West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1884-11-19
WEST VIRGINIA FREEMAN
pULyERIZE THERUM POWER
Toledo Blade SIashing at it Again

Now that the holly conteste !
political battle is over the Toledo
Blade takes up the irrepressible con-
fict again.
We take the following from the
Blades last weeks "slash," under
the head of
THE RUM CURSE.
The next great struggle in this
country is to be against Rum. 1t
will require a bitter fight to eradi-
cate it, but it will be of shorter dur
alton than the struggle against
slavery. Slavery did not directly
affect but one section of the United
States, and it was difficult to arouse
the public conscience against it.
But Rum is quite another thing
Its ravages are felt quite as much
in the homes in the country as in
the dwellings in the cities. There
is not hamlet too small for j.!
there is not farm so remote from
the highways of trade, but what its
cold finger reaches. The Brewer
and the Distiller have been for
years pouring out their Internal
wares with persistency born of
.avarice, and wherever man is they
have their customers. There is
scarcely family in the country
that does not mourn a Rum MUIR
der; there is no community that
has not its tale of shame, sorrow
and distress, caused directly by
Rum. Men of the greatest intel
lect, and men of the lower grades
have alike fallen into the hands of
the Rum maker and seller, and
suffered from the domination of the
appetite they have carefully fos,
tered.
1t needs 40 argument to convince
any one not interested in the prof
its of the horrible traffic, of its en-
nifty to the human race; it needs
no special pleading to convince
any one of the necessity of doing
something to stay its murderous
hand. This necessity comes home
to every father, every mother,
every brother and every sister in
the land.
Every method has been tried to
stay its ravages and all of them have
failed but one. Licensing the sale
of liquor has never affected the evil
a particle. 1t has in some cases
confined it's ravages, but, in fact, it
has added to its power for evil.
The licensed Rum shop has the
sanction of the law and therefore a
sort of responsibility, which ena-
bles it to draw within it's serpent
Alike embrace the better classes,
while the lower grades of men find
no difficulty in getting their sup
plies illicitly. To license, no nat
ter how the license, is to confine
the curse to fewer channels, but it
increases the volume of the destroy
ing streams.
Moral suason has accomplished
some good, but what can the plat
form, the press and pulpit do
against the personal efforts of the
unnumbered thousands whose bus
mess it is to seduce the young and
thoughtless? What can moral
suason do for the young man or
boy who has the DEVILS agencies
constantly at his elbow?
There is but one way, and that
is absolute Prohibition. 1t is a
disease which admits of no milder
treatment than extirpation. Pro-
hibition has accomplished its work
whenever it has been tried, and
everything else has failed.
1t has been the fashion to sneer
at Prohibition and deny its power
to do good Men point to the fact
that liquor is still used in Maine
after thirty years of Prohibition,
We admit it. After thirty years
of Prohibition liquor is still drunk
in Maine, and probably it will be
drunk in Maine thirty years hence.
Admitting that liquor is still drunk
in Maine to some extent, does it
follow that all Efforts to stay the
curse shall be given over? Does
it follow that because thirty years
ofeffort have not entirely eradicated
the curse, that all effort to kill it
mt shall he stonnad2 The ONLY