The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-11-12
No. 40
ALAw AGAINST DRUNKENNESS

Mr. EDIToR:-I may as well "break
the ice in The FARMER as anvwhera
else; it has to be broken. A prohibi-
tory law, enacted by our general gov
ernment, might kill out the man1fac-
ture and sale Of the numerous kindsof
intoxicants, but when will we get il
done7 Our Representatives in the
Houses of Congress Gas rule) ara
good and great men, but the little
word liberty, for which our forefathers
fought so long-they would be 10th
to infringe. And for single State
to undertake Prohibition, surrounded
by other States-Maine and Kansas
have tried that, fairly. Why, they
say, they haul the tiquid hell fre,"
AS Sam Jones calls it-into those
States, ensconsed in large pumpkins
and passeboard boxes in the form and
labeled " family Bibles" We want a
law against drinking to intoxication.
Make it a misdemeanor, and when s
man is seen unquestionably drunk,
let any one notify an acting magis-
trate and let said magistrate send and
bring him into his court and fine or
imprison him. This will not touch
his liberties any more than numerous
laws now in full force. In towns and
cities in our State when men are
"drunk and down" they are taken
into custody and punished by the
government of said town. Being a
free man and living in free country
will not excuse him; he has to ightea
his purse, work on the street or go to
Jail. Our law now is that big towns
and court houses may sell the sweet
smelling, yellow, (colored with tobacca
stems, J fluid and little, one-horse towns
like mine are protected from the
traffic; but men may swagger along
our street (having laid in good craW
full at town. cursing and slanging on
Sunday or Monday and we have only
to bemosn the abuse of liberty and
the sacrifice of human character, and
only think how much less we are in
commoded than the trembling, heart
broken woman and weeping children
to whom hesgoes home. -zss
The North Carolina Legislature can
make law without any constitutions
difficulty that will do more for the
boys, and their fathers too, than ever
the General Government need be ex-
pected to do. Make it misdemeanor,
worthy of punishment, to be seen
drunk, and it will hurt the respecta-
bility of drinking and save thousands
of our promising boys and young
men from even entering these high
licensed, gilded bells with green
screens, just inside the door. Many
a nobel hearted fellow who has gotten
into the habit unintentionally, goes
to town with his tobacco and goes
home to a weeping wife whom he
promised God and her father he would
tenderly care for during his or her
natural life. Take him up, and put
him to work on the streets, or fns
him $40, and he'll quit drinking Is
will do him more good than all the
temperance speeches l could make In
calendar year, and Gen. Fish to ex-
hort after me, every time.
Two of the Northwestern States
have enacted this law, and it is said
that great good is being effected by
it. North Carolina is now upon q
"boom" in every conceivable re-
spect; our farmers are coming to the
front, (poor modest, down-trodden,
horny. handed farmers Who that
lives about the front regrets it ? They
who feed the nations of the world,
and grease the mighty wheels of COM
merce; they who constitute the great
subtratum of civilization; who denies
that they should have "place in the
picture" of this rapidly growing
country p Improved methods, new
enterprises, multiplication of colleges
and churches, increase of State pride
and fancy for the general good; all
things and all conditions and classes
of our people look to the State to cur
tail the growing habit of drinking to
excess, and nothing will check it like
punishment, publicly administered
Pocket and self-respect will do mora
to send drinking man home to his
family sober than all the high license
the mayor can levy. want the press
of the State to help suffering limo
cence and agonizing mothers and
crowded jails. and inundated courts,
by advocating punishment for intem-
perance as a means of its cure. Take
out Pennsylvania and New York, and
there is not State on this broad con-
tinent whose press can grin at old
Rip Van Winkle. Our broad vales
and beautiful hills are the homes of
as pure population as ever the sun
looked down upon. Save all classes
of our honest people from the hell
originated habit of drinking, and our
lovely skies, our balmy atmosphere
and fruitful fields and generous popu.
lation willewin the fancy of the nations