Arkansas weekly mansion., 1884-04-12
THE FOCNTAIN-HEAD OF EVIL.

Recent exposurcs of municipal abuses
have emphasized the degradation and
corruption for which the government
| of this city has long been notorious.
Our citizens smile gr!mly over cartoons
in the comic papers representa- our To-
cal rulers as a gang OF ruifianly rum
sellers, low browcd, heavy-iawed. igno-
rant, greedy. shameless in rapac.ty. Ihc
influence OF the saloon in politics is a
theme so familiar as to be trite. Against
that influence efforts are being cOntin-
ualIv made to array the intelligence,
public spirit and conscience of the COM
mum tv Temperance SO icties struggle
coura@eously with the gigantic evil of
drunkenness. Preachers denounce and
protest against it. But it shakes off all
the elements ranged against it, and con-
tinues to poison, debauch. hrutalizc all
who come in contact with it. The
truth is that the Nat on has not yet
taken this tremendous evil with sutfi-
cient seriousness. The early adVO atcS
of Temperance We're looked upon as
bigo,s and fanatics. Now the cause has
become respectable, but still popular
apathy prevails. Rctormers, both po-
litical and social, begin rs a rule with
the secondary, instead of the primary
causes of corruption. To remove the
abuses which choke healthy progress in
all our large cities, it is necessary to do
more than change parties or modify
governmental methods or shift respon-
sibilities. Municipal corruption, crime,
poverty, ignorance, immortality, all
flourish rankly because the people toll
crate Rum. At the bottom of nine
tenths of all the evils from which mod
ern society suffers this cause is to be
found.
1t is not confined to the lowest
classes. 1t wcakens the purpose of
educated men. 1t pals eS the energies
of benevolent men. 1t breeds allies FOR
the powers of evil in almost unSus-
pectcd quarters. 1t generates a spirit
of indifference which is ~ effective
against reform as active friendship for
inte:npcrancc The i'll effects of drink
kniT. aal4 t al' o"rna ". bfessn by seareeiy
perennial records OF political abuses. of
he franch Sc marketed, OF venal ignO-
rance swamp NO enlightened patriotism,
of plundcrcd trcasuries and systematic
official chicancry and theft, OF private
dcfalcaton and bankruptcy, of murders
and assaults of divorce and deSert:On,
of proili9acy, dcsiitution, suffering and
shame i'm myriad forms, and behind
each and all these calamiticS and evil
deeds may be seen intemperance rs the
prime cause. II Is every WHclt IL
makes and mars in every relation of life.
1t pursucS thousands from the cradle to
the grave 1t rcinforccs every malign
influence and agency. 1t battles all ef-
forts at better things. Yet the public
do rot regard it as an enemy to lie
fought with uncOmprOnliSinG and per-
si~t,nt hostility; thcy even sometimes
seem to think that it is better to let it
alone altogether.
But there must be a much deeper and
more general realization of the neccs-
Sitv for radical reform in this matter.
The popular conscience must be stirred
and reused through the popular intelli-
pencc 1t is but 4 few days since Il
body of rum-scllcrS in this State
solemniv and officially declared: That
as citizens and taxpayers we have in
common with our fellow citizens the
advancement of the interests of the
Whole people.' These same men
further declared their business ito be
legitimate and worthy of protection and
support These expressions show to
! what extent of audacity. federation and
Indifference naturally lead. Tie pub
lie are required to support the men
who are cnga ged in the most evil and
corruptinr and degrading occupation
the world has ever suffered from, and
1t Is lmpuucntiN announced tnal tne
advancement If the interests of the
whole people is sought by these VEN
dors of poison and manufacturers of
crime and ruin.
The National conscience, the com
munity conscience. must, indeed, need
rou~ing. when such hardy iEsolence and
brutal defiance of decent public opinion
passes almoSt unnoticcd. Some intlu-
| ence stronger and more rapid in its OPP
Grafton than the SLOW process of evolu-
| ton is rec Gurcd to set in motion effect
| i've rcrorm sentiment. The curse of
modern civilization may else become its
| destroyer before remedy is applied.
| Let it he remembered that there can be
| no true freedom with a vcnal and de-
| graded franchise: that the best devised
| governmental Institutions are useless
when political corruption excludes from
| their control the iittest members of the
| community: tha. it is futile to alternate
| churches with saloons, leaving the weak
est elements of society at the mercy of
the most powerful temptations.-N. Y.
| IriJunG.