West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1885-12-23
WEST VIRGINIA FREEMAN
THE DEMON DRINK
versus
THE ANGLO SAXTON LOVE OF
HOME AND LIBERTY!
Shall Liquor Rule!
"B. p" In Vest Virginia Enter
prlSe)

CUuSGlUu GlOudl 4lOOloy Oh O"i VII
seems to have been committed by
Providence to the care of the An
glo. Saxon race. In our Republic
the time has come when we begin
to perceive that we must either
PROSTATE the liquor power or allow
the home to be invaded and our
liberties put in jeopardy. The
day has come when the two strong
est passions of the Anglo-Saxon
race-love of home and the love of
liberty-are to be locked around the
neck of the liquor trade and the
latter broken once and forever
The present conflict is, therefore,
between the love of home and the
love of liberty on one hand, and the
love of drink on the other. Shall
liquor rule? Shall we continue to
send countless thousands to the
poor-house and prison? Shall we
still deprive the wife of her hus-
band, the child of his father, the
State Of her citizens, the church of
her memb ers and heaven of it's
brightest jewels? God forbid. Can
this overlooking tide be stayed, or
must it roll on with increasing
power, until all that is fair and
lovely in our domestic, social and
national life is overwhelmed be-
meath the surging waves? God
pity us if we are sunken SO low as
to permit such result t j.! But such
will be the result; it is inevitable
unless the friends of humanity be-
stir themselves. The tide is rising
intemperance is on the increase.
Its abettors are earnest and defiant,
and it is time the friends of reform
were earnest. For there are rob-
bers in the field whose hands are
stained with the innocent blood
of our brethren. Their Golfers are
filled with gold coined from the
blood of those they have slain.
They deck their wives and daught-
ers with pearls, transmitted in the
tears of those they have made wild
oW5 and orphans. Blood, blood,
blood is alike on their persons and
possessions, and in their unholy
gains the general government
shares to the amount of millions of
dollars annually, and over the per-
petrators of this diabolical wrong,
throws her mighty protection and
says by her actions,go on, steal and
kill, we will license you to do it,
but we must be partners with you
III the division of the spoils. Are
we nation of barbarians that we
should tolerate such a wrong SO I'M
iversal as this? Yes, more than
barbarians are we in this matter.
Who is this government? The
people are the government and
therefore we are responsible we
are the ruling power and upon our
shoulders rests this great yoke OF
iniquity, and it is our privilege
to cast it off. 1t is our privilege
to check the great flame, which has
co me down the ages for six thous-
and years scorching the
hearts and blistering the souls of
men. 1t is heated by the very
fury of the horrible, and has poured
out all over this earth an ocean of
unuterable woe.
x x Thou serpent of iniquity,
thou art the very foam of hell thou
very antagonist of souls, thou de-
stroyer of humanity, wilt thou not
stay thy deceiving hand, and
throw off thy bewitching charms
from earth's brightest gems? For
six thousand years thou hast been
the great deceiver of humanity.
If | were to 60 all around the world
and even into the graves of the
forgotten dead and gather together
all men who have been dragged
down by the devil from the honora-
BILE condition which is the proper
estate of man, and ask them by
what means were they brought to
suffer, they would answer, 1t is
drink! 1t IS drink!
x = No greater problem is pre-
sented to this generation than that
which is involved in the drink
traffic. 1t is a transcendent ques-
ton in political economy; it is
ri+ol ! coo;ol oo;oooo. - - Co.