The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-08-07
CLOSING A LIQUOR SALOON.
The Final Triumph of q Patient, Persist
ent Presbyterian Clergyman.

The Final Triumph of q Patient, Persist
ent Presbyterian Clergyman.
No citizens are so tenacious of legal
rights as rumseIlers are Of their oppor-
tunities to ruin their fellow-men for their
own gain. Probably few of the good
people who join in demanding, through
the press, and in speeches at respecta-
BILE assemblies, that liquor shops should
be closed have any adequate knowl-
edge of what is required to enforce
their demand in New York. There is
great deal of complaint that laws are
not enforced, and great deal is I'M
justly said Of the completely of police
and officials with the aw-breakers;
but making due allowance for ineffi-
cheney and neglect, there is much to be
said of the difficulty of carrying out
good laws, even when both intention
and effort are active and devoted to
their enforcement.
In illustration of this statement, let
me give leaf from personal expert
ence, which could Doubtless be
matched IN essentials by Rev. DR..
Crosby and others. Some years ago.
while pastor of a church in this city, l
received a letter from the owner of
house next to mine asking me to buy his
property, and adding that, if / did not
do so, the owner would turn it into a
'road-house." / declined to be forced
into such bargain, and wrote in my
answer "that if a 'road-house' was
opened next door to me Iwould try the
Gospel on it, and, if that failed, would
try the law.
The man proceeded to put his threat
in operation, and leased the house to
ellow-countryman who had some ex-
perience in the business. Sheds were
erected, bar was set up and stock
! of liquor brought in. A license was
| duly applied for, and as soon as the
application was filed with the excise
board, the drunkards of the neighbour
| hood and their friends were invited to
come to a house-warming.
Meanwhile, | had not been idle. The
! police captain of the district had been
visited, and to his honor be it recorded
that Captain Speight said upon hear
ing the facts: You may count on me
every time Every complaint you
make shall be carried as far as you are
willing to 60" A remonstrance had
also been entered against granting the
license, and the facts set forth for
the information of the excise commits
sioners.
made friendly visit to the unwel-
come neighbor, and endeavored to dis
suade him from his effort. He said {:
81 must live, and have a family to sup
port" | told him that l would make
no opposition to grocery or butcher
shop, or TO any business but that of
making men drunk; and waen he said
that ''men would have liquor, and he
might as well make the money as the
next man." | frankly told him that he
should conduct his business WithiR the
lar, and that / would have him ar
rested whenever he violated the law.
And | kept my word. The next
Sunday he broke the law, and Monday
morning he was arrested and taken to
the court and fined ten dollars. He
laughed ct the fine, but was more
careful the next Sunday. l got a
member of the Excise Board to visit the
place personally, and showed him that
there was no need of the additional
dram-shop. He promised to report
the matter in the board, bat it took a
good while to do it. The newspapers
treated the matter, when they noticed
it at all, as good joke that clergy
man should try to shut up rum-shop,
and some of them intimated that it
was none of his business to NEEDLE
with laws and politics and such mat
tiers.
Meanwhile, l watched, and after one
midnight orgy l called 1oon police