San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1886-02-25
PEOPLES COLUMN.

PEOPLES COLUMN.
We take pleasure in laying before
our readers the following letter from
ono of tho bost and best known citi-
IONS of this county. With it We open
our "Poople's Column, recently
suggested by us, and which wo are
moro and moro satisfied was good
thought. We hope Mr.. Porter's OK
ample will be followed by many 9th
ers. As We before remarked, it is
difficult to over. estimate tho good
which may inure from good men
speaking out thoir honest thought on
questions before the people. You
may be all right in your views and
feelings, yot if you keep still, and fail
to show your hand, what influence
for good can you EXERT Even bad
men, who are frank and outspoken,
are to that extent deserving OF credit,
and much less pernicious in their in
auonce than their sly, underhanded,
treacherous co-adiutors.
Let all, then, who feel that they
have anything worth saying, cultivate
the grace Of "speaking out in meet
ing. Our columns are open.
Ed. FREE Press For some timo have
noticed with pleasure your boldness in eX-
posing what you believed to be wrong in
officials or others, and Advocating what you
believed to be right, without stopping to
sec whether it was popular, or whether 1t
would pay. You write like man who has
principles to defend that are dearer than
money,
You seem to infer tina. there is danger
that the people will not stand by you. There
is certainly no danger but what all Chris
tians will pray for and support you in the
Temperance cause and thinking mon know
that tho freedom of the press is the safe
guard of freedom of speech, and tho two,
based on freedom of conscience, are the
foundation of all republican government.
That in the advocacy of these principles,
mon will be opposed, and ut times roughly
used by those who cannot carry their point
by argument, is SO, and has ever BEEN Yet
we must never fear nor falter, knowing
that God will bless us in doing right, and
our children will rise up and call us blessed,
Well might you say that you would 80 to
tho pillow if you could not have the privilege
of publishing q paper without being die
tatod to by bulldozers, 1t will be n dark
day when the masses of our people will
sanction such things.
think it is time we were running local
option again Mt Kyle Think we can carry
it here, now. Think the good people see
that it would DO better to have no saloons,
and local option does away with them. We
know msn will drink who have already
formed the habit who are under the CON
troll of drink whose reason is overcome
such men will have drink, if they have to
sell the shoes off their dead baby, or steal
their friends iacket, to buy it. This class
are to be pitiod, and none but God can save
Thorn from drunknrds grave and drunk
ards hell But as the saloon is the main
place whore young men are caught, nni the
social feature one of the hardest to be re-
sisted, let us remove that by having no place
to resort to drink and chat. Tho time has
certainly come when Christians must take
their stand against this monster. and | am
glad to see all denominations coming out to
tho front. Many of them have realized that
''in the end it biteth like q serpent and
stngeth like an adder. We desire to make
Kyle center for education, morality and re-
ligion, and it is plain that these and saloons
do not 90 together. am sorry to see that
there are some otherwise nice mon are en-
gagged in this whisky business, and few
church members who do not seem to realize
that they are disgracing their Lord by visit
ing such places. But they know not what
harm they are doing The Lord pity them
We have no paper at Kyle now, and while
would be glad to have one, would rather
have none unless we can get one that is not
run by the whisky ring.
BE assured you have my sympathy and
in fighting tho whisky ring, as one
that has for II long time been in the cause,
and never expects to fail to hit the great en-
envy of his race ut every chance.
Respectfully,
ID. A. PORTER.
Kyle, Tex, Feb. 90, 1886.