Mexico weekly ledger., 1886-12-23
THE SALOON QUESTION.
From O Temperance and Business
Stand Point.
Correspondence of the Ledger.

Correspondence of the Ledger.
MEXICO, Mo, Dec. 16.-As at pres
ent advised, with this letter, my cor
respondence will close. The work
for which it was commenced and
prosecuted has been fully accom-
plished, and no sensible and fair
minded citizens, looking v the
battlefield, after the smoke has been
dispelled, can fail to see that l have
written no word not in the interest of
the city and the vindlcation OF the
views and opinions of an overwhel-
ming majority of our citizens. 1t
will be seen that I have not touched
a topic or alluded to one not appro-
pirate for public discussion. Capt"
Shields is a public character he gets
his living from the public by speeches
he makes upon a matter in which that
public has q darling interest. All
these are public matters and subject
to public criticism, in the interest of
the public. l have SO criticised his
public efforts and exhibitions only.
Read the correspondence e care
fully and the most prejudiced friend
of the Capt will find not a word
which even by double entenare a be
forced into an alluslon to his private
life or character. Neither of these
were strangers to US, of course. A
half bushel of letters, in regard to
him to me, from personal friends of
mine and of temperance, in regard to
the "Captain's' personal affairs has
been exposed to nobody but myself,
and no ~allusion has been made to
them in any word written by me.
The proprieties of public discussion
would not permit it even though each
letter in all that correspondence
might have contained highest endorse
ments of him. The private charac-
ter of the man was not within the
issues / made. l had not even re-
ferred to the public statements 1 have
heard him make that he had relapsed
and fallen, and that even now he had
to stake heed lest he fall" In all
this I sympathized with him in his
care for himself, and more than all
else, IN the tender solicitude Of his
most excellent wife, as accomplished
a lady as she is an a~ffectionate and
care-taking wife in all her efforts to
hold up the resolution and the hands
of the Captain. In these respects
she is a model wife.
So reading my letters there will
not be found a word, or a hint even,
against any one, old or young, falling
into line, signing the pledge and put
ting on the red ribbon and swelling
the temperance army. On the con-
trary, the spirit of the whole argu'
nent has been to induce such con
duct. There has been, as a matter
of fact, more and more valuable tenn
perance instruction for the you'll
as well all other classes, in my letters
Than can be found in all the exhibi.
tons at the Opera House at such
heavy expense.
What then is the cause of war
Whence the conflict? This arose out
Of matters of public interest only
The history of the results of Capt
Shields efforts, in every place where
he has been in this State, is found
to be discord, divided communities
churches, lasting and ruinous dis
truetion of all healthy and efficient
temperance methods and an increase
of in~toxication, decentralization of the
youth therein and intellectually, abso
lutte debauchery of the young people
and, after I heard him here for three
or four nights, I found him to bt
without intellectual resources anC
destitute of any fund of practicaI
knowledge of public affairs or the
laws of personal or social duty anG
hence he was wholly unqualified te
publicly discuss any temperance
proposition or in any way impart any
instruction or aid in educating any
portion of our citizens, except t.
their hurt. Again. The city O
Mexico was in no condition to pass
on his advice as to compelling thu
saloons to go. She could not do i
without temporary, if not permanent
embarrassment, perhaps bankruptcy
That discussion of these matters
would bring uncertainty into thu
minds of business men and particu
larly wi creditors, making then
restless and uneasy and destroying
our municipal credit. The city coulc
not afford this state of affairs no
could it afford to have free liquor
in the shape of gallon houses, dog
geries, groceries, staying our boy
right and left. This is the third tim,
that the effort has been made Il
change the financial and temperate
policy Of this city, by as many dis
tinguished gentlemen, but each TIM
an humiliating failure, even to a fina
disposition Of the men who attempt
ed it was the result. I know a
every sensible man knows, and al
know 1t, to-day that there is not nov
or there never has been any elemen
of prohibition amounting to the dig
nifty Of a force either in this city o.
county. II for nothing else, Mexic
and Audrain county are noted for tn