Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-09-24
Licensed Crime.

AT the methodist church on Sunday eve-s
ming last. at which the Rev. A. Il. Tull
delivered q most forcibleS and elo-
quent address. The reverend gentle
man first reviewed the statistics Of the
liquor traffic, and compared them with
the sums annually expended blythe peo-
pie of the United States for legitimate
purposes. The array of figures was
startling, exhibiting as they did that
more money is annually paid for drink
than for bread and meat. An army of
100000 drunkards is supported, 100000
of whom yearly go down to drunkards'
graves, their places being supplied by
innocent boys. The sum annually spent
for drink is $500, 900. which does
not include the amount paid for extra
police rendered necessary by its sale,
nor the amounts imposed upon counties
and municipalities by trials for crimes
committed because of drink, nor the
sums paid for the support of paupers,
made such by drink, nor the loss sus-
tanned by every community in its ma
terial improvement by having this
money perverted into channel whence
no value is received. Passing to the
question of voting or not voting to IL
cense the crime of liquor selling, the
elder said he could not vote to license
any man to cut his fathers throat. no
matter what the sum paid to the auth
critics might be for that privilege He
could not vote to license any man, for
any sum, to debauch and murder his
innocent boy. Those who thought
otherwise should take their children, by
the hand, 60 to the rumseller and say,
Here, sir, are my innocent children,
whom | dearly love, but if you will pay
into the treasury $500, so that we may
have some new sidewalks, you may
make them drunk as often as YOU like
and send them out into the world drunk
ards. thieves and murderers. y Those
who desired to do such a thing for
themselves were welcome, but the
speaker protested against their doing it
on his behalf and for his children.
Pointing to Rev. Dr. Eaton. who occu-
pied seat on the pulpit rostrum, the
sreaker said: Scan you ask this man of
God to become an accessory to crimeP
Can you ask him to yote for any license,
in any sum, that will permit the lawful
sale of anything that plainly and dis
tinctly causes crime?" The reverend
gentleman then referred to the sneers of
the rumsellers that prohibition did not
prohibit, that several states had prohib-
itory laws and yet drink was sold in
them. And SC" said he, ''there is a
prohibitory law, in every state, against
stealingi but stealing is not stopped.
There is prohibitory law prohibiting
murder. but murder is not prevented.
What are you going to do. thenp Re-
peal the laws against stealing and MUIR
der?" The speaker did not know of
any law which made it crime to shoot
or stab man six months after he was
dead. Yet, when the rumseller had
robbed man of all his property, all his
friends, his home. his character. strength
of will and manhood, then the law
stepped in and protected him, and he is
placed on the blacklist. The rumseller
must not sell him any more rum, for he
is habitual drunkard Prohibition is
good thing for him, but will not do
for the young msn who still has money,
character and friends.
The prohibition question, the speaker
said. was made vital question of the
hour by the>action of the whisky and
beer element at the last session of con-
gress in attempting to procure the sub
mission of an amendment to the consti-
tuition that would prohibit prohibition.
This aggresiveness had aroused the peo-
pie OF the whole country to the brazen
character of this monstrous evil, grown
bold by its wealth and political strength
and they had been made aware of their
danger as never before. Moral suasion
was played out. 1t had been tried for
two hundred years, and while one
drnnkard was being saved the drunk
ard-makers. manufactured 500. The
mothers, wives and sisters of Ohio had
gone down into the miserable rum-h holes
of that state, and on their knees begged
the rumsellers to spare their husbands,
brothers, fathers and sons; but it had
done no good. Legal suasion was the
only thing that would reach the mind
and understanding of the whisky -seller,
and the speaker was opposed to longer
wasting any energy in educating the
people" Rumselling was course,
rough, brutal business, and must be
answered according to its folly.
The FAIR.-Thc signs of good wealth
" ~ INV A"ii W., MINING ucAe w cubtS-
day are extremely favorab BILE, as it may
reasonably be expected that after so
long a period of rain and variableness,
settled weather will appear. 1t is GER
tainly hoped that such will be the case,
as there has never before been exhibited
the same degree of interest among
exhibitors as now. The entries of
horses will be exceptionally large, both
as regards local horses and those from
abroad. The free-for-all will probably
bring out some good horses, and there
are mysterious hints on the part of
knowing ones that some surprises are
to take place. Horticultural hall, from
the entries and inquiries already made
with the secretary, will be fully up to
its best previous showing, and stock
(other than horses, which will certainly
be far better than at any previous fair,
is expected to exceed the average dis
play A large amount of machinery
will be on the ground-new makes for
introduction, and old ones to contest
merits. The prospect for attendance