The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1890-03-14
They Neglected Their Duty,

IL the calamity ola resnbmission of the
should be accomplished, the blame Oft
public misfortune will largely rest upon the
shoulders of the Law and Order League of
Port De, .osit, for wilful neglect Of an
OBJ 7ious duty, duty which every moral
consideration pointed out to them should be
fulfilled, and which was constantly before
their eyes, calling from the very stones upon
them. Port Deposit liquor holes have been
made the constant theme for reproach by
the whiskey party who never tire repeating
and exaggerating the evil. 1t has been
trumpeted through the county and neigh
boring states that 20, 80, 40 places were es-
tablished in Port Deposit where whiskey
was sold almost, if not quite, openly.
These tales were mainly false but they had
the influence TO some extent at least, which
the whiskey party desired. The truth is,
there are probably half dozen dirty secret
holes in Port where disreputable class
largely foreigners from Itsly-congregat
drink end sell liquor. The dens this vile,
midnight business is conducted in are places
rented from respectable and influential citi.
zens of the place, who should meyer have
ceased their efforts to root out the perpetra-
tors of the business.
The Law and Order League formed tor
this purpose, and to uphold the law, made
scarcely a.feeble effort TO have the law en-
forced and those few dens sealed up till
they abandoned their duty and let this
loves, element do as they pleased. /. is no
excuse that witnesses who were called to
testify, swore before the court and Grand
juries to the Nest brazen lies. That class
should not have been depended upon, but
should have been prosecuted and punished
for perjury. Detectives should have been
employed, as they are employed in every
department OF government, to ferrit out and
bring to Justice every v;olator of the law.
There is no difficulty about this course be-
ing made completely successful. A profess
sional detective would have secured bottle
of whiskey from evey hole in the town and
noted the men who bought and drank liquor
in the dives Then the evidence would
have been clear aad undeniable. The
whiskey liars as well as the whiskey sellers
would have been compelled to tell the truth
to the court or take their choice of punish
ment for perjury. If the Port Deposit Law
and Order League, many of whom are
wealthy men, had had heart enough IN the
cause TO have been willing to haye spent
little money in organizing detective sys-
tenn they could, in short time, haye shut
up every man who attempted to carry on
the dirty business, in the House of Correc-
ton, as well as the whiskey holes in the
town, and made false swearing a terror to
the low element who sometimes make night
hideous with their drunken brawls.
Out of this small mole-hlll business the
whiskey element of the county strive 10
make mountains of capital, and represent
that fair pandemonium of whiskey is car
ried on-that more whiskey is drank in the
county than ever, that prohlbltory laws
don't prohibit, and worst of al the state
gets no reuenua from the sale to help US pay
our taxes If they would pause for mo-
ment and consider the depth Of meanHess
involved in this last declaration, they
would he ashamed to show themselves in
daylight. AS for the other pleas and asser-
lions, every one with five grains of common
sense knows they are false. A shameful
responsibility of an unrerformed duty rests
on the shoulders of the Law and Order
League Of Port Deposit.