Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1891-05-04

Il L
INTO THEIR MOUTHS TO STEAL
AVA THEIR BRALNS?''
This question was asked by repent
ant drunkard several years ago, and
no man has as yet answered it salts
factOrily. Ali men, even those most
addicted to its use, condemn the evils
that result from drinking whiskey and
yet these same men in company with
others who do not misuse the PERM
| cious stuff, will deliberately seek to es-
tablish its use and misuse, legally, in
the community Of which they are citi
zens. Leaving out all of the sentiment
tai and humanitarian aspects of the
question; admitting the danger that
might result to Individual liberty from
national prohibition; granting that
the country would derive a revenue
from license, and that those who are
already Incorporate and depraved
would suffer from the establishment
of grOggeries and the sale of sublimat-
ed poison, still the unanswered and
Hnanswerable question presents it
self as above: ''Why should men put
an enemy into their mouths to steal
away their brains?" No sane man
will dispute the assertion that the ex-
pense, to the society at large, attend
ing the use OF alcoholic liquor as a
beverage has been ten times as great
&C Il l.,
We will suppose, as an instance, that
Wilson county would be financially
benefited to the extent of So, 900 an
nually from license tax on the sale of
Whiskey, and we will suppose again
that 100000 a year would be put in
circulation Gin business, ''-and while
we are suppOsing cases we will go
little further and suppose, or make it
a little stronger and assert, that the
depreciation in the value of property,
farm property, and school property
and church property, would be more
than ten times this increase in the
circulating medium" when sensible
and substantial men and women from
abroad seeking homes in the great
southwest should learn that the iber-
ty loving and professed law abiding
people Of it's garden spot had deliber-
ately introduced the Devil and all his
family and followers within their
gates, and removed every legal and
moral obstacle from the road that
leads to death, damnation and de-
structiOn. This may be strong Ian
guage, fellow citizens, but it will
stand the test of debate. 1.-THE burden
of proof is upon the plaintiff" you
the petitioners, let the public hear
from you. Give US some of your whis
key saloon logic to read to our wives
and children Sunday mornings when
the weather will not permit us to go
to church. Prove to us that the grog
shop, the monte bank and the chuck
a-luck box are as necessary to the so
cial, moral, financial and intellectual
development of the community as are
the church, the school-house and the
savings bank, and we will vote for
whiskey "frst, last and all the time;"
and while you are getting up your an
swers and cross heterogeneous we
will give you basis for your argu
ment in summing up your case: We
spend annually in the United States
one billion dollars for liquor, and just
onehalf that sum for bread. We spend |
six hundred millions of dollars for to-
bacco and eighty-five millions only |
for education, and you might claim in
your argument that because we do |
spend twice as much money for Whis
key as we do for bread, we need twice |
as much of it, and that in seeking to |
establish the saloon in our midst you |
are only advocating the commercial |
law of supply and demand, only you
lose sight of the fact that there are
many poor helpless men, women and |
children all over this prosperous land |
who can get neither Whiskey nor |
bread because other people must have
one thousand millions of dollars a year
to spend for their whiskey, and six
hundred millions of dollars to spend |
for their tobacco, and by the time this |
sixteen hundred millions of dollars |
has passed through the saloons and |
the tobacco shops there is no money |
left with which to build school houses /
or orphans homes of refugees for the |
aged and poor and helpless. That is
the way the principle you are advo-
eating works.
One of your arguments in support |
of the saloon is that prohibition does |
not prohibit" that whiskey is sold in
defiance OF prohibitory law, and that |
the country receives no pecuniary
benefit from it's sale. Let US ask you
a question or two: Morally or legally, |
does the infraction of any law justify |
its repeal? Would the few unholy dol |
lars paid into your county treasury as
tribute from the vendors of physical, I
mental and moral poison be adequate
compensation for all the evils that I
you know would result from legaliz-
ing their trade? One other question /
and we leave the case with you: IF
you should be walked from your peace
full slumber some night after the es
tablishment of the EEsaloOn'' by the
tread of slow and heavy feet, and see
your son of your brother or your hon
ored father borne on litter to your
door, with CHASTITY wound in his
throat, made by the knife of zone
made mad by strong drink, chow would
you like to answer to the question
from your mother, your daughter, your
wife or your sister: CHOW did you vote
on the whiskey question: = Texas