The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-03-15
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
Further Local Option Talk--What
Washington Man Did-The M. e.
Conference, Etc, Etc ~-@--->-
WASHINGTON, D. c., March 10th, 1888

Messrs. Editors II did not intend to pursue the
temperance or local option subject any further in
your columns, but as the question upon which your
correspondents "Billy Barlow" and "Nestor" and
myself seemed to disagree was to whether or not
local option was a success and prohibited the sale
of intoxicating liquors and decreased intemper
ance not in the counties and districts where it
exists, in addition to the very conclusive evidence
of Rambler" and the great benefits already be-
ing derived from the law in Hartford county, as
stated by him, am now also constrained to use
the testimony of at least one of the above CORES
pondents who has written in the negative, to sup
port the affirmative side of this question. In his
last weeks letter Chilly Barlow" says, "Just here
it seems proper to state that the citizens of the
Baltimore county side of Elcott City are terribly
exercised about the liquor business in their midst
They want the factory law applied to them. Il
do not exactly know what the factory law ISL 1t
seems that the local option law of Howard county
has driren across the river into Baltimore county
a swarm of liquor sellers, and Howard county
folks find it almost as convenient now as before
for them. do not believe the present Legisla-
ture will pass any local option law for any Sec
ton, and l remedy for the folks at Gray's,
Granite and other mills that this Legislature will
give them" Here is clear admission that local
nntion is a success in Howard county and that I
Baltimore county! Now suppose that as effectusl
local option law existed in Baltimore county,
and there ought to- and it were to drive them also
from there, would not that effectually stop the
traffic in that section? And then would not the
correative proposition be true, that intemperance
would be greatly decreased also, except indeed
those desiring liquor go clear into Baltimore for
it, which suspect but few would do. I also in
fer from this part of his letter that "Billy Barlow"
himself really thinks that some remedy, such as
loesl option, which has proved itself such a sue
cess "across the river" should be applied to the
locality Of "Gray's, Granite and other mills"
yhorQ ha inf m off fha rup,f rofE boo hann
such nuisance since being "driven out of How
ard county" Then, after all, it is not so much of
"sumptuary law" or one that ought not to be
passed, if this be true. Also, 1 infer from this,
his admission, that local option is good thing,
and that therefore it ought to be applied to the
whole State. Why not, as Shakespeare says, Gre
form it altogether a general local option
law that would wipe the traffic out of the whole
State? This is for the Maryland Legislature to
answer and the temperance people who vote to
elect the legislators to their seats. Although at
least one of the members of the present House of
Delegates from Baltimore county was endorsed by
the Temperance Alliance and voted for by the
temperance people of the county, so far I have
not heard of any effort being made to obtain a
local option law for it any of the districts in it
although no doubt some of the latter are ripe
for local option-and "Bily Barlow" says, IT do
not believe the present Legislature will pass any
local option laws for any section" I would say
to "Nestor" that agree with him that 1ocal OPP
ton seems thus far not to wholly take with the
people"-at least that portion that has been
driven out of Howard county, according to the
testimony of "Blly Barlow" 1t will not be like
1y to.
An example OF high moral principle-if we could
always rely upon that to effect great and ximum
good in the world-has just come to my notice in
this city. number of years ago a gentleman
commenced the grocery business, in connection
NH oh hnc
ted near the terminus of one of the city passenger
railways, where also the company's car stables |
were situated. The gentleman did good bust
ness in selling liquors to the employees of this
company, as we'll as to many poor white and col |
ored people in the neighborhood. But perceiiving
after awhile that it was doing harm and greatly |
demoraizing those that dealt with him in that |
line, he concluded to stop selling intoxicating |
liquors. But what should he do with the large |
stock of liquors he had on hand. He said to his
wife, "Shall sell it out and buy no more? No."
he said, "that is not my principle. 1t will do as
much harm to these people for me to sell it to
some one else and they buy it from him as though
they bought it from me. I will pour it OUT
which he did, causing the streets to smell of the
liquor for weeks afterwards. And now he says
that when he counts the money derived from his
business on Saturday nights, he rejoices to know
that none of it is derived from the liquor source
and that he is no longer demoralizing his fellow
human beings. How many of the liquor brewers,
distillers and vendors in the State Of MARYLAND
are imbued with the humane, Christian spirit and
possess the moral stamina of that man? IF
there were no exceptions there would be no neces-
sity of local option or any other prohibitory laws
to wipe out the liquor traffic and wholly cure in
temperance.
The annual Baltimore Conference of the Meth
odist Episcopal Church, which assembled in this
city, at McKendree church, on last Wednesday,
has hnnw Inxx -,
Sunday, has been presided over by Bishop An
lrews, in the place of Bishop Foster, who is sick
n New York. There has been a full attendance
If ministers with good congregation throughout
he sittings of the conference, and great harmony
md good feeling have prevailed. The only
leath reported in the ministerial ranks since last
conference was that of an aged minister, Charles
B. Young. The following delegates have been
elected to the General Conference, which meets at
in May: DIR. John Lanahan, DIR. L.
:. Morgan, DR.. McCauley, of Dickinson College,
md Job A. Price, Being the centennial year of
in America, extra efforts have been
made for raising money for church causes, espe-
tally for the liquidation of Indebtedness on
hurch edifces, and this latter has been largely
during the year. Two rival claims
or money upon the present conference seem to be
hat to meet the requirements for Dickinson Col
ege and for the establishment Of Methodist
female Seminary at Baltimore, for the latter of
which the Rev. ]. F. Goucher has already donated
he ground for a site, valued at $4,000 Mr.
TOUGHER, in supporting his claim for the erection
f the seminary by the conference, spoke of the
reat wealth represented by the adherents of ]
Iethodism in Maryland, which he put down at {
165,OO0,OOO, they constituting one-third of the I
opulation of the State, and he said that he
bought that fully $4,000 would be contributed
y them when called on by the conference, and he n
lought that out of this sum the seminary should r
e built. It is estimated to require S175,O0O for I
IS establishment. The conference seemed strong
in favor of the project and resolved that a
oecial strenuous effort should be made for its ac-
'mplishment. ANON. !