The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1885-08-21
Temperance.
High License.

good temperance people, who, through
the cunning manipulation of pro-
fessional politicians and saloon men,
have been cheated in the local option
law. They do not seem to have given
the subject more than superficial ex-
animation, and taken for their cue the
ready cry of the greatest enemies of ten
perance,-''local option is a failure.
More whiskey drank and sold in the
county since the local option law was
passed than before. No revenue to the
state. Look at the large revenue which
the whiskey licsnse brought Quite
PLAUSIBLE at the first glance, but very
superficial il examined.
The fact is, we have not yet tried local
option law. The present nondescript
law is delusion and snare. Let the
law abiding and industrial class insist ON
fair trial ola sensibly drawn local
option law before they fall in behind
the procession which the saloon men
have formed. If they would show but
q fraction of pluck and common sense
that the saloon men have ailalong shown,
there would be no complaint Of failure
in carrying out prohibition.
Had it otbeen for the liquor license
which has been reforming drunkards
and organizing temperance, as the liquor
men claim, from the discovery of alco-
hol, there would now be no need Of local
option, to suppress the sale of iatoxi-
cants. High license is the gradaatiug
college of drunkards. This is the only
institution of learning where the pupil
commences to study the higher branches
first. The primary school for this
course of education, is placed just be-
hind the college, and after going Though
the lessons Of drinking social glass
and treating in the gilded college, the
sophomore is advanced backward to
complete his education, to fit him for
the gutter, the Jail and almshouse. The
high licensed saloon is where he learns
to be fond Of liquor and spend his
money. The primary school, or little
grog shop which is in the back kitchen
to every high licensed saloon is where
he learns to be efficient for the jail and
poor house, where he costs the industri-
GUS tax payer more to take care of him,
ten times over, than the saloon men pay
in high licenses to the state. It was
high license that made treating and
drinking fashionable and respectable,
that gave the liquor trade reputable
standing in the eyes of the public, with
other vocations that are useful. 1t
was license that cultivated the taste of
the generation present, to crave strong
drink, and made it in great measure
hereditary. Some little European prin-
cipalities derive their revenues from
gambling houses. Do they enrich the
people? Lotteries have built churches,
founded libraries, colleges and other
public and charitable institutions. Why
have they been abolished when they
were such tax gatherers? Tens of thou
sands could be raised by licensing
gambling houses and lottery companies.
Why is it not done? No: 10 place of
reinaugerating the carnival of death
and vagabondism, let us have plain.
honest law prohibiting the selling of
spiritious liquors as common beverage.
Let the moral sense of the rising gener-
alton be educated to feel that it is dis
graceful and dangerous to drink alcohol
ic liquors, that the old custom taught ia
the palmy days of licensed saloons is
not genteel, and fashionable. No re-
spectacle person now likes to be caught
gambling or buying lottery tickets. The
practice is not respectable, not genteel.
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