The Dawson journal., 1883-02-15

cholera or any other plague shon ID
overtake us, would do all that l
could to have the entire power of the
state government directed toward its
extirpation. IF famine should grasp
our fair country in it's shriveled hand
and the people were in want and
Indebtedness, | would appeal to the
state authorities, and if necessary to
the world, for aid to alleviate their
misery. Now in supporting prohibit
ton am doing SIMPLY what would
do under the exigencles have just re-
ferred to, The hydra- eaded monster,
Alcohol, has held full sway in Deca-
tur from time immemorial. He has
sent many victim out of the world
before his time he has squandered
hundreds of thousands of dollars of the
hard-earned savings of the people :;
he is responsible for the criminal and
greater part of the civil courts he
compels the erection of jails and the
support OF your panper farms and poor
houses he furnishes an excuse for
your army of constables, marshalls and
policeman he maintains at your ex-
pense a baud of revenue spies and in
formers; he destroys the credit of
your farmers and makes their fertile
fields barren waste; and he dims
intelligence, debases your morals and
destroys your religion. l could
lengthen out these charges nd iufn1-
tim. aud prove every one of them
Spasmodic efforts have been made
by good men in the past to dethrone
this monstrous hydra-headcd thing .,
but they failed. These phllanthropsts
and Samari'ans became hopeless, but
just before all Of their hopes were
d'owned in the abyss of despair, the
prohibition of liquor by government
Interference became possible. As the
word grow, in civilization and enlight-
eminent government becomes more
sensible to the protection and prolon-
cation of human life, and the world
knows that the indiscriminate use of
alcoholic liquors as life prolon ger has
not been a success. Hence states
lave prohibited the manufacture and
sale of the poison within their boun-
daries and counties innumerable have
taken advantage of local option laws
The evil became too appalling-it was
sapping the nations life blood-and
government had to act to prevent its
spread and growth. Therefore, when
the bill to Decatur was sent me, as
Representative, | was quick to push it
into a law, for | consider it the sword
with which to behead the demon whis-
key in our noble old county.
Aud l believe that prohibition will
win L believe it for the reason that I
am confident our people are too much
cultivated, and too thoroughly en-
lightened, to willingly endorse crying
evil. Is whiskoy developing up our
vast resources? Does it make two ears
of corn, or two hollis of cotton grow
where one grew before? Does it en-
hance the value of our real estate
Does it multiply oar public schools ?
Does it prevent crime, or does it i'm
prove the morals of our people? Is it
an institution given to benevolenee, and
the anelioration of the misery and the
suffering Of the destitute If these
pertinent questions can be truthfully
answered i'll the affirmative, why, then
whiskey is a good thing and should be
Rugged TO our bosoms, and allowed to
gaIlop down our threats all time to
come. But to any sane mini these
questions suggest their own answer
In thur dering mo - to every one
of them. Now let US see what this
whisky trade is doing for Decatur
county. At the very lowest estimate
$50. 600 worth of the stuff is sold.
This amount represen 1000 bales of
cotton at $50 bale. The cotton pro-
ductlon of Decatur will hardly reach
over 5000 bales-showing that one
eighth of the entire cotton crop goes
tor whskey. What with whiskey, gu
ano, and store accounts, is it at all
remarkable that we are constantly met
with the eroak, "there's no money in
cotton will net take time to calcu-
late what this annual tribute of $50
900 paid to whiskey would accom-.
plish if left Tree to be used in the inn
provement of farms and the legitimate
channels of trade. NV fellsw-citizens