San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-08-27
Enertnally Used Up.

We have only space for the following
shortar article, which, however, w
regard as quite sullicient-ED. FREI
Pass.
AT THE WRONG END.
Tho trouble with the theory o
"porsonal liberty" in connection will
Prohibition as BOT forth by Congress
man Mills and Senator Coke is, tina
they apply it at the wrong end OF th'
social series. See how it works
At one end OF the series is Liquor
Dealer Smith at the other Farmer
Jones, an honest Industrious, law
abiding citizen. Guard, say these
statesmen, if you do rot, liberty il
gone, and tho Union Of the church
and state with Ill other imaginable
evils will come-guard well Liquor
Dealer Smiths sacred right, in con-
sideration of the price Of a bottle OF
whiskey. to convert neighbor Brown
intoa temporary maniac and turn him
loose with his murderous pistol upon
Farmer Jones's honest, industrious
son. That is ever 80 nice for Liquor
Dealer Smith, and no doubt he will
vote first, last and oil the time for
Congressman Mills and Senator q oke
But what about Farmer Jones this
theory of personal liberty?" Why
to him is left the sacred right to bury
his noble, murdered boy; the sacred
right to prosecute neighbor Brown
the murderer, and pay lawyer
five hundred dollars retainer, with
the probabilities three to one against
conviction the sacred right to pay
fifty dollars of his hard earnings an
nually in the way OF tax to keep a
score of prisoners in the county jail
and keep the criminal courts going
four-ffths Of whose business is Great
ed by the liquor traffic the sacred
right to endure and pay for the de-
moralization by the liquor-seliers OF
his employees the sacred right to
help support the pauperism created
by the liquor traffic ; the sacred
right to raise his children in the midst
of n public sentiment debauched by
the liquor influence the sacred
right, in spite of his painstaking anx-
iety, to marry his daughter to a
young man that disappoints his rails
ing by the use of whiskey and devel-
ops into worthless drunkard. In
his relation to Liquor Dealer Smith,
about all the additional sacred right
Farmer Jones has is the right to
make beast of himself, transfer his
farm to Smith for whisky, begger his
family, and then commit suicide.
if the public prints are to be trusted,
the above named statesman, of ma
tional reputation, have come for
ward to help to fasten upon a county
in Texas the prolonged curse of the
liquor traffic one that is trying to
throw off this monstrosity of our civ
ilizaton. What is there 80 lovely,
80 patriotic, so elevating in the
business of liquor dealer Smith that
his personal freedom" must be pro-
tected in the prosecution of bust
ness that touches ruiuously Farmer
Jones at every point? Would not
these statesmen be doing q nobler
work, if they would apply their theory
of personal freedom" at Farmer
Joness end of the social series
Liquor Dealer Smith can quit his
business, ruinous to everybody but
himself. and go to something more
honorable and more honest but
Farmer Jones can not quit footing
the bill of taxation and general mis-
fortune that liquor Dealer Smith
brings upon the country. 1t is fear
fully one.sided this theory of ''per-
sonal freedom rs expounded by Con-
gresham Mills and Senator Coke.
In nutshell it means the enslave-
ment of the honest, sober, hard
working farmers and mechanics of
to the bloated liquor dealers of our
commercial centres, courthouse
towns and cross-road grogshops. If
we mistake not the signs of the times,
in spite of liquor trade politicians
and liquor dealers, the people will
soon apply the personal liberty" doc
trine to the right end of the social
series.
ST. LOUIS LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent