The freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1886-18??, 1886-06-30

go to the polls and there cast your
ballots for whisky license and the
greatest drunkard in the county
for some Office. Oh, consistency.
thou art a jewel! 1t is a true
saying, that not every one who
belongs to church is a Christian
some of them are nothing less than
wolves in sleeps clothing. We an.
peal to the farmer, the mechanic
and the workingmen generally, to
come to the rescue. God asks Won
nay demands you to put the cursed
traffic out of our land, and save
yourselves from the power of this
destroyer and a monopoly that
would grind you down to the lowest
depths of degradation. Our plat.
form makes the whisky traffic a
political question of an extra.
ordinary character. Prohibition
has been only an ordinary question
with the Democratic and Republi.
can partisans for many years in
this State; they have used it as a
football to be kicked backward
and forward for political effect and
personal promotion. The question
has been seriously raised time and
again by the advocates of Prohibi.
ton in the Legislative halls of
West Va. in both parties, for the
protection of the people against the
ravages of the liquor traffic, in the
form of a bill permitting the people
to vote upon an amendment to the
Constitution, but time and again
have the people sent up their
prayers and petitions, only to be
treated with contempt and laughed
at by the lawmakers of our State,
first by the Repu blicans, then by
the Democrats. This kind of treat.
ment has been the cause of driving
some of the best men in both par
ties into the Prohibition ranks
And yet you could not expect any
better treatment from a certain
element Of both parties. While
Democrats may take more whisky
to the square inch than Republi-
cans, to make nominations at Con-
ventions, the Republicans as well
are often two-thirds full when they
convene, and both conventions
are liable to break up at any
moment in row. You would
think a railroad Waterman, IN
faithful, inhuman and unworthy
his calling, and nothing short Of
lynching would satisfy an enraged
people, if he were aware of the
fact that the rails were up or
a bridge washed away and wilfully
permitted the passenger train to
plunge down some embankment or
into the waters beneath, thus
rushing the whole train of human
beings into eternity. You would
call this Waterman nothing less
than a murderer; still there are
thousands of such watchmen
engaged in pulling up the spikes
out of the rails and swinging
bridges from their piers, thus
permitting, nay encouraging
thousands and thousands of their
fellow-men every year to go down
to destruction and eternity. Thus
the rum route is manned and no
party to cry murderer. Every
saloon is train-wrecker of human
ity. Every drink of liquor is a
spike pulled out of the rail to let
you down to death. You must
handle this liquor traffic as the
Edmunds bill did polygamy. The
liquor traffic is more Injurious to
the laws of God and the property
of the people than polygamy. Yet
Congress stands aloot. How many
of Marion county's brightest young
men have gone down to an un,
timely grave by the use of rum!
Young men whom we were well
acquainted with 20 years ago and
bid fair to outlive many of the
grown up of that day, have passed
away to their eternal home. Those
youths were the idols and cherish
ed hopes of loving parents. We
have other young men in our
county following their footsteps to
the same end. We appeal to you to
assist us in saving them before 1t