The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-03-03
For me FAE2Es - s;ksash
a Farmer S View OF 1t.


\, one Of the .oveirns Of the and.
. propose this week 10 have my say .
the great topic oi. the day -prohiaitio,
have attended one prohibition NEE
ing aud signed one prohibition p.iitior
but feeling aud saying on both. .:asior
that neither met my exact SieF- :. on til
'i"ct. But a, there was nothing eis
| signed aud attended. Vow
tIv. . anything in life thai T.. aver
age North Carolinian IS sensiti = ab5u
1t Is his dog anI his right t. df;nk corr
whiskey. They both have e.tablishe,
themselves in the highest rank of til,
social luxurics Of life. Though u,
many, the one is considered a nuisance
the other positive evil. And.g. hout
u aiding the domain ofrights, ;.ratior
think Is the remedy. 1t is estlllateu
that the liquor traffic would rdB our
! government, pay our debts, sel the
church IS, educate the children, Is, &c.
Then why not make it 60 al least one or
two Of these things. Let the county
commissioner rant license to 81 and
+ eaJorcc what E, quired of them under
/ the present laws, and in addition make
the seller responsible for all the crime
and accidents growing out of his sales.
Let the liquor, all the property Of the
owner, his shop, anl the land whether
owned or rented be responsible ior his
taxes and damages. And let IL Ge the
duty Of the State Chemist TO ..alize
every barrel OF it made or sold IN the
State aud see that the people are in
some degree protected from poison
This ls rot an unfair means. if the
Federal government may be cited as a
precedent, for it has been the policy Of
that whenever an article becomes
very great luxury or Is operating against
the interest OF the county 10 put
high tariff upon II until it Is forced out
Of the laud.
The true object Of law seems to me
to be as much to prevent the committal
OF crime, as 1t Is to punish the crin4inal |
who has already tranSgresscd it. Then |
where is the great violence done tosthe |
principle Of individual right when the
agencies of the law are used more to
deter and prohibit than to punish Es-
pecially when the evil is g,aring, univer-
sal and acknowledged 1t would BET
imply using an ounce of preventive In
tead Of 4 pound of cure The} Iare
both intended to accomplish the same
md. 1t like cutting off the out gro With
IF noxious nettle and leaving the roots
growing, when we know it is but
question of time when it will come
again.
The whiskey dealer feeds and send.
,ut the criminal, and the law chops off
lis head, society says to one, You are
murderer, and according to the law,
hall be hanged The other its pats and
Datronizes and 10 him it says You are 4
lever fellow. Let us stand up for our
lights. This Is free country and we
brink what we please. Down with the
anatic that would tax or prohibit you
n your business or US in the right to
lrink as much whiskey as We want
lax or/prohibit us in whiskey and you (
will want to stop US from drinking tea
II coffee or butter milk, or interfere in
omc other of our private rights
But where IS the danger Of that? j.
here any other private or individual ;
light responsible for the sa lie degree OF
rime as Is whiSkey? The Judges say, by ;
ar the heaviest per cent Of the crime OF
he State comes of chat cause. think
he estimate is some 20 per cent. Would
t not be better to Surrender just che OF (.
he principles Of civil liberty, the right i
. drink poisoned liquor, and to Kill our :
elbow man, and be tried and hung ac
ording to the majesty Of the law, than {
o stand sticking ior it as principle |
f liberty, if these statistics be true? t
Vhiskey is not a necessity. Then II II
) a luxury treat il as luxury and tax /
!. If it is an evil treat it as an evil, '
nd put it under tie bans of the law a
know of no good citizen who has
yer yet regretted that whskey was a
on election days in North c
'arolina Then if it is al acknowledged i
vii and danger one day, why is it not the t
anne thing on any other day? 1t does $
OF appear SO apparent, simply because fl
I one instance the danger IS collected, o
4 the other it Is scattered. In the one v
is apparent and seen Of all men, IN the !
ther it is hidden away and visible only
} those whose forced tp feel It | know s
he human appetite has even crayed Il
imulants But there is less excuse IN /
iorth Carolina for the use Of poisoned t
quors than most anywhere else. For .
ere is the the home Of the far famed :
grape, and the sweetest a
rightcst aud most harmless tobacco III /
le world Il
1t is the opinion Of many good men thai Il
the legislature were to pass an unquan a
ed prohibition law. the people would 4
e 80 we'll pleased with the effect that
ley would never permit ito be repeal |,
/. This may be true, | have but poor j,
eans to know public sentiment. II 4
lie legislature is satisfied that 1t Is the ,
ish Of the great mass Of men and We a
zen (societyl of the State, | think Il
ley might brave the violence done to /,
dividual right without much danger, Y
ld do some heroic legislation upon the :.
inject prefer a tax. All things con :,
dered think it would be the better Il
1licy. Because it must not be forgot =
n that North Carolina was the banner -
,rn whiskcy country of the Union il
nd our people have cultivated taste =
L it. When man has been accus- =;
med to 20 at any hour OF the day or .
ght and yet short for five cents,
ID grown man drink for ten; it
ould be like cutting off the water sup
Y from a great city. am inclined d
think the education ought to precede y
e legislation tor an absolute prohibit th
IN law to make it wholesome auI eff tt
ctive. But if the !, gi>la ure IS salts Il
Il tLat ,he popular mjni has march III
Up and is ripe and ready, and that 10