West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1882-09-27
Wonders.

elllS aye 10 the WRITER III seems
to be this: that an enlightened
public should allow itself to be
overridden and ground down by the
evils resulting from strong drink.
That privileged class is permit
ted to rise up among us, who do
the body polite no good, but vast
amount of harm, and yet
claim for themselves and their
business, permission to exist, and
protection of law. According to
the report of the Commissioner of
Internal Revenue, dated July first
1881, there were in the United
States engaged in the sale of distill-
ed liquors (Which does not include
wine and beer)
1850 RETAIL DEALERS.
This is one whisky saloon keeper
to every three hundred inhabitants.
And if to the whisky dealers be
added the number of persons who
professedly deal only in wine and
beer, the number Of saloon keepers
would be increased to at least 200,-
600, or one to every two hundred
and fifty of the inhabitants includ-
ing men, women and children.
Allowing these 100000 saloons
front Of thirty feet each, if they
were set in a continuous row, they
would form a line of over 900 miles
in length.
| ask what good does one of these
do? Echo answers, "What ?"
But when we ask what evil they
do, the answer comes in legion
of echoes.
There are engendered the worst
passions. Habits of intemperance
and all manner of impurities are
performed. Idleness and debaueh-
cry are fostered. The saloons are
schools Of every kind of vice. Men
drink, their passions become in
famed, reason is dethroned and
then they are ready for the most di-
abolical deeds.
According to sworn statements the
retail trade in liquors is little less
than
ONE MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR
One has truthfully said Calico
hol weakens, then totally suspends
reason. Man is untitled for all the
duties Of life and isleft without pro-
lection, prey to his most untamed
passions; it is oil poured on the
burning fire."
0, on what a volcano of evil and
misery does society restl And the
worst Of it is that for the last 20
years, at least, the stream of liquid
fire has been rolling wider and
swifter, until in it's desolating fury
it seems destined ere long to sweep
down all before it.
WHAT IT COSTS.
In Massachusetts a committee
appointed in 1881 to inquire into
the relative causes Of crime, and in
Boston or suffolk county it was
found "a per cent were directly
traceable to strong drink. Gov
Foster, of Ohio, says that of the
100000 Of expense caused for
criminal prosecutions in that State,
$2,500,O00 is caused by drink. If
to this be added the expenses of in
sane asylums, jails and in keeping
and caring for drinks victims, and
penitentiaries, it will be foapd
that 81 per cent of all our taxes
are in consequence of strong drink.
In Canada, committee was ap-
pointed to investigate the cause of
crime and report to the Dominion
House of Commons land their report
states that out of 2S,289 commit
ments to the jails for three years
q 1886 were committed for drunk
enness, or for crimes perpetrated
under the influence of drink.
Lord Chief Justice Coleridge, of
England, said, 'If we could make
England sober, we might shut up
nine-tenths of'our jails."
Chief Justice Noah Davis, of
New York, writes, "Of all the
causes of crime, intemperance
stands out the unapproachable
chief"
Now is it not a wonder, aye,
WONDER OF WONDERS,
that enlightened American people