The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-04-01
Communicated.
A REPLY TO THE yIND1cAToR.

lcllSEeV. tie GIRLS 1t high license. but we
generally form our conclusions from what
man says, and we desire to say few
words IN reply to the gentleman. True,
he tries to display great deal of conserva.
tlSm by advising the ''dear people, not to
listen 10 the extreme licuor-men OF to the
Temperance craiats, but any one of COM
| mon sense can see that his conservatism
points liquorward, all the same. Hestarts
out by giving the temperance people taffy.
IN ms seemingly fair way, but winds up
with all the argument his mind can con-
ceiye of in favor of liquor. In the first
place he tries to make it appear that there
are scores of real good temperance people
who are opposed to local option" when
everybody knows that real temperance peo-
pie will vote for local option" or any
other law that tends to suppress the ac-
cursed traffic, and his trying to tickle the
temperance people as he does is only evil
dence of that fact.
Then he goes on to say that the Good
Templars, Friends of Temperance, ard
all the temperance organizations have
done a great deal to stop the evils of in
temperance, and at the same time, he is so
blind us not to see that the object of all
these organizations is not to partially sup
press the evils of intemperance. but to
entirely suppress and kill the traffic. lie
advocates High License!' ~ Yes, when
the liquor men see that their dearly be
loved traffic is about to go under they at
once cry high license" and SO does the
Vindicator-anyt thing to perpetuate the
business, anything to keep it on its legs
and to keep 1t going. We don't mean to
be harsh with The gentleman, but to try to
show him the light in which we see it. He
talks about good people and what they
have done. and what they ought to do, and
yet he would have them vote to continue a
traffic that is making drunkards of sour
boys, our girls the wives of sots, that
biights the hopes and aspirations of loving
mothers, causing fathers to go up and
down olr streets to dram shops and gam
bling hells looking after their dear boys,
and that causes fathers and mothers to
stare In aniazemelt at their once happy
family escutcheon all shattered and broken
by this accursed traffic that the gentleman
so much reveres and tries by every devise
known to him, TO uphold. He says he can
not call to mind more than one. if any.
criminal cases attributable to whiSkey
Certainly he must have been asleep these
past years, or blind, can't say which. likely
the latter, for ne Enoac Of, and can call to
mind, Il number Of cases. Because the
records of the criminal courts do not men
tion the fact is no evidence of it's not being
So We know of murders having been
committed right i'll our Whiskey cursed
city, that were traceable directly to liquor.
Eighty three per cent. of the criminal
cases that come before our counts are
caused by liquor. That is admitted on all
sides and by all fair-minded men. He
says: The temperance people have
created a sentiment in favor of temper
ance, the effect of which has been so mani
fest, in every county and community, that
one must have been blind not to have
recognized it. We ask him, in all candor,
if he has ever in any way, helped these
good people to create such sentiment, and
if he is satisfied with the sentiment that
these good people have by their honest,
earnest efforts created, whilst he has tried,
and is still trying. to create a different SEN
timent. Why the whiskey dealers are
willing to say as much in praise of the
temperance progress, but like the V9adicd-
tor, ask that we go no further, for they all
know whilst one man is saved by moral
Suaslon the liquor men make fifty drinkers.
and drinkers make drunkardS and drunk
ards make drummeIs for dram shops. In
short, after having worked for years to re-
move this great and dreadful evil. and just
when we have chance to give it a death
blow, the V5ndicator would have us stop to
look after our finances, as if money could
buy our boys, the future happiness of our
girls, the happiness of our homes, and cur
rights as men to do right. We mean to 90
right head as if there had never been
V9nd5cdtor. Mark that
He says There is less drunkenness and
crime now than there was ten years ago.
this we do not admit and gives the tenn
perance people credit for it. but If such be
the fact, we should think him the last man
to mention it, after having utterly failed
all these ten years to aid those dear, good
temperance people, in bringing about such
a happy state OF affairs, but delights in
standing up in wet" attitude before the
people of our city and county advocating
high license, wel-knowing that high
license means perpetuated whiskey
traffic. Such consistency is marvellous
The issue is not high Or low licensen but
license or no license" islicense means
continuance of the traffic thrown into
the hands of moneyed men. The fair way
IS to give all chance, if we are to have it
sold at all. we say fair play,-not to the
rich man, you can sell and to the poor
man, who IS just as respectable. and in
many instances more SO, you shall not.
Any fair-minded man knows that high
license means just that thing.
He says it would be wrong for 65l peo-
pie to say that the other $50 should not
have a wee drop, Now we are willing
the majority shall rule-this is real Vi,ad-
Gator Democracy on all other matters, but
oh this is an entirely new turn in our
democracy But, oh no, can't submit to
that on this question. Now if the WhiS-
key traffic is an evil, and all honest men
admit that it is. then doesn't every one
know that it would be just the most sensi- |
bic thing for us to wipe it out for ever,
even if we did have only majority of one
We shall thank God for that one. He
wants to know what we intend to do to
make up the 1916, 900 revenue. We will |
tell him: Throw aside the statement of
the Rockbridge chairman and say nothing
about the criminal and insane expenses,
then we still have according to statistics
tax of 80 cents on each gallon of liquor
made and sold in the State of Virginia
That is paid directly into the treasury of
the b. S.. which we never see again, ex-
cept it comes to us in the shape of an ap-
preparation, and every reading man knows
that whilst we get fifty thousand dollars in
Virginia through that source, the North
gets millions, and yet we pay more revenue
THAT is, Virginia does) on whiskey than
all the New England States put together
and it is conceded fact that the con
sumner pays the INK. In0re are 3,7S2, 0l6 |
gallons of liquor made and sold in Vir-
ginia each year, upon which we pay 80
cents per understanding to SIS, 403.-
Sl4 40. This amount can be kept at home
and used in the other channels of trade.
and all other business would be benefited
and our people kept sober to make more by
labor than by drunkenness and idleness
Now deduct your little whiskey revenue
of $346, 900 and you will see at once that
the people are wide awake and realize the
naked truth that by voting against liquor
there will be saving to the people of
Virginia of $3 ,057 614.4 40.
3,7s2,0i6 gallons q 80 cts. tax. SO, 403 Sl4. 40
Deduct Whlskey revenue. $4,000. 90
Saving balance off,. ........S3 G57,Sl4 40
Which amount will be converted into
homes the waste places. made desolate by
whiskey, rebuilt, and all the idle wheels
start up at a lively buz that will be the
funeral dirge to whiskey and its advocates
forever.
1t is not only remarkable but real funny
to hear the indicator talk as it does, after
having said last fall, when we .scranks''
were agitating the temperance question,
that he could not go with us then but as
soon as we got the matter out of politics
he would be with us. Are you?
HE speaks of the business of the country
being parlyzed by the agitation of this
~ No LIS g