Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-04-27
Temperance, Pshaw!


Editor Morning NelCs. The recent I'M
fortunate Pnuger affair, doubtless, will,
in time, like similar tragedies, pass out Of
the public mind entirely. The lesson to
be learned from it, however. should not
be suffered to pass by unheeded. Men in
this city think they can afford, f0rsooth,
to complacently pity those who would
call attention to the real cause Of so many
crimes-whisky.
If these good { p citizens can afford the
pity, probably it is a source OF gratitica-
ton to them to bestOW it. and the tOrtu-
nate 'cranks," as they mildly term those
who are the objects Of it, surely o. not
experience any harm on account ofTelng
the recipients of it,
The fact is that whisky has done. and
is doing, and for some time to come Will
continue to do untold harm in this city.
say ''prOhibition," however, to the aver
age Savannah citizen and he will look at
you with an expression of countenance
that seems to inquire wOuderngly if you
/ are not citizen OF a Sir Thomas MOre's
Utopia" or an advanced guard Of some
wonderfully perfect looming race"
/ Why, in the recollection even of our
youth, the mere word "prohbition" was
the galyanic-shock word to clear the
theatre at mass meeting when ii seemed
/ impossible TO get chance to move TO adj
1 jOurn." No motion needed.
Say 'prOhibitiOn" to the next man you
meet on our streets. aud he will curl up
/ his lips and just utter one little COM
pressed. argumentative and unanswerable
I word, "Pshawn' It is such a sapient
! word. Our wise fellow citizens. with that
wisdom peculiar to savannah doubtless
attributable to atmospherical intluences)
/ seem to think it is the only answer fitting
to give, since it is a word embOdying. in
this particular regard, the very quintes-
sence Of all argument, and to which any
answer is az impossible as it would be
/ imperunent. on We gods. if they only
/ knew how some few, at least, pity them
in their supercIlious use of this, their
master and conclusive argument,
"Pshaw."
But why not "prohibtiou"
Why, ii there were prohibition i'm Sa-
vannah there would not be such oppOrtu-
mites, perhaps, for whisky fights, if we
may so term them. We would not have
so many murders. nor so much wretched-
ness generally. We might not have the
spectacle Of young man killed, and no
one knows by whom; nor Of a young
wife enduring fortunes Of mind un-
til husband is declared to be
an innocent man. We would not
have so many criminal cases (you see
we must, have these things), and then
why. Just think Of it-our county expenses
would be lighter. We would have fewer
I prisoners IN our Jail, and the present
gentlemanlv and deservedly popular
Sheriff would not nave so much RESPONSE
bilty on his hands, maybe. Aud then
| there are other reasons. Our claw
abiding" German and Irish and other
American fOreign-bOrn citizens would be-
come too law-abidng. perhaps-"over-
4 ,.l,A II
whisky Savannah, by local option, pro-
hibtion or any other method, get done
with whisky Why, we would sooner
have a horrible crime every day in the
week than relinquish our inalienable
right 10 drink whisky!
If good results of any kind come Of
whisky drinking in this or any other
community, how refreshing, truly, it
would be to learn what these good re-
suits may be. The use of the afOre-
mentioned "pshaw" indicates an I'M
willingness to deal fairly with this matter
/ that is as contemplate as it is cOwardly.
/ The chief reason why so many of my
! fellow-citizens are unwilling to commit
! themselves against the whisky drink
/ ing vice is because they fail to recognize
| the distinction between mannishness and
manliness. 1t is mannish to drink
whisky. 1t is mannish to hang about in
contempt for your temperance refOrmer.
/ 1t is mannish to encourage by treats, by
/ example and otherwise those unfortunate
inebriates who are fighting against and
who are getting wOTsted by whisky. 1t
is mannish to declare that prohibition is
a fraud, etc, and never prove it. 1t is
mannish to be on the side of liquor, and
it is mannish to help thus the cOntinu-
ance of the reign of whisky. But it is
manly to be true to innate, intuitive con-
Victlons and help put an end to the evils
that are produced by whisky. Mannish-
ness falls in with the majority, and is an
easy drifting down stream. Manliness is
breastng the current and is laboriOus.
Savannah men think it is labOriOus, in
fact, that they benignantly dismiss the
whole matter with self-satisfying and
energetic 'pshawl'
Whisky is the cause, direct or indirect,
of nine-tenths of the crimes committed,
not to mention diseases and sicknesses; ;
and whisky was the cause of the distress
ing incident we have already referred TO.
But pray do not let us do away with
whisky yet. Let us have some more sick
ening tragedies. Very soon, with the
change of a single word, some will be in
dorsing and appropriating for themselves
the language of the famous farewell poem
written by Harvey, editor of the GeOr-
qidn, the literary friend of the late DR..
Arnold and will be saying, with him:
Farewell to Savannah: forever farewell!
The hOtbed Of crimes, the terrestrial HE'LL
PENNA.