The daily gazette., 1883-01-12
LOCAL OPTION.
A Correspondents who Thinks the Tenn
perance People Are Working ON the
Wrong Tack.

A Correspondent who Thinks the Tenn
perance People Are working ON the
Wrong Tack.
To THE EDITOR OF TIE GAZETTE :
There is much being said at this time ON the
temperance question, and every person you
meet seems to have a remedy for the evil of
intempeFance, which, If adopted, would, In
their way Of thinking, solve the knotty
problem that numerous Legislatures have
worked hard over with the most unsatisfae-
tory results. Wherever prohibition has
been offered by the Legislature 1t has failed
TO prohibit. The people have not sustained
the statute books. Local Option will prove
only vain delusion in Delaware, even to
its most ardent friends, should It be adopted.
No man ever showed the essential qualities
Of craftsmanship by casting his vote in Leg
islative halls for Local Option. The pass
ing Of any law pointing TO the morals
OF people which will certainly be made q
stock In trade at the ballot box is to say the
least unwise legislation, and the legislator,
whoever he may be, who panders to the
demand of a few spasmodic agitators as
each Legislature cOnvenes, will only have
blunder to reflect upon us In after years
memory recalls his legislative career. For
1t Is o blunder to pass law that cannot be
In Delaware what he pays license for and
is permitted to manufacture. Such a law,
like q new broom, win ''sweep clean" for
short time only. II has not the elements OF
sound law. for a foundation and 1t only
takes the waves Of year or so of expert
ence to wash it away "from its sandy
foundation leaving the cause Of
temperance in q worse condition than
when begun. IL these people faver
local option law why do they not make an
issue of 1t when electing their representa-
tives? If they cannot elect a man to repre-
sent them upon such issues why do they go
TO him and ask him to vote for measure
that they could not elect him to represent |?
Every portion of Delaware is represented by
men elected by the citizens of the several dis
tr;cts, and scarcely man could have been
elected upon the issue of local option. Why,
then, do these over-zealous temperance men
expect favorable result Of their present
agitation from men whom. almost TO a man,
they opposed at the election
/ have been citizen of Delaware, and II
there be any State In this Union that
would love to see prosper more than another
1t is Delaware. No State has greater reason
TO be proud of her public men, her enter
prise, her morals, her laws, or her people,
who as q whole are second to none Della
ware, like every other State, needs stringent
license law, and the people, especially the
temperance people, need to learn that the
best way to oppose intemperance is to make
some room In each town so much more at
tractive to both young and old men that
they will seek the moral rather than the
| immoral resort. A man that cannot be re-
formed by moral suasion will have little to
hope for from the law. ! am a
temperance man, and no living man can dis
pute that fact. / am anxious that
the Delaware Legislature shall do the very
best thing she can do for the temperance
cause, acting from the experience and light
given by other States, and pass high priced
and stringent license law. Then let the
temperance people spend the money and
time they are now spending by holding con-
ventions and paying car fare in making
some attractive place in each town wherl
young men especially, can congregate and
be entertained better than in any bar-room
Of the State. This can be done, this should
be done, and the temperance people are a
fault if it is not done.
TEMPERANCE.
BALTIMORE, ND, Jan. II, 1888.