Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1886-02-24

tena has spread from heart 10 heart
MI along our Mountain-sides and
water-courses, from Main TO Florida,
from Massachusetts ia Oregon! Its
glow and warmth have kindled
lights more brilliant than The cleo
trio fiame-lights that heat with
love, ~ we'll Is illumine with wis
dom. The influence Of that move
ment, a. . religious reformatory
force, can meyer be overesti,nated."
This Is 4 noble tribute. And the
little band at Elk Point desire to
help in sustaining it in its good
work. And ID doing this begin at
home. Our little village now runs
four saloons on its Main street, and
there is not 4 respectable citizen Of
our village who will watch and see
the doings at these saloons but what
will pronounce them a nuisance! An
uncomfortable nuisance!
But they are licensed by our coun-
ty and city. Within two years
there has been q majority Of roters
against it, but while Temperance
men slept, the enemy slowed tares."
We have the daily fruit Of this ac-
tion, in common drinking and drunk
enness. Politically, we ladies Of the
w. G. T. u. can do nothing, except
by our kindly influence with our
husbands and sons. This we do.
And here we want to say that we
consider these licenses, though in
one sense legal, yet in others q great
outrage. And LIST, We as rs tenn per-
ance women, with the men who sus-
tain lis, compose one-half, or therea-
bouts, Of citizens and voters. And
yet by q small majority, this great
evil is saddled upon us, and we are
involved in the evil. Under these
circumstances we have a right to say
a few words on the character Of this
business:
l. We license men for $500 or
more, q year to sell, what? Pure
liquors? No. Well, what do we IL
cense them to sell? Well, anything
they please. And what is that :?
We answer in a word. drinks man.
ufactured by various drugs, which
n poison. unhealthful and so affect
the brain as to destroy, for the time,
the reason and lead to quarrels,
flights and murders.
This is the first thing we do in
this very bad business. And while
we, as temperance advocates, object,
(and those who have the right to
vote against it) we have to bear the
burden and reproach Of this thing,
with others.
2. This bad business is a FRAUD.
A license is given to sell pure liquors,
but the saloon men sell what they
please. And to pay the city and
county $500, or more, they have to
sell dsagged liquor that costs them
but atryes. And this is known to the
authorities, who are equally involv-
ed in the fraud And the temper
ance party look on and protest, but
have no power to divest themselves
from the associated evil.
Here then, is a great evil-a great
fraud that is daily practiced upon
our husbands and sons. They pay
a high price for pure liquor, and are
drugged with poison, and crazed and
put into the lock-yp-beyond the
reach Of family and home, for the
time. Who are guilty Of this great
crime? We have seen that in one
sense we all are. But the voters
have done it, and their servants ex-
etute it; and the guilt and curse is
upon us all. Fraud Suppose our
merchants should sell us bogus
goods, and especially those that we
eat or drink; how long would the
easy going citizens of Elk Point en-
dure it? how long? Now the w.
G. T. u. means to be loyal to au-
thority and law, but they want to
abolish bad laws and bad govern
ment. But this must be- done by
the majority. and we think there is
q majority in u community who
will, when they fairly look at the
matter, vote against fraud. It is
hardly to be expected that q COM
mon drinker will vote against his
cups, even though there be poison
in it. But the christian, the moral
man, the men Of business age and
the young men in looking at this
horrid picture, will, with one con-
sent, unite to blot it out. Ponder
the following:
"The Ottumwa Courier in an arti-
Gle on local politics, touches some
very practical points in the follow
ing paragraph:
How many laboring men in this
city spend from one-tourth to one
half their earnings in the saloon and
its gaming attachments? We know
Of some who have not . dime left
usually on Monday morning Of the