The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-02-11
THE DRAM SHOP.

THE DRAM SHOP.
The Pernicious Influence of the Sale In
Our Nation.
Prominent among the ''institut!ons OF
modern society" is the dram shop, a
-legalized monster which touches He'll
Gate with one wing and Golden Gate
with the other, whose talons are deep
in the vitals of the Republic, and
whose beak is busy sucking the life
blood of the people. A National insti-
tuition, as National as the Mississippi
that cuts our broad domain in twain, as
National. as the National debt which
all must help to pay. But why call it
modern? Have not men always drank?
We think so. But that does not say
that dram shops, breweries and distil-
leries have always existed. Time was
when no distilled liquors were known.
Scholars declare that this art is only as
old as the eleventh century of our era;
and that distilled liquors were not used
az beverage until late in the thir-
teenth century. And the traffic in in
COXlcduUS DeHdu HuCu tdUcT.
Previous to this each family brewed
it's own beer as it baked It's own bread.
The taverns and public houses were
the first to sell liquors in connection
with their regular business. After
wards came the modern dram shop.
Now it needs to be said and repeated
that what prohibition is after is the
traffic. 1t is often said: ''You can not
legislate men sober" Who expects to,
pray? Certainly no one who has given
shought to the subject. If the sa-
pons could be abolished in sim
xae night that would not end the Tenn
pstance agitation-only one phase of il,
that represented by the saloon. The
work of education and moral suasion
would have to go on just the same. But
there would be some chance for the
moral side then, because the awful
temptations of the saloon would be out
of the way. This answers the question
so often asked by the hypocrite and the
fool: "Why do yor not pursue Murphy
plan? What is the matter with reform
ing the drunkard?" The method is ut
terly inadequate, in the face of the sa-
loon. A Thousand times as fast as you
can win drunkards from their cups will
the liquor traffic recruit the awful ar
my. saw lady nearly fall into coal
hole in the sidewalk recently. Suppose
she or some one else should fall in and
be seriously injured? And suppose we
should lift her out and start for the hos
pital with her? Before we could reach
the corner some one else might fall in
the same hole. Obviously our first duty
is to stop up the hole SO that no more
shall fall in. And so the objective
point of the Temperance army to-day is
the saloon.
Hardly any one, think, would care te
dispute this proposition, namely, every
thing necessary for food or drink, foi
man or animal, is produced naturally
Tried by this test alcohol fares badly
Examine man or vegetable or mincra
and where do you find one drop Of al
cohol in them in the natural state. Goo
does not make alcohol. Whence comes
it then? By process of rotting
and l use the word process
advisedly. For there is nat
ural fermentation, but it doe,
not produce alcohol. Mechanical
pressure is necessary, sufficient to breal
the starch cells and then, when starcl
and juice mingle, you have alcohol. 1
l would seem as though God had spoke,
emphatically upon this question.
The economics of the question ar
perfectly appalling. Examine the mat
ter as to the Nation, State and city will
the aid of the best statistics obtainable
and we believe no man can long be il
doubt as to the effect of this traffic. l
cannot have escaped the attention o
thinking men that the saloon is a men
ace to our free institutions. The trafh
is dominant everywhere in National
State and municipal affairs. Of the tw
great parties one openly favors tn
saloon and the other studiously ignore
the issue. Our cities are misruled in to-
MANY instances and the dominatin,
cause of the misrule is the influence o
the saloon. l am no alarmist, but
seems to me all good men should see tn
portentous cloud that is moving up tn
sky apace. If it was impossible 70
the Nation long 20 endure half sham
and half fear" is it not equally impossi
BILE for it to endure half drunk and hal
sober? The ''irrepressible conflict"
ut our doors. Let us strive like mer
Americans, to meet it.-Rev. II. =
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