Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1890-02-28
COMMUNICATED.
This is not an old chestnut:
aMost men are bad. "-Btds ia Trtene


"Most men are bad."-B,as in Triene.
1t remains to be seen at the coming
corporate election, whether the ma
jority of our citizens ARE bad" We
hope they are not. The licensed sale
of liquor as a beverage ia bad. No
license is good. Those who vote for
license, vote for the bad. Those who
vote for no license, vote for the good.
Think for a moment Of the long
train Of evils-their name is legion
following in the wake OF license.
With these contrast the good that
always comes with the estople Of the
liquor business in every community.
Compare Shepherdstown of to-day
with Shepherdstown of two years
ago.
Our earnest desire in this writing is
to convince every voter at the CON-
ing corporation election that duty,
patriotism, humanity, religion and
the best good of our community re-
quires that he should cast his ballot
in favor of sobriety. Every voter
must give account, not to tipplers,
idlers, the vicious, the lawless, and
those who advocate the open saloon.
That few if any saloon-keepers OBJ
serve the law under which they OBJ
tain license is confirmed by a state
ment made to Inc by an eX-saloon-
keeper of this town. His words were:
No saloon-keeper could earn his salt
at the business if he sold according
to the law regulating the sale of in
toxicating liquors." A lady whose
home is near a saloon in one Of our
neighboring towns told Inc few
days since that she saw the saloon
man pass liquor out of the side win
dow to minors in violation OF law.
Not to such are voters to give &C
count, but in part, at least, TO the
parents Of our youth, who may be
ruined by the saloon. We just learned
of father who has taken the alarm
on account of his son. May the num-
Der rapidly increase.
License or no license is not ques-
ton between men and men, but a
contest between the advocates of Ii
cense, and the mothers, the wives, sis
tiers, and the children and friends Of
the victims of the licensed saloon
alcoholic maniacs. Not long since
the writer called at home. Upon
entering the door he saw the husband
and father lying upon the floor in
drunken stupor. You can scarce i'm
agine the modification of the poor
wife and mother. This was another
violation of law, for this man is in
the habit of getting drunk. The law
forbids the sale Of liquor to habitual
drunkards.
O, We wet voters how dare you
offend those who have no power to
help themselves Their only help is
in the no license men OF the town.
Honest men, close buttoned to the chin,
BrCadcloth without, and a warm heart with
in
Is it honest, is it manly, to rob
mothers and their children Of food
and raiment, and to brand them with
offensive names? Some who vote Ii
cense may say, yes. "A man man
for all that" But what kind Of a
man? You can spell his name by using |
the following ugly collection OF con
sonants Observation-Disclosures is,
a hater of his race, except, perhaps,
his license advocate congener. Gen
tlemen, voters of Shepherdstown, do |
not let it go abroad that any one of
you having due self-respect voted |
With may not characterize them.
You know them-you have seen some
of them Keeling along your streets,
you have heard their profanity and
their drunken songs. With these, con-
trast those III the opposition those,
for example, who assembled in the
College Hall last Friday night. Con-
fessedly the best people in the COM
munity-ministers and laymen, gen
tlemen and ladies' Gentlemen, will it
not be better for you to be co-work-
ers with such than to be the aiders
and abettors of saloon keepers?
1t is to be hoped, gentlemen, that
no well intentioned man will allow
in the issue now before the
people, to be ranked among the
Gains Of history, whose only reply TO
every convincing argument against
license is, Am | my brothers keep
er ?" Most assuredly you are, and so
far as his wrong doing may be traced
to your connivance, you are RESPONSE
BILE, and must share in his reproach at
the Bar of Public Opinion, and at the
Throne of Final Assignment. Re
member who said to tie Cain of
Scripture, If thou doest not well,
sin lieth at the door,
The elective franchise lisa two-edged
sword, dangerous in the hand OF the
evil and the vicious and the careless,
but when put in the hand of the con-
scientious voter he becomes David, |
and is thereby enabled to give the
Goliah of license heavy blow upon
the neck. Friend, what hast thou i'll
thy banda ballot 1t is a sword.
Weld it against the enemy Of thy
weak brother, his mother, wife and
children, Brother, be bold and brave,
be considerate. AT least be as con
siderate as saloon keeper not far
away. This man has a grown son,
very worthy young man. But his
father, so rumor reports, forblds his
entering the saloon. He seems to
have some regard for the future Of |
the young man. Friend and brother,
hast thou a son? Think of this mans |
supreme seltishness. He will not give |
his son dram, but he will sell your
son as many drains as his money will |
pay for. Where is his conscience |
Shame, ! say, upon such as he-and
shame upon you if by your suffrage |
such men are permitted to keep open
man-traps for the possible ruin of |
your SUI, VI pciHdpo yOui uduS iitCi . |
husband; if not your children, son or
daughter, it may be thy neighbours
children are to be the victims of the
destroyer.
Patriotism, love of home, love Of
also requires that each
voter shall have the best interest of
every man, woman and child at heart.
The licensed saloon is standing men
ace to all that is patriotic and helpful
to society. The liquor bar is not only
all evil, but a costly evil. To illus
trate: The banking capital of the
United States at the present time is
S717, OOO,O 900; the drink bill of the
country for one year is 5000, 900, 600. !
So you see in about nine months the |
waste sum of money equal
to the entire banking capital of all
the States. Think also of the barrels |
of flour, the pounds of meat, the