Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-05-25
"Protection aud Respect For Rum
Selling.
New York Tribune

New York Tfibune.l
A few days ago an organization of
liquor dealers in this state formulated
resolutions In which they declared
that the business In which they are en-
gagged is Legitimate" and "entitled
to the protection and respect of the
community. Long habit doubtless
blunts perception. The soap.boiler
cannot smell the stencil which per.
vades his own works. The dealer Ia
hides comes to think his wares
sweet and inoilensive and 80 II is posi-
ble that those whose business II Is to
sell poison TO the public, and who wilt
ness hourly the disastrous effects Of
their trade, may think II Is deserving
of respect. But the public can make
no such mistake. A trade which
tlourishes upon the ruin of It's support
ers. which derives It's revenues from
the plunder of homes and from the
defrauding of helpless childhood; from
the degradation of manhood which re-
quires for It's prosperity the injury of
the community which ministers TO
every vile and vicious passion and
propensity which makes drunkards
and thieves, and embtzzlers, and
gamblers, and wife-beaters, and muir
derers; which brutalizes and degrades
all who are brought in contact with 1t
cannot claim the respect, and as
snredly ought not to be able TO claim
the encouragement of the community.
II indeed Indicates the extent OF the
PREVALENT decentralization that "A busi-
ness 80 inherently Infamous, so UNI
uuestionably against public policy,
should have been permitted to eslnb-
lish itself so firmly that those who
pursue il are WINGED, not only thai
it II legitimate, but that II Is ''eniiiled
to protection and respect But upon
what ground do these bold claims
rest? What constitutes legitimate
respectable business? | business
which debauches, impovcrisbes, IN
lures the public either the one or the
other? When such questions have u
be asked IL is time that they were set
tied defnitively. At present rum.
selling is technically Legitimate That
Is to say, II Is not unlawful. Bu,
since Its consequences are what We
see, II would he an abuse of Language
to term II respectable.
But II does not stop ut these insolep'
pretensions. 1t tells the people tina
| 1t has great political power; that II Il
organized and that II will fight reform
and temperance with the votes o
the unfoitunates 1t has embruled
This then Is what the community hal
10 face. 1t must either submit to thu
political supremacy OF the ruln-sellerH
IL must either accept their govern
ment; IL must either bow to thei
standard OF morals and declare then
To be entitled TO protection ana re
spect;n or II must make up It's mind Y
a conflict the aim and end of whicl
shall be the overthrow OF this aboml
nable abuse, and the protection OF III
masses against the worst foe OF civil
zation.
They will oppose any reform what
ever. They deny the right of tn
people to protect themselves ut ali
They claim the right for themselye
to poison and brutalize and degrade a.
whom they can reach. They thin
thew will be supported in this by Tia
uuhljc they iDiure, and upon The pei
sistence of whose animal appetite
they calculate. Hitherto they hay
uphappily been justified in this d.
pendence. The men who had mot
cause To lOathe the business have bee
among the first 10 uphold and FORTH
IL. But change il even now passin
over public opinion. II Is becomin
more and more generally recon- re
that iptemperance IL at the bottom o
two-thirds Of the social, political an
|. moral evils that retard progress an
perplex and harass the Legislature.
h being comprehended that an efiec
! i've and safe franchise requires sobrlet
and Intelligence In the voter. In fas
N ~ being realized that the future (
the country depends largely, upo
mastering the elements dar,v ~''i III ths
, strength from rum, and whsch mn
tate vi every turn against good govern
ment, pure social conditions. religio
and progress.