Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1884-03-27
IC0MMUNICATBl

NORTHUMBERLAND.
Messrs. Editors II did not expect
to trouble you again in the politico-
Temperance embroglio, but lest some
misapprehension should arise from the
willful perversions of my language by
"Wack" and certain poettcat genius,
az" | must perforce ask small space
in your paper. Correspondents like,
"Wack," who, whenever their views
may be legitimately assailed, mount
self-reared pedestal of conceit and
arrogance, pervert the language, i'm
pugn the motives and apply abusive
and insulting language to their ad-
versaries, generally, furnish the anti
dote for every poison they attempt to
administer an intelligent audience.
They deserve none Of the courtesies
of debate, yet we can afford to ignore
their varporings as they cannot do the
least harm to us.
Legal Prohibition, though directly
connected with Temperance, is not
per SC the same issue. The last is a
great moral and religious matter to be
considered apart from all politics; the
other is really political matter, Que
to be settled by the people as citizens.
It's Importance of course varies with
the habits and needs Of each commu-
nifty, or, as some say, according to the
different views men take of it. 1t is
a subject that will have to be discus
sed in Legislative bodies, and conse-
quently legitimate one for agitation.
AS every man is responsible to his
country and bis neighbors for the pro-
per and intelligent disposal Of his bal
lot, it behooves him to know how each
candidate stands concerning all is
sues. "Wack' has been kept under
the shadow Of the Capitol at Wash
ington 70 long, and that too by the
votes and labors Of many of these
same lobbyists, that Judge he thinks
all authority must emanate from there
or some State Capital. A citizen
seeking to know the views of candi-
dates upon matters Of public import
with which they have to deal is an
irresponsible and intermecldlng heb
byist !" Oh sanity where hast thou
flown? We have never asked any
party to indorse Prohibition or Local
Option in st. Mary's, nor can "Wack"
or az" show any evidence thereof.
We have tried persistently for ten
years to secures Local Option law here.
''Wack's plan was the first adopted,
but it proved signal failure. The
whiskey men have threatened to bolt
if we secure candidates favorable TO it.
If they can do SO and remain true re-
publicans, why can we not be accord
ed the same liberty? Are they any
better citizens Z? Are they entitled to
any more rights than we are? Ifnot,
why then are they encouraged in their
actions, while we are agsailed and
stigmatized as lobbyists by those very
men whom we have helped to lift into
power only to betray US? Do we ask
for anything unfair? We only beg
that the matter be submitted to the
people.
The hackneyed phrase, machine
politics" 10 often used, az in this case,
without any meaning or bearing upon
the matter whatever. Seeking to
know candidates views upon public
issues is not machine politics, nor
can it be made such by any legerde-
main Of logic. We cannot vote intel
ligently without knowing how he
stands, yetwe intend totake "Wack 8"
advice in one thing, viz, to ignore
those men who have ignored or be-
trayed us.
| confess that his articles we're SO
clothed with qualifying phrases that
it was very difficult to reach the true
inwardness Of his position. l heard
many very intelligent men on both
sides Of the fence say the same We
had heard SO much Of just such talk,
and as all emanated from men who
were openly or secretly fighting us,
we were naturally suspicious. he is
for "the enactment and enforemezt"
Of those laws, implying, / presume,
that they would not be enforced.
Well, how many laws have we on our
statute books that are not violated,
and that too very often with inpuni-