Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-01-22
The Dram Shop and the Public In
terest.

The Dram Shop and the Public In
terest.
To the Editor of the Berkshire
Courier: Unfortunately the advocate
of legal restrictions upon the sale of
intoxicants, as such, if he pushes his
view to the extent of prohibition, has
often placed himself, or allowed oth>
ers to put him, in false position.
He has, as a matter of fact, or has
seemed to attempt the illegitimate
work Of interfering with a mans
right to drink what he chose to drink,
and compelling him by law to be
moral. So long as he appears to be
advocating sumptuary laws, he is in
bad odor; when he attempts by legal
enactments to do what must be done
in land of freedom by moral suasion,
he will, and ought to, fail. If he
will but take the common sense
ground that the sale and use of in
toxicating drinks shall be put exactly
upon the same footing with every
thing else, and the dealer in and con-
sumner of these shall be treated as
we treat all men, he will not only be
able to secure adequte support in his
work, but also to accomplish fully
the end at which he aims.
If saloon keeper, like every other
man, shall be held strictly response
BILE for all the damage he does, the
most extravagant prohibitionist
could not hope for more efectual
suppression of his business. So far
then as this business is concerned
the advocates of its suppression need
not claim that they are even moral
lists, much less religionists. They
need say nothing about the sin or
immortality of drunkenness. They
may be utterly Indifferent to the
question whether the drunkard and
the drunkard maker are saints or
devils. They can and they ought to
come down from these moral and re-
ligious heights and say to those who
will not be persuaded to be religious
you shall not be hurtful and danger
GUS.
Ny neighbor is very fond of a
kind of mussel which he found in
Europe, and proposes importing and
cultivating them on his own prem
ises. They are unwholesome, indi-
gestible, and every way hurtful, The
use of them gradually undermines
health, and has the singular effect
also of demoralizing the habitual
user of them. AS friend and neigh
Dor I-put all this before him, and at,
tempt by all worthy consideration to
dissuade him from his purpose. He
tells me to attend to my own bus
mess, as I am responsible neither
for his health nor his morals. But
when the dam which he builds for
his new industry backs the water
over my meadow and breeds malaria
which desolates the town I do attend
to my own business, and am not
chargable with being either tran,
descendant moralist or meddler
with my neighbours rights in regard
to his physical, mental, spiritual, o,
pecuniary welfare when I compel
him to pay full damages for what he
has done, and lower his dam to the
level of my interests.
This is the gro und we do occupy
in regard to the business pursuit and
interest of every one excepting the
dram seller. 1t must be harmonizeo
with the interests of society if it il
carried on within the limits and I'm,
der the protection of civil society; i
it cannot be thus harmonized it must
be suppressed. The answer--and ii
is complete and unobjectionable-
to one who says Il choose to ca
mussels; or I claim my full right tx
drink rum; the fact that it injure,
me is none of your business, and m,
right to do SO you may not curtai
nor infringe" is this: Get you
mussels and your rum and use ther
to the extent you see fit, ruin you
health and go to the devil if 20
choose. I have no right or power t
interfere, but you shall not injure m
in any interest OF mine by the manne
in which you get them, nor become
h,,rd a., IN r,sa fv.<xy. ursytr ,1lza If Their