West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1882-03-29

wrong, thereby fostering a vicious
public policy.
9TH. 1t licenses one citizen to
tempt another citizen to commit
crime, and makes it necessary to
impose heavy tax on the moral
and sober people of the State in Or
der to take care of the criminals
and lunatics it causes,
The saloon is the privateer of the
State, sent out to prey upon the
sober and virtuous of our people,
9th, A license law is never en-
forced, but is constantly violated
with impunity. Bonds are never
collected, and many of them can
not be. Not one license in ten
thousand is ever revoked.
Under the license system the
rum power and interest has be-
come monstrous national evil,
threatening the very life of the ma
ton.
Legislative bodies are afraid to
deal righteously with this subject.
With them one distillery seems to
have more influence than a hum
bred churches.
The christian church must be
startled at the real facts involved
in the liquor traffic generally.
There is paid over the counters of
the saloons of this country seven
hundred and fifty millions of dol
lars each year for strong drink or
SIS per head for every man, wo-
man and child in the States
and Territories. For religion there
is paid the small sum of forty
eight millions, and for education
ninety-eight millions. That would
be one dollar and seven cents per
head for salvation, two dollars and
five cents for education and fifteen
dollars for damnation. Everything
has to bow to Rum.
| Again, 100000 of our people
drink, and of these, 100000 are
hopeless drunkards. OF these vet
Grams in the service of King Alco-
hol, $4,000 are slain every year, or
one every eight minutes, but the
saloons always have a new recruit
to take the place Of the one that
has fallen.
The legalized liquor traffic sends
annually 100000 criminals to pris-
on, 100000 more to.the poorhouse,
and makes 200, 900 half-naked, half
starved orphans, and furnishes to
the land 500 funerals every day,
and it requires IS acres of ground
each year in which to bury the
bloated and mangled bodies of the
victims of the saloon.
God has about $4,000 ministers
in this nation. Satan has 500,-
900 bar-tenders. God has about
$4,000 church houses. Satan has
100000 temples dedicated to the
work of death by the liquor traffic
West Virginia has gone into
partnership with Satan for the
purpose of destroying it's own cit
liens.
All that Satan has to do in the
premises is to furnish a man mean
enough to do the wicked work,
and pay to the State $1OO
The State in return for such GEN
erosity, licenses the man and mis-
place, turns its back on the whole
matter and allows the saloonist, to
do as he may please. 81
This whole business iawrong in
principle and pernicious IN policy.
A revolution is demanded and le-
gal prohibition is an imperative
necessity.
AS conference and church we
can never favor a license law. In
the contest now going on in this
State, we unanimously take our
stand with the friends of prohi-
bition. We are ready to join
hands with all who are laboring,
praying and voting for its success
We cannot in good conscience, sup
port those for office who are lin ia
vor of the legalized liquor traffic.
They that are not for US are
against us, and we shall hold them
as enemies ito ouricause and the
higher interests of the people of
our State.
We regard the action of the Leg
c1 o+,, of