Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-04-08
+" Local Option.

|
, county till it be tried once more, / c
by some law, the language of which
cannot readily be perverted. If the
people are in favor Of it and will en-
force it, then it will do some (wiil not
say greaD good in regard to the evil of
intemperance in drinking spilituous
liquors. If the people do not favor it
by great majority it cannot be en-
forced. One trouble is that many men
who help to carry such law will dis
courage the enforcement of il. They
vote for it, thinking it popular, or TO
please their wives or other persons
some of these are liable to be drawn
for the grand jury and will never find
bill of Indictment We must view
the matter as only an experiment in
each place, though highly proper
one. If the people are in favor of it
the sooner it be known the better, for
several reasons; if they are opposed to
it the sooner that fact be known the
better, since the expense, etc, of an
election probably could be saved, not
outstanding the legislative act.
expect to favor any moderate pro
hibition law only till | should lind that
no laa can be made by which many
persons will not be led into the habit
of classifying in order to obtain alco-
hoiic fluid as medicine, or that il can
not or will not be executed 4lhese
difficulties however can probably be
ooviaied by mild lcgslation) . say
this because believe untruth or a want
of honesty to be greater evil than
drinking to excess one kind Of IN
truth leads to another, and the habit
in some instances leads to in;emper-
.ncc in drinking as iniempcrance
sometimes leads TO i-and even with
out such incompetence may be cause
OF all Ainds of f.aud. (O,her reason
stated in paragraph s.
" hile the evil proceeding from the
moderate use Of Intoxicating drin Ks
may by legislation be mitigatcd, the
amount of good to be effected has been
represented IS greater than truth and
reason warrant. When the usc Of
those things commonly called spiri;u-
Gus and fcrmentcd liquors IS suppress
Cd, alcohol (2!so in fact a spiT:tuous
liquid) in not impalatablc form Will
b. substituted il slcoho. be stopped,
opium and other narcc;ics--.hoagh by
a far less proportion Cf the people
will be resorled to. Bat If alcohol
should be used as above stated, it might
at first view be supposed that the good
eject of law would be temporary.
This however is not true, as there are
reasons why the substitution of alcohol
would be advantageous. It would be
found less prejudicial to health and
much less destructive of life fur
thermore, it would not be used by
seyy large proportion OF the people
SO that much less OF it, even ultimately,
would be employed as a drink than
the quantity Of alcohol in the whisky,
etc, previously consumed.
A statute of moderate conditions and
penalties may for some tim. bring
many cases to trial and be easily entor-
ced, but any very stringent law, though
perhaps al first operative, will eventual
| ly be of difficult execution or aI,oge;h-
er impracticablc.
| Whenever it be found such a law or
am statute SO liableAo be violated can
not or will not be enforced, il ought
TO be repealed and not permitted to ex-
ist, for violation of law per- Sc is de
moral!z.ng.
Something, perhaps much, has been
said touching temperance agitation as
? political measure in the minds of
sor,e friends Of &" prohibition )" tia;
undoubtedly has been conceded TO lie
With some persons true on both Sides
perhaps not with one more than the
other. For this reason 1 prefer
just here to explain The writer OF this
is no "politician," and having for
some time claimed not TO be "A member
of either of the existing parties, by
that fact acknowledges his inability or
disability to attain, or be candidate
for, any political Office. On this my
position, mean no reflection upon,
nor even allusion to, any S9-cuIed
Maryland " ring" or any "po!i.ical
ring" whatever, but simply mean pos
tive indepe ndence, not neutrality, in
politics. and vet make II a rul,, II, tr...t