Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-02-03
TEMPERANCE.
A Plea for Ballot on the Prohibition
Question.

Question.
ARLINGTON. TEX, Jan. %, 1885.
To the Editor OF the Gazette
In your issue Of January %, you pub
lished lengthy article on ANTI
Prohibition" from correspondent,
signing himself "Libertas.n He very
coolly advises the legislature 10 pay no
attention to what he is pleased to call
"bogus petitions" which is an Insult
70 every good man and woman who
have arrayed themselves upon the side
Of Temperance, law and order and re-
ferred to the committee OF "oblivion -
II 'LiDeTtAsn has read history toany
purpose he will remember that that
was the destiny Of the petitions Of the
colonies 10 the mother country, asking
redress for their grievances. But did
that policy quiet and satisfy them2 By
no meanF; but when they were next
heard from il was in the form Of de-
msnd from a people who were stand
ing erect, in the nobleuess and strength
Of manhood, demanding that the pal
ladlum Of civil and religious liberty he
guaranteed them, 20 be transmitted as
heirloOms 10 theirdescendants.
England gained some costly kuOwl-
edge, Of which the politicians Of Texas
may take warning. We only ask that
tDe people OF Texas be permitted to
say AZ the ballOt-bOX whether or not
the state shall continue TO license a
business which is slowly but surely
embracing the people within It's Shiny
/ folds. IL will In few years require
"a
from this hydra-hesded monster; and
II we sit down and calmly fold our
hands little while longer, "Libertssn
and his cO.workers will have &C
complished oil that they have under
taken. He says that he opposes prohi-
| bitiOn because its agitation Is proving
d 'trimental to true temperance. /
fall TO see the force of his reasoning
II the people OF Texas say, a. / feel
confident they will, that intoxicating
liquors shall not be manufactured
within her borders, and stringent laws
are made 70 enforce the same, | can
not see how disgrace could be brought
upon the cause.
he further sage that as a political
scheme ut Is a failuTe.n We
DO not propose, nor have
we made 1t political
hobby but we do propose in the flu
ture 70 vote only for men OF sound
| qualifications, and pledged to the sup
/ port OF all measures which have for
| their object the eradication and blot.
| ting out OF intempeTance, which IL to-
day the bane and curse OF civiIlza-
| ton.
He refers to the report Of eighteen
mayors OF as many towns and cities OF
Iowa, claiming that more saloons are
now running, and OF course more IL
quors sold and drank than before the
adoption Of prohibition. In this lac
shows the weakness of his argument.
/, III more saloons are now running
in the state of Iowa, of course there Il
no tax on them, except the small tax
imposed 10y the general government.
why do the saloon men and liquoI
dealers elsmor for the repeal OF the
law?
.. Suppose that the legislature had
, the common sense to pass some laws
which were intended TO enforce and
carry out the spirit Of prohibition.
II so, how Is 1t that saloons have In,
creased in number, unless those
same mayors have refused b
enforce the law, and assess the penal
ties for the violation of the same?
With reference 10 his statistics from
Maine, the same argument Ia applica.
BILE as to Iowa
do not hope or expect that the
adoption OF prohibition. will entirely
prevent the sale Of Intoxicating liquora
we have laws upon our statute books
prohibiting murder, theft, burglary
and every other crime known To- The
criminal calendar with severe PENAL
ties for the enforcement OF thf
same, and vet their crimes are com,
mitted every day, But would "I,iber.
tasn dare TO remain in Texas one
week, II those laws were all repealed ?
GIVE us prohibition and we will Ia
some extent restrain men from sngag.
ing IN a business which Is wreckinp
the once happy homes OF thousands oi
our people, filling our jails, our asv.
lums, our houses oil correction.
our homes for the outeasts
II prohibition does no more, Il will al
least close up those gIlded palaces al
SIN which have aptly been called the
"ante-chambsrs OF HELM through
which constant stream OF the youth
aud manhood OF Texas ia crowdinV
and whose doors once being opened h
admit them, are seldom reop. ned ID
allow their exit. TEMPERANCE
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