Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1890-01-10
The Temperance Crank.

Mr.. Edtt0r Il notice in your elitorial
column OF last week. a vituperative article
against what you are pleased To call TEN.
perance Cranks." 1t seems unfortunate that
SO much rancor should possess the minds of
some persons against those who are trying
to stem the tide OF the greatest evil existing
in the world.
Ii this world regulator could divcst his
mind oi The bcIug5rd atmosphere OF pre-.
judicc and, for augnt | know, also hole Va
por which cnvelops it, he could surely see
that it is not the use Of The little wine in the
White House temperance people 80 much
object To as the pernlclOus example set the
people by their servants IN high places
assume that This nlemperancc crank
will admit that the liquor traffic is by far
the most stupenduus evil this or any other
civilized country has to deal with. Then for
the President and Vice President To loster
and encourage it by their direct example is
to be deprecated. A striking evidence Of
the dlsreputable character OF the traffic is
exhibited in the shame manifested by Wee.
President Morton in his connection with il
at his hotel, The Shoreham. Although he
does not conduct the house in person, he
does by an agent and participates in the
profits OF the liquor traffic conducted there.
in. If this intemperance crank and all
those who sympathlze in his course oil appl-
ogiZing for the li1Dur traffic by the absurd
plea that in this Tree country every man has
II right II do rs he p!eases would employ
his talents in the opposite direction OF try
ing to restrain the course of intemperanct
they would d. the State some service.
High-icense which is just now claiming
a large share of public attention, is by nj
means the panacea for drunkenness its
friends claim Tor it, Ii has been demon
strated by the high license cities OF Mime
apols, St. Paul, Omaha, Pittsburg and thir
ty seven others from actual statistics thai
drunkenness and crime have increased un
der it,and whatever benefit has resulted from
1t in Philadelphia is attributable to prohibi
ton through the restrictive teatun. OF tho
Brook law, which could as well be applied
to low license, nevertheless the people seen
bent ON trying it. 1t may be necessary ia
do so in order To get the heresy out of the
way OF prohibition. Where is the man will
the temerity to claim the State is justifi ed il
! licensing an evil high or low? All admit u
do so is sin, and every man who votes wi u
the party that licenses the traffic partic i
pates in that sin. So far as the financial as
pect of high license is concerned, it is diff
cult to conceive how a christian communit,
can reconcile itself 10 the principle of rails
ing means for public uses through the deg
radiation and crime that results from tn
| liquor traffic.
| Ii the 1000 millions Of dollars now WORSE
than thrown away annually on the traffi
| in this ,untry were allowed TO find its wa,
| into the legitimate channels OF trade the
| depression which now rests like pail OF
4 the agricultural interest would be removes
and comparative prosperity and happiness
would result. The only Moses that viii
ever be able To lead the State out OF the ter
| rible wilderness of intemparance is Prohi
bition, (which now happily prevails in fiy
/ States of the UniOn,) with distinct prOhi
bition party behind 1t to enforce and rem
der il effective.
gainesville, Jan z, 80. REFORM.