The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-04-04


they cannot foresee. For years license has
been granted and during these years these
officials have daily witnessed its damnable Ell
fects upon the people The outcome OF IL
cense always has been drunkenness and it al
wavs will be drunkenness. Nobody can deny
this statement, and yet the nefarious traffic
goes on and on, and there is no power that
can or will stay its progress.
offence against decency and morality, and
treated accordingly, what have they done who
authorized the sale of strong drink? Pro-
vided the cause, but punished the conse-
quence Aye. they have furnished the ban
quet, but beaten with many stripes the ban
queter They have flung wide the doors, but
imposed penalty for entering They have
perpetuated yawning pit, digged beneath
the very footballs of stumbling men, which
they, and they only, could have closed-and
that SO easily.
License does make drunkenness. Repeal
the license of these numerous establishments.
Instead of barrels of beer in the cellar, sub
stitute sacks Of Arabias choicest berry in the
storeroom. Remove the casks of Jamaica and
demijohns of Bourbon, to be replaced by
boilers of fragrant Mocha. Fling to the four
winds decanters, bottles and glasses, and
range upon the shelves in friendly proximity
pitchers of the most luscious cream, and
bowls of purest sugar, with cups of daintiest
hue, for the delightful beverage that stimu-
lates but cannot intoxicate. Instead of lewd
conversation, low jokes and slanderous re-
marks upon women, which fill the air of bar
rooms, let there be good, wholesome litera-
ture of the day, books, periodicals, etc. Do
all this, and note the effect. If then men
may be seen to emerge from the doors of these
coffee-houses, staggering to the nearest lamp
post for support, or falling upon the side
walks or into the gutter then proclaim to the
world that license does not make drunken
ness
But perhaps we are too severe on the may
or and councilmen of the city of Salem. Let
us look about for some extenuating circum-
stances Perhaps the people clamor, and
will not be denied Let us see The people
of Salem who are they Good women,
host of them; temperance men, a goodly
number the church, they cannot be counted
the drunkard, the rumseller, and the rabble.
Do all these ask for license Then what
besotted city modern Sodom and Gomor
rah, which deserves to be swallowed up in an
earthquake, engulfed by tidal wave or swept
away by cyclone. But not so. Think
you among these women, pioneers of reform,
to find one who will set her seal of favor upon
license? Temperance men! 1t would not
only be the quintessence of absurdity, but an
insult of the deepest dye, to lightly insinuate
that one of these would cast his vote for Ii
cense The church the christian church!
the faithful guardian of the people-can it be
that they are responsible for the sins of Ii
cense? Oh! reverently upon sacred ground
with bated breath and hushed footstep, let us
approach the sanctuary of the Most High.
Nay calumny must not rest here. Let us pass
on and find the drunkard. Does he want IL
cense? All! list to what he says, Strong
drink is the bane of my life; 1 am in its
clutches; its tolls are about me and have
lost my strength. Oh! remove license "a
thousand miles away! Save to Inc and mine
the little remnant of manhood that is yet left
mel" Who are left now to clamor for IL
cense? The rabble aud the rumseller ali
for them license is granted.
Father in heaven, forgive this mayor and
these councilmen, for surely they know not
what they do Women of Salem, battle
against license as you never have before. Be
neither dismayed nor daunted, because of
single failure. Bear in mind the " dripping
water " that wears stone" and take fresh
courage. Supply this benighted mayor and
these councilmen with temperance literature
people are grossly ignorant on the sub
ject of temperance, in general-send them
weekly temperance tract subscribe for each
of them temperance paper; deliver short
temperance sermon as opportunity offers; ap-
peal to them personally renew these appeals
from time to time, but despair not. If they
turn deaf ear there is still another resort, a
Peoples Column in the Standard a ref
uge, haven for the tempest-tossed, with a
brave, generous captain for its leader. Do
these things and despair not, for this mayor
and these counclmen are not what they seem