West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1884-04-23
CORRESPONDENCE.
Temperance Work Compulsory.

ED. FREEMAN We do not mean
by the caption that anyone may
order another to any particular
kind of tenn perance service or set
his time. Neither is it intimated
that any temperance organization
should make active service in any
particular line and manner a con-
dition of membership.
And yet in. the highest sense,
temperance work is compulsory.
The force of circumstances makes
IL so. The aggressive character of
the liquor traffic leaves US no choice.
If indeed, it were a question of
personal liberty in a general sense,
as the supporters of the traffic
would have US believe, then there
might be some room for the cry,
"Cease agitation"
But the true state of the ques-
ton is, a few demand personal
liberty to invade the liberties and
we'll being of all the others, and
they press their demand with a
zeal worthy better cause.
They demand and press the right
to open up their places Of business
at all points where enough of pat
ronage can be secured to sustain
it. They demand the right to
prosecute their business, not only
as other mercantile enterprises are
prosecuted, subject to the laws of
moral restraint, but the saloon
must not be asked to recognize any
Sabbath.
The question of whether the
trade Injuries its patrons or not,
must not be pressed at all. eff
men choose to debase themselves
and pay US for the means of doing
so, so much the better for u.s." say
the liquor vendors.
AS to the well-being of others,
the public must take no thought
for that. Each one must be al
lowed to do as he pleases in that
matter, while we must have free
opportunity to use all the arts of
allurement to persuade men to their
ruin, that we may profit by their
fall. The question whether my
stock in trade is profitable to the
purchaser or not, you may not take
into consideration, 1t is a good
business for the vender and that is
enough"
Now the butcher may not deal
in diseased meat under any pre-
text. Why? Because it would
injure his patrons.
For the same reason the baker
must not put deleterious ingredi-
ents in his bread.
The dairy man may not sell
water and chalk for milk, lest his
customers suffer. And none more
ready than the saloonist to see
that these wholesome laws are duly
enforced. Yet thriving trade in
either of these lines would be harm
less beside the business of the
saloon,
Now to secure all this large lib
erty the whisky traffic wages an
aggressive war. Every law that
touches or threatens these So
called rights, they resist by all
means they can command. They
do not hesitate to violate such law
and then defeat the execution of
the penalty by official bribery.
They employ all the machinery of
politics, available by fair means or
foul, to secure immunity from all
restraint. They put this question
foremost and then try to lull the
opposition to sleep by the cry,
keep the temperance question
out Of politics"
They themselves have put it in
to politics and hold it there still
by their bold and unreasonable de-
mands.
They thus make temperance
work compulsory. Practically it
is no longer an unimportant side
issue. 1t is a question as to wheth-
er or not we will submit to their
dictation or throw off the yoke. 1t
is no longer the question, Shall
we accord them their rights? but,
Shall we let them take oursP Is
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