South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1884-06-06

-
stroy the vast source OF revenue derived
from the sale Of liquor. Statistics how.
ever, tellu that We spend Ia free Ame.
r'ca Tor liquor 100000 900 annually |;
Tor this vast expenditure we get in to the
United States Treasury $58. 600. 900 !:
out TO 90 generous, suppose that we Get
siVV,O0O,OOO, this would only be receiv.
Ing 81 for every 81 spent. What would
We think OF business man who would
invest ~ In an enterprise in order to re-
cove 81 In return? To say the best. it
would DO considered bad bargaining
WIZ u pay our government TO hold up
trainc that costs her seven times as much
40 the revenue derived from itP Thus
1t appears that this stronges. argument
against prohibition is torn into latter
oy simple statement Of facts.
Another argument is. that you can
not stop 1t, people will sell ANYHOW.
Ihis Is the last, aud con sti:utes the death
struggle OF anti-prohibitionists. Is il
possible that the intelligent people of
our land believe that this institution of
dea.b, with it's dreadful havoc on all that
Is good and pure. in society, is superior
TO the authority Of our government? Do
We believe that the liquor dealers can
triumph over our National and State
governments Crime can not prevail
over law to any great extent when pun
ished by legal authorities.
Murder and theft have been crimes
from time immemorial, they have been
iesislated against, and punished time
AM again, but they still continue to be
pract,ced, Notwithstanding. Shall We
therefore license the thief aud murderer
Provided VIC derive revenue thereirom
VIII This make theft and murder honest /?
Are not our saloons and grog -shops i'm.
directly committing these crimes by ma.
King the very characters that steal and
murder 2
Before closing this article, we wish to
quote an extract from an address deliy.
cred oy 5. +. Fowler, at Charlottesvi lie,
va, last December: 1.-The City Of Phil
adeiphla with population oil Sl7,44S
ana between four and five hundred
churches, has five thousand licensed Ii
quor houses, and three thousand unli-
censed; this gives about one death
deaiinS establishment to every hundred
persons, including men, women & chill
dren. some two years ago a gentleman
was stationed on 9th Street in that city
&c count tue number Of persons entering
u sAioon between the hours Of six o'clock
In the morni0g and twelve at light. He
gave US the number 100. Suppose the
average daily attend nce at these 5000
licensed houses to be 500, leaving ont
the Sunday traffic and you have rs a re-
suit at the rate Of ten cents per glass the
enormous sum Of SIS 100000 spent an.
nually in the City Of Brotherly Lovo for
drink. Now ask, would any business
causing the loss of this Immense sum he
tolerated for n moment? The answer
from every we'll wisher Of society is, no |!
no! Let US ask how it is emp loved.
Is it not largely employed in making
the following dangerous characters: in.
ceDdisries. defaulters, robbers and muir
derers ? How often has twenty live cts
worth OF this brain-firing element cost
counties and communities thousands of
dollars! Has it not robbed society of
its best friends and protectors, and caus.
Ell to sit III widowhood and orphanage
those whose hearts were once bright and
happy ?"
Joseph Cook, the distinguished Bos.
ton lecturer, stated recently that there
have been petitions before seventeen of
The States asking them to submit this
question to the people. This shows that
lhere is an increasing interest in this
question. We profesa not to be 30.
iitical prophet, nor yet the son Of one,
we can not lift the curtain from the
dark future and write the pages Of the
history yet to be; but we predict that
ero another decade of years shall be
chropicied with the past there will be a
startling revolution on this question.
We are living, we are dwelling,
In grand and awful time,
In ar age on ages telling,