-
utiOn was the temperance movement
instituted by Father Matthew. This
movement swept Ireland, between
1888 and 1910 like the waves OF the
sea. The consumption of liquors fell
from IL 296,0 gallons to $500, 900
The number Of prisoners confined in
the Bridewell at Dublin fell IN one year
from l36, to %, and one hundred cells
stood empty. The Smithfeld prison |
closed Its decrs. That was the supreme
for Ireland. The time was
ripe for a prohbitory law. But the
tide was not taken at its flood. The |
traffic in liquor was allowed to con.
tIDue aud every thing drlfted back to
The old condition Of things, Father |
Matthew saw bis mistake when il was
100 late.
The number OF arrests made by the
police department OF New York city |,
during the year 1874 were 81 399, and
of this number 6l, 470 were for intoxlca-
ion and dIsorderly conduct.
The convictions TOR crime in the State
Of Maine, with probibitory liquor law,
we're in the proportion OF 10 every
1859 of population. The convictions.
IN The other hand, in the State OF New
York exclusive of New York city, |
Without prohibitory law, were in tie
proportion OF 10 every GO OF popula-
ion.
Crime diminished IS per ccnt in the
State of Connecticut under the prohibi-
ory law OF 1854, and in 1873 upon the
estoration oil the license system it ir-
reased so per cent in single year.
To permit the sale of Intoxicating
liquors in grog shops is TO permit
chools for the education Of criminal
lass TO be opened IN every town in
he Common eallh.
r. II, L.
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