Iron County register., 1886-08-19
The Liquor Question.

Ed. Register-Through the mediumship
| Of some cold water crank, a lady from st.
Louis was induced to deliver a lecture at
| this place on Tuesday evening last. The SUBJ
ject was one that has been disposed of quite
| a number of times by our intelligent legis-
lature; and the absurdity of the whole mat
| ter is apparent when Il lrOmdR attempts to
east obloquy on the legislators of the great
State of Missouri. The idea that the people
of this State should be permitted to vote
upon any proposition which our legislature
cannot endorse; and particularly this one
under consideration which is" shall we, or
shall we not have whisky" is quite absurd.
Our legislatures have repeatedly so declared.
| Our representatives from Iron county for
years have been unit on the question, and
they must be right. They are right. 1t is a
self-evident fact. All men-and women
whose brains have not been too much dilut-
ed by cold water will at once acknowledge
the orn-juice theory.
l maintain that no argument is needed to
show that our masters, tho Legislators, know
best what is good for us. Yet, in the
fear that there may be a few readers of the
REGISTER who don't drink, and who are
not yet-ignorant creatures aware of the
benefiGent influences of good strong whisky,
| would be glad of an opportunity of ell.
tightening their ignorance.
And first. In all prosperous communities
where the great majority of the people earn
Il subsistence by hard honest toil-such a
one as our own, for instance-there are few
people who never work, They are bern
tired, probably, and will never get rest un-
til they die; and no doubt their reward will
be full and complete. Such men become
members of the following professions sa-
loon keeping, petty officers, jack-leg lawyer,
juryman. The first named, usually q we'll
dressed, if not an intelligent gentleman,puts
bread and beer Into the mouths of the rest.
To be sure this bread is purchased by the
hard toll and sweat of the laborer, but if the
saloon man id est genus onsne didn't get it,
it no doubt would be wasted by the wife and
children of the laborer. The practical result
Of 4 vote upon this matter would be disas-
trous. The saloon keeper would starve or
he would haye to go work, and all the rest
of these noble professors would have their
incomes SO largely reduced as to render them
quite uncomfortable.
Again the wise and prudent forethought
of the legislator makes practicable the Sum
day beer and whisky picnic. This eminently
respectable and praiseworthy affair, to be
sure ,upsets all the plans of the sober portion
of the community who desire to spend the
Sabbath in peace and quiet, but if they will
only know that the dissipation of the many
results in great financial benefit to the few,
Uho xyorE and 1.-Two
they will not complain.
These Sunday beer andiwhisky picnics too,
usually end in beastly drunk and a muir
der or two, and these highly moral and en-
ergising incidents give tone to a community
which it could get in no other way than by
free untrammeed use of whisky and beer.
1 am, therefore, in favor of instructing
our legislature to guarantee to us and our
children, in the future as in the past, not
only on Sunday, but week days as well, free
and unlimited quantities of these necessary
articles.
And again, it is stated that whisky, and
not capital, Is the ruin of our people. The
lie must be nailed. Saloons and their at
taches must be supported. These men are
not used to labor. 1t must not be thought
of. Then if the capitalist is unwilling to
contribute, through the people, to the sup
port of the saloon, by paying for services
rendered, an amount above and beyond
what is required for the necessities and lux
nries of life, and competence for old age,
he is clearly responsible for all the evil re-
suits that follow. If that point is not clearly |
established, then l have labOred in vain.
True it is that a. hundred thousand men |
die in the United States every year through |
the influence of intoxicating liquors. True
it is that nearly billion dollars are annually |
sunk in that interest. True it is that nine
citizens out of ten declare every day that it |
Is curse to our eountry-ene hundred times
greater than ever human slavery was. And
true though it may be, true it doubtless is,
ii we read Alright the signs of the times, the
saloon in the near future must go; vet in the
name, and in behalf of these people who