The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1888-04-12


thought swept over me. the state has
licensed that saloon-keeper, and part
of Johns wages will soon chink in
the treasury of this great Christian
state. The state will not defend the
mother and the children, for the state
is engaged III the business; makes it
legitimate; makes it honorable. These,
weak, defenseless, innocent creatures
are absolutely without a champion,
Then | thought of the teu- nf thuus-
ands Of just such cases all over the
land, and III my hltterne>, and wrath
| said again, | wish the beast had
thrown the mother and children into
the river. Then the state, the Chris
tian state, in pious honor would have
hung John, and they would all have
been where the wicked cease from
troubling and the weary are at rest.
From that day to this | have been
insane on the subject of License. |
have steadfastly cried in season and
out Of season, the state has no right
to put such blood money in its treas
ury. The state has no right to aban-
don the helpless and defenseless. 1t
is the business Of the state to stand
out clearly on the side of decency,
sobriety and Christian manhood. This
it cannot do so long as its hand is
deep in the saloon-keeper's pocket.
Now some sane level-headed editor
or legislator, or business man will say {:
But look at the laws. my good sir, do
they not forbid sales to habitual
drunkards; do they not shut up the
drunkard?" etc, etc Yes, yes, | have
not been in this fight fifteen years
without finding out a few things
about our laws. tell you they are
all practically nullified by our license
system. Turn kite into your dove
cote and license him to kill just one
dove day. Then legislate for him.
Turn this great army of constituencies
creatures, the rumsellers, out upon
their weak fellow-men License them
to take money so easily and safely
from the pockets of their victims;
then legislate for them! Has not the
license system been in operation for
centuries, and has not the evil grown
till even the stoutest hearts are
rightenedg A high license only in
trenches the evil more securely in the
state. The more respectable you
make this vice, the more deadly its
work. To make this vice respectable
is only to carry it up into more re-
spectacle society. High License only
takes more money out of the pocket
of the drunkard, to put into the treas
ury Of the state. This is enriching
itself at the expense of its most un-
fortunate citizens. The higher the
license, the heavier the burden of
taxes on the back of this vice, the
duller the conscience Of both citizen
and state. For this very reason we
fanatics cry that the government tax
on whisky shall be repealed, not as a
measure Of cheap craftsmanship, but
we say great Christian nation
has no right to strike hands with this
destructive demoralizing traffic, and
put millions Of tainted money into its
treasury, already bursting from sur
plus. Let the state and the nation
wash their hands of all completely in
this traffic, then they are free to smite
it with an edict Of absolute prohibi-
ton. The Christian nation, the
Christian state are bound to do pre-
cisely what Christian man must do.
The nation is simply huge indi-
vidual. l."- ~ Y. Independent.