The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1885-04-22
What Prohibition Has Done for
Rapides.

We clip the following from tn
New Orleans City Item, of dat,
April 18th. 1t will prove of inter
est to those who favor and suppor
prohibition, and will good cheer te
the members of the w. T. T. U;
The report of the Grand Jury Of
Rapides Parish to Judge Blackman
is an interesting and gratifying doc.
ument. Thejury informs the Court
that their duties and responsible.
ties have been very much lightened
by the decrease of crime. That out
OF slxty-two cases presented TWEEN
ty-seven were ignored and true bills
found in the others for comparative
ly..trivial otfenses. "The public"
says the report "have certainly
cause to congratulate themselves on
the continued decrease. of crimes in
our midst, where riot and bloodshed
no longer stain our fair land" A
comparison with the work laid be-
fore the last Grand Jury sustains
this hopeful view. Then some of
the most heinous crimes known to
the law occupied the grand inquest
while the investigations at the pre-
sent term of Court have been chief.
ly confined to petty offences. The
sheriff reports that but for some old
cases left over, "the Jail could have
been opened, as a sail to the breeze"
Now, the Jury declares, and
their testimony is amply corobora-
ted by abundance of evidence, that
Rapides Parish tn general, and
Alexandria in particular, owe this
gratifying change for the better to
the prohibition of the sale of intox-
icating liquors. In that Parish, as
in every other in the State, the gra-
vest crimes, such as murder, public
brawling, and even robbery, are
committed by the poor victims of a !
depraved appetite for strong drink.
Where drunkenness is tolerated.
disorder prevails; but where tenn
perance rules, decency and peace
havetheir permanent abiding place.
What has been done in Rapides
night be done here as we'll and
With as gratifying results. Gould
We relieve the docket of our Grim.
nal Courts from the cases pro-
'oked directly or indirectly by
:um, one judge would be sufficient
md the position would be compar-
ltively a sinecure to what both
judges nows,find it. Cut off from
he Parish Prison the entries on &C.
count of rum, and we should soon
AVE there rooms to rent. The po-
ice force, now found SO inadequte,
would, were the city put under a
trict regimen Of temperance, be
nore than sufficient; and the off,
ers of the force, many of whom are
ow fearfully addicted to drinking,
7ould soon be known as models Of
God behavior.
The people of Rapides now boast
hat they really have a Sabbath, a
ay Of rest, and not Of tumnlt and
esecration. They can take their
tile ones anywhere without SUBJ
'cting them to the horrible sight
drunken blasphemers who, mad
ened by liquor, are making every {
lace of public resort an intolera-
lie nuisance. We indulge the hope
lat at no distant hope the Grand ]
ury Of this Parish may have ooca- t
on to repeat the cheerful and hope.
Il congratulations of the inquest t
Rapides. We may not hope for {
bsolute prohibition, but there we'll
ay and should be regulations to !
'strict and control the present /
ide-spread habit of drinking to
scess at all times and in nearly
~ II q