Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-04-18
THE TOWNS TOPIC
IrrrrRs 10 TEE EDITOR DESgvssIxa
~IocsLcY-yey- Forxrs
Views Of vsrsors Psrtses rpsn tse 40
posaAax Subject Of License OF
.vs License


Allow re space TO place few facts
ana arguments before the people Of kich-
snepd who are soon 30 vote UPON the
question Of local option. The right 70
sbolish The LIQUOR traffic is unqoestions-
be. II rests upon aprincipls constant
N recognized in al police regulations.
DC. quarantine lsvs sest upon IL Pso-
tls bot infected are shot up and forbid
Cen io cone forth because public safety
demands u. No compensation is paid
them foT less Of tine or money. 4 Ere
breaks out IL city and threktens wide
destruction. Houses are blown up in
the track Of the Gre that il may die OF;
II the vacant space. No one complains,
indeed The people applaud the act.
Public necessity demands the sacrifice.
The illustrations are almos; without
aumber. Pablo necessity requires the
Suppression Of the liquor traffic. On
tbs ground slcne esn we account for
The widespread sentiment on this sub
jet in this country.
The saloons are 3 public nuisance
AID must BE- hbsted. The indictment
sgainS then includes every evil under
which society groans and suffers. ]
have spoken q n confsgrstion. 1t has
beer xsll sslo - The saloon is the
coI Atgrstinn. II igsites every conas-
grsiien. IL IS the CoHtsgion. il gene
rates every loAthso1ne and moral dis
ease. loacs The blood with deadly ma
lara that Cows IN every globnie, and
oulminstes IN death IN generations IN
born opens TIE veins OF the father and
,,Uisous the blood Of ms Unborn infant
un6ef the eternal laws OF beredity.
Tnen. NAY the State eradicate. may il
destroy The saloon: Out Of the depths
Of the humtr besri, out Of the profound
Ell sense O. right and self-dsfence, the
answer is thundsred IN our ears YES.
Ia II the night thing 10 90: is il moral
u right ycu ask. answer that ~
der ordinary rules Of good faith and
justice. II is night.
AL righi-ihinking people feel that
ssjoons are 81 evil and should be in
some wnv restrained IN doing evil or
sbsisd altogether. Hence we have
bieb-licenst. lsw-spo-order leagues,
blue-ribbOn associations, moral suasion,
and other means OF controlling the evils
thew create. But all these lave failed.
The giant evil grows and towers above
them all. The New York Tribune. in
q cErtfully-prspsred statement, showed
that the direct outlay for strong drink
IN this country is more than eight hun
dred million dollars every year, with
III indirect loss Of seven hundred mil
hon. making fifteen hundred million
dollars year. This is the magnitude
q TINS question, and such question
cannot be brushed aside with O sheer.
The further question. How can we best
sba.e, il not wholly destroy this de-
vouring monster: has come among Us,
AID come 10 stay. Il viii not down
at my mans bidding. How snail we
meet and combat this evils By
high license, answer some. among
them leading politician Of Rich
mond who is actually willing 10
place our educational system IL great
measure upon saloons and bar-rooms as
their foundation. Alas and have We
COME 10 this. But high license Will
not 90. have taken the pains to OBJ
tain direct information from Iowa and
Name by private letters. and the testi-
iDouy is adverse 10 high license. - Just
across the Mississippi says my IL
formtnt. "not more thar quarter OF
3 mile away, is the little town Of East
Dubuque, win 500 or 600 inhabitants.
II IS N Illinois. where q higb-license
law Is in existence. Every saloon ii
the place paws $500 for license 70 sell
hqu0r 90 that we have some oppnrtu-
nity Of comparison. Yet that little VII
lsge fairly swarps with saloons. and
Notwithstanding that our law Is so little
regarded that II Is easy TO procure from
our local authorities q license for 800,
the moral effect Of prohibition ID lows
IL such that there rs three times the
public drinking and drunkenness N
East Dubuque that IS seen here" Anc
now tins same gentleman tells Us why
j Is that hquOr-selling Is tolerated IN
Iowa cites Ike Dies MONIES sDd Du-
buoue. While IN other places the law Is
observed " The hrst hiDdrance IS the
DELAYS Of the law while 81 appeal
rests IN the United States Supreme
Court. Circuit Judges favorable TO ss-
loonists take occasion 10 this state OF
things not 10 execute the law. The
second hindrGDce 10 the prohibition
Law lies IN TIE ottitude Of the local su-
,borities. Here. in Dubuque, with 4
pupulation Of % 600. Of whom 80 10
Is per cent. are foreigners Of German
on Irish birth, az the local Offices are
upder the control Of ID element
which FympSthizes with the So
Icons. They have Inc msyoralty,
council. public board, Justice, &c,
or their side. Sc far from these
siding IN the enforcement Of the law
they throw the whole weight Of their
official influence against il. In direct
defiance Of State authority they issue
permits 70 sell liquors, ~ the low
figure. toe. Of one hundred dollars.
The contest IN Iowa Is now. says OR
new 6ovornor in ME inaugural AND be
is not I'll extreme tempsrEnts man,
not between prohibition and license,
but between Law and lawlessness. 8"
- In the larger part Of the ninety-nine
counties and ia the smaller towns the
Law is efisctually administered ana open
saloons have been either destroyed or
very greatly diminished And Of
course the same would be the case IN
The larger towns on the Mississippi but
for The reasons Just given. or course
Richmond does not propose 10 have
such oftciIlR-
Prohibition does 70 great extent
prohibit. il is like any other law
had people VIII violate il if they can
Bot how about Maine Well, DR..
Crosby was called IN Is a witness by
the leading politician 70 whom have
already reierred. Let US hear the tes-
tiInouy from that S.kte. One fact hard
10 get over is that Maine has adhered