San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-10-09
TEMPERANCE COLUMN.
CONDUCTED By MRS. A. O. M0sHER.
The Sumptuary Subterfuge.
Ol-.l. a1-.uA.

Galveston Christian Advocate.
An epidemic broke out in a seaport,
nterrupting its commerce and peop-
ling its graveyards. An investigation
discovered the fact that the disease
was introduced from neighboring
port, and also that the city was foul
with filth, which generated a deadly
miasma and fed the fatal pestilence.
Quarantine laws were at once enacted,
and health officers appointed to in
spect the streets and the premises of
every citizen, and require the removal
of all the garbage that could generate
disease. The markets were placed
under inspection, and butchersa or
hucksters who offered diseased meat
or decayed vegetables for sale had
their licenses promptly revoked.
Similar regulations were adopted
throughout the land, until quarantine
and sanitary laws were in force in
every we'll regulated city and town.
These laws trenched at every point,
on the private rights of citizens. 1t
would seem, where health and life
are involved, the laws of self-protec-
ton would impel every citizen to
employ proper safeguards to shield
his home from sickness, yet the law
assumed degree of supervision over
the food the citizens should eat and
even the atmosphere they should
breathe. It erected barriers in the
track of trade and travel, and at GER
tain times closed every public
thoroughfare against the ocean stea-
mer and the iron horse. Against
these invasions of private right no
protest from the politician was heard
on the ground that such Legislation
was sumptuary in its character, for
everyone recognized the necessity Of
regulations which would preserve the
health and lives of the people.
There is an epidemic in this
country more destructive to health
and more fatal to life than any plague
that ever spread its pail over the
doomed inhabitants of any land. It
requires no sanitary commission to
trace it to its source. The still-house
and the saloon are the fountains
which send the streams of disease
and death upon the nation.
It is estimated that 10000 men
and women die every year from al
coholism in the United States. Hard
ON the heels of this vast army Of
dead men host of 100000 moderate
drinkers and confirmed drunkards are
moving on to the same doom with
footsteps as unfaltering as the ap-
proach of death. There may be no
Grape on the door Of each man who
descends into the inebriate's grave,
for many q drunkard's familf is too
poor for any outward semblance Of
woe; but there are shadows OF des-
pair as dark as the valley Of death in
the hearts Of the wives and the wild
ows, the children and the orphans Of
the vast army Of drunkards who
throng the thoroughfsres Of life or
sleep in the unmarked grave Of the
sot.
Let the political economist calcu-
late the loss the productive force of
the nation sustains in the death OF
so. 900 men, taken from every rAnk
of life, and in the depreciation Of the
business and working forces OF the
nation. caused by the drinking hab-
its Of 100000 moderate and confirm
ed drinkers, and the sum VIII swell
10 hundreds Of millions Of dollars
every year
The records Of crime show that
threefourths Of The Gases Of man
slaughter and murder which dArken
TIE dOckets Of our courts are directly
on indirsctly connected with the s.le
snd Ne Of into1icsting hq1shN
s.Whisksy did Il has beoOns . f.
familiar Bad Inc O. cloG1g PHrs-