The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-10-10
Cincinnati and the Liquor Business.

The religious journals of Cincinnati have
been the most earnest, persistent and wise
advocates of the Second Amendment, and
the most alarmed and grave recognizers Of
the enormity of the liquor traffic in Ohio.
It is easy to understand their anxiety and
zeal when one spends any time in their
city and sees how the social and business
structure of this Paris of America is honey
coined with the liquor interest. All over
it, on every street, and in nearly every
square the signs inviting customers to get
their drinks here, are as stetious in their
ways of attracting attention as any other
branch of business competition.
Instead of having to look for them they
are obtrusive and crowd upon each other,
on both sides of the river, in all the sub
urbs, under and over and between all other
forms of trade until one wonders if the three
thousand saloons be all. Liquor taints the
breath Of men Of every degree; and in
every crowd you are fortunate when it is
not breafhed into your face. A woman
dressed In silk staggered on the street. and
wandered up and down for an hour before
our windows rs helplessly bewildered
with drink as any man we ever saw. Mad
anne, French lady, the wife of an Italian
physician three years in the city, from
Rome, and accustomed in their land Of bad
water, to the use of light wines as bever-
age, was after three days emboldened to
delicately probe us to knew if we felt as
they did, anxious for the passage of the
Second Amendment. The drunkenness in
America, even before their handsome
home in one of the principal streets, was
to them appalling. And it was signifi-
cant of the public feeling and spread of
temperance sentiments that the silent man.
servant who served so quietly in this fam
lily should also emerge from his reserve
and finally have something to say of his
own accord upon this subject; and he too
was very decidedly in favor of wiping out
the whole thing. When, convictions OF
this kind are forced upon persons by what
they see of the evils of the trade, it would
seem that there should be none Indifferent
who have other Light, different antecede1ts
and no lifelong prejudices to overcome in
adopting a new dispensation. The promi-
nent cargo of the drays and heavy convey
ances of freight in Cincinnati is beer and
liquor casks. At the Exposition dining.
rooms the number Of champagne bottles
and beer glasses among the dishes brought
on and carried of by the walters was sur
prising. But of course among the thous
ands Of visitors every day very many have
the local and foreign element of a drink
ing population 1t would not, however
In Wellington, seem just the most limo
cent and attractive thing for four ladies te
sit down to q table and in their order fol
supper include wine or beer. Yet that
was done as openly as our girls would
order cake and ice-cream. The sigr
Free Lunch here, p is so frequent and Sc
many are seen to go In, where, of course
they win be expected to pay enough fol
drink 70 cover both, that one must believe
that poverty as wen as inclination helps
the patronage. In 1874, when the license
question was submitted to the people O
Ohio, the largest majority for free whisk,
was poIled in Hamilton county, where the
liquor interests are strongest, shown no
only by the number Of dram-shops and sa
looms, but also by the fact that one-eightf
Of the entire revenue collected on liquor il
the United States was paid in this county
The six counties, Darke, Miama. Preble
Montgomery, Butler, Warren and Hamil
ton, which cast less than onesixth Of tn
aggregate vote Of the State, cast nearl,
ons-Eourth Of the entire vote for license