The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1890-11-07
The Lesson of the Election.

| u uuCl OOhhL AVtOh Va VhS low 0O
earnestly urged by the prohibition
lists that "local option'F as it is term
ed, in place OF local or district
prohibition, is a delusion. The we'll
meaning, orderly, business class of
persons driven to desperation by the
crimes of the liquor business, rise up
and Indignantly Danish the legalized
traffic from their midst, but time lulls
the public Indignation into forgetful
ness and apathy, while the liquor
element, always on the alert plies its
infamous business on the borders of
the small territory where it is pro-
hibited and makes raids clandestine.
ly into it. The whiskey element,
ever alert lends and sells its influence
to the machine politicians who work
for the whiskey vote and lose no
opportunity to aid the liquor party
in the legislature. The small territory
won from the blight of the saloon is
always in a state of chonic siege and
liable to be re occupied by its old
enemy. This will ever be the weak
point of-"local option" Far better
would it be if the liquor business
were licensed under general State
law and the temperance people com.
PEELED to take up arms in earnest
against the evil. and force political
parties to take sides against or for
licensing the traffic in the entire
State.
We are unalterably opposed to
local option. 1t has had its day and
is but snare and delusion, and
weakness to the prohibition cause.
Let the battle in future be against
license in the whole state, and the
temperance element realize that they
must join hands to overthrow the
traffic in the whole state as the only
hope OF escape from its manifold
evils.
1t is not returning love for the
saloon on the part of the large pei
centage of voters who have been per.
suadeu to favor license again in the
county, but partially owing to all
apathy its long absence has created
in the minds of many who are prone
to forget and despise dangers that
are Withdrawn from before their eyes
for time.
"Drowing men catch at straws," is
an Old and true proverb. The course
of events, brought about by bad
national legislation is such, that
people, the most industrious and
frugal, are being driven to despair
Poverty and bankruptcy are closing
in on them from every side, and al
I though they know it is delusion
} they turn listening ear to the liq uol
party who promise to tighten their
taxes by bride of high license.
Few are aware of the the number Of
people in such straits that they are
willing to lend an ear to any promise
for aid no matter how delusive. The
liquor interest is steadily DINING in
their ears the great help high license
will be in tightening the hard pressed
citizens taxes. All know that the
saloon keeper does not and could
not pay the tax his license counts
} for, and that he must collect it off ot
the community and largely from
people who are already too poor to
procure the necessaries to say moth,
ing of the comforts of life. For every
dollar which goes into the taxes from
the saloon ten is absolutely wasted
for every drop of liquor bought and
drank is wasted as hopelessly as il
consumed by FIRE; and the commu'
nifty is that much poorer for every
hundred dollars which goes through
the saloon, as it is from the destruc.
ton of barns and houses by con6agra
ton. Saloon license will not tighten
your taxes or reduce your court ex-
penses, good people, but on the con-
trary will increase both. Murder
theft and vagrancy flow from the
; door of every saloon In the land and
spread in a turbid stream over the
country.
A generation of young men ha:
r grown up in this county WHO never
saw an open saloon, and have beer
taught 20 look upon the liquor traffic
as an unlawful, disreputable business
: engaged in by ma!efactors of the
: lowest type of the population. Ant
. now it is to lie opened before then
as reputable business. This prec
ious harvest is now to be reaped by
the saloon sickle which is thirstins