Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-02-28
A COMPROMISE.
Antl-Treat Societies Teach Men Not
TO Drink to Excess.
Use Persuasion Rather than oOmpulsiOI
with the Social Drinksr

AlBANl, Tax, Feb. %, lHb.
To the Editor OF the Gazette
The large number Of petitions pre-
scented to the present legislature pray
ing for prohibition amendment
opens up aquestion ofvltal Importance
to the interests of our good people.
The question itself is one OF long stand
Ing, and attempts at practicable and
Just solutions have for years past en-
gagged the time and talents of our
brightest minds. That whisky drink
ing Is q social evil, attended by misery
and crime, Is not disputed even by
those who drink TO excess, and those
who vend the article for profit. II is
the everyday results thRt stimulate
the temperance people 10 urge so
strongly and so lealOusly the attention
of our Legislators TO the growing evil.
But may IL not be, that In their very
eagerneas and zeal they have not
given the question that calm and care
fill consideration that ita importance
demands? Have they taken into con.
slderation that il IL human nature
to love and crave those
liz not this principle developed In the
child and strengthened in the man, es-
pecially in matters Of Appetite Would
not prohibition amendment engen
der a spirit of opposition among the
very class OF citizens that ID Is Intend
ed TO benefit Could not there be
found persOne who would risk the PEN
| altv of the law and smuggle whisky
| into thehtRte In sufficient quantities 10
| practically annul the law and defraud
| The state of all revenue, and at the
same time introduce system Of clan
destine jug-drinhing, ten thousand
( times more Injurious ia it's moral Of
/ fects than the present system Of bar
room drinking Would not the fathers,
l husbands and brothers Of our fair pro-
| hibitionists, who now scOTn 70 be seen
| lodging in behind the green lattice
work OF bar-rooms. soon give away 70
tho seductive influences OF drinking
ION the sly,p simply because their
private rights had been abridged In
matters held to be a priv.
ilege by all nations and peoples.
VIII the results gathered from the ex-
perlences OF Kansas and Maine justify
Texas, after careful investigation to
adopt the same laws Where has any
local OF ton town or city successfully
solved this question TO the satisfaction
of calm and cOnsiderale minds? vii
not our prohibition friends considei
the following propositions rs beinl
more in harmony with Justice be
tween man and man. and more espe
elalIy in justice 10 our German
French aud English nAtuTalized citi
zens, who imported their habits anI
appetites from their nRtive countries
i. Pass laws, stringent Laws. agains
the authorizations Of whisky and al
yines, beers and beverages OF what
ever name or kind. Then lower In
: taxes and reduce the In
centiyes TO adulterate, even II y
have 10 snnul the license laws and ie
! everybody sell that wants 10.
2. Introduce 10 every communit
/ antl treat societies, where each men
: Ter takes solemn pledge TO treat n
man or allow no man 70 treat him 70
drink OF any kind Of Intoxicating beS
: erage. Social drinking Is the incnbu
) hat is destroying the life-blood Of 90
, people. The social glass that passs
, around among boon companions, lead
10 gambling, crimes and suicides an
wrecks the happiness Of home an
{ friends. Men never commence dflnl
ing alone. II IL only when they ieae