The Opelousas courier., 1884-12-06
Prohibition.

rHlS Iiane EFalrle, IAnse Belalr FAnse aux
Paiiie, Chataignier, Faquetaique, Mamouth,
Prairie Ronde, Pot Cove, Mallet, which af
1ofos me good opportunity of finding out tho |
views and sentiments OF the numerous people |
IN those extended districts, on that all-impor
tant question of prohibition now pending for
thelr consideration and decision And must |
say that, In all my life, heve never seen every
bod!y SO unanimously agreed, and enthusiastic |
eally united about nything, MS every class of |
our people arc in favor of putting down alco-
mol, the demon OF discord and strife, poverty
and crime, misery and ruin And we'll they |
may be for Intoxicating liquors are causing
far more harm than everything else put to-
gether. 1t is the "fouse ct origo"-the source |
and origin OF nearly all other evils. 1t invade |
the sanctity of the family circle and aiienate
the affections and destroy the peace and hap
piness of husband and wife, parents and chill
dren; and converts home, that ought to be
| the happiest place on earth, into miserable
Bedlam. 1t walks the streets at all hours
OF day and night, aud obtrudes itself iuto
any place of business and pleasure, dethrones
reasons, browns all the better feelings of
humanity and fills the heart with the vilest
| and worst of passions; and causes it's un
humanized victim to perpetrate any and all
kinds of fraud and crime. 1t does not con-
fine its diabolical operations to the towns,
now as it formerly did; it has spread out all
over the country, and decoys the farmer
| from his quiet field, where he could make
| plenty and some to lay by to enjoy in peace
| est of all enemies to mankind allures him to
the cross-road drinking places, and the drink
| ing places along the roadside, and the drink
| ing places off-from-the-road, and even into pri
| vate houses to drink poison aud gamble mon
| ey; where they quarrel and fight and murder
| while the grass and weeds are running away
| with the corn and cotton, potatoes and rice
and the wife and children are hungry and
poorly clad, and growing ap in ignorance and
| decentralization at home. Is it not the strang
I
/ have ever been deluded with the idea that
! such as that is happiness, that such all alb
surd custom should have ever been inaugu-
rated But it began by social drinking the
/ family circle where it was considered as DIES
| reputable to drink to drunkenness. as to eat
| to giuttony. But alcohol is like the adder,
you warm it to life in your bosom aud it stipgs
you to death. No body ever thought of fill
ing drunkard's grave when he took his first
driuk-but how few alas who drink at all that
don't drink to excess sooner or later-they
go step by step, from occasional drink
on meeting with friend TO regular drinking.
and on to irregular frequent, excessive, aud
ruInous drinking, and by this time sou
has grown up, and naturally lie follows along
stepping in his fathers tracks, but the
world is progressive, the son outstrides the
| father, and to-day we have boys II and Ia
years of age carrying bottles of whiskey III
| tneir pockets! Great God, save us from the
| utter ruin that SO imminently threatens to
| country, we ought to be prosperous and hap
py people but every body will testify that
| We are retrogradiug in morals, and Ill all that
| renders life worth living, and every ObserY-
/ ing man can see that we have lost in every
| respect just in proportion as the drinking OF
Intoxicating liquors has increased all over the
| country, and no body will contend that alec
holic drinks are necessary to health, but every
body will admit that they are growing ruinoas
| eyils-the more one drinks the more he Graves
i Irip md "a lass all lie hnr IA rASfEE
the temptation, until ultimately he yields
himself helpless victim to tue lethal lnfiu-
ence, and his usefulness destroyed, his proper
ty wasted, his name cast out as evil, and his
family beggared and demoralized, he dies mis-
erably, and fills at last drunkard's grave.
The habit of assembling at drinking saloons
las they are called) to drink and gamble is
the hight of folly. just think of TIT eau
ses every man that is addicted to it, to
|, neglect his business lose time, waste money,
iniure bis health, deinoralize himself and 9th
{ ers, while he gains nothing in'tbe world-it is
all loss and no gain 1T is far more than that
it causes most OF the troubles and sorrows
and miseries of this life, and leads to worse in
the next.
, Look at it in a business point of view, and
its effects will be found dreadful. rninous. III
consequence ofsthe time lost, and the indispo-
| sition, and decentralization on account OF
drinking liquors, the farmers don't make halt
the crops they would otherwise make they
spend for liquor and lose at cards. a large por,
| tion of what little they do make; and their
merchants seeing that, can't advance them
any of the luxuries, and but very few OK the
necessaries of life, aud therefore he aud hls
y wife and children, have to drag along half
{ starved and half-cIothed; the poor bones that
. have to pull the plow must stand up oil iiIslil
eating grass, instead of having corn and fodder
r to eat and then lying down to rest; consequent
{ | ly the plow must skim the surface instead oi
1 loosening the soil and promoting the growth
ftl md at N1 md nf
a poor man comes out in debt-the merchant
: | has lost money, and the drinker complains
that fortune frowns upon him, and thus arises
the long -Waged war between labor aud eap
tai Every MAJ in our country can AMI ou2 Ut
Z to be in comfortable circumstances, and nap
: nv With such u climate, soil and productions
}, as we have, iuaicious labor, perseyerIng eAef
Q gy, and frugal economy will place every sooe
. | man in good circumstances But ne mus
shun wliiskey AS he would lie devil; forIt i
j. his tthe devilis) most active and efhclen
! agent in causing the woes OF life. All sobe
o people want the sale of Intoxicating tquor
| prohibited, to save the youths OF the parisi
t. froHl the degradation and ruin or drunken
il ness Those who drink to excess thehseye:
Il want them prohibited. to remove froiu befor
& them the temptation they find theinselve
o unable 10 resist. The merchants all wan
& them prohibited that their customers may
t make the more money to pay their .dcbts, ane
be able to buy the more o1 the comforts q "
: sell more food and clothes for the benefit OF u
= = women and children, instead of selling wins
Z kew. which does no good whatever, but wllc
i eailses wretchedness and bankruptcy, anu J
!, !, i fast running the whole country And eve
e those who are selling whiskey, themseiye
Z is seeing the dreadful evil arising from drink
y ing. are willing to have the sale OF intoxicat
= inS Gauors prohibited; as they can then In
:. vest their capital in other business and trade
e IL which they can make more money, with
u oat wandering to the depraved impoverishin
Y and luiious appetites of their customers an
le :. .;uat fhey car, clear more money, aud hav
g g ths satisfaction of seeing their friends an
K aiahhors i,rosnering-alI living in peace. an
y y nIes,ty. and happiness For it any one WI
Y ,,,n hack in memory, he will find that almos
z z if nat al1ite all who dealt in intoxicating
y - nuors have been failures in business, IN use
= = fulness, and in happiness, and BESIDES y. ~
II q, great injury they have caused 60 tne Iahfie
!, y of Others, they have ruined their own ais'
q But, without being really bad men 90 near
y y they made mistake in embarklng I'D ous
le le ness franght with evils, and evils only ~
so like All other mistakes they are much easls
u u made than remedied. No doubt every ooa
y y will Be glad when they see the good euecfs
Z = and GOOD effects only, of Prohibition Ana
= = far tie poor women, who have been tne siiel
y y hnt worse sufferers from the sale OIL into1lca
~ ing liquors. their glad hearts Will leap TOT Jo
- !. And the innocent children will grow up 70
~ bonorable and useful men and women, an
bless the day the fell destroyer of 80 nncn
youth and manhood was crushed ana dfise
from the land I d EnsTER