The Somerset reporter., 1894-12-06
The hiqIIor Traffic.

This is the well known name of vel
known business. Leaving out OF our ae-
count that comparatively insignificant
part which covers the sale and purcha so
Of liquors for medicinal and M efanlcal
purposes, what ought We To think OF II
II i Il needless, useless trailic. II
supplies nothing which men need. In
tins country. everybody knows that
men are AT least as we'll of without a
with Intoxicating drinks. The money,
therefore. that i paid out FOR them l., at
the very best, thrown away.
1t is harmful, disastrous traiile.
Whether a certain percentage OF men
can drink moderately without harm 70
themselves personally we need not ask.
The fact is that the traffic brings with
il drunkenness and its tendency is To
make drunkards of all whom ii reaches.
Here in Waterville as well as elsewhere
enough is seen and felt of its conse-
quences To make useless either descrlp-
ton or argument.
Being both useless and disastrous it i
in it, very nature immoral. All trade Is
in nature immoral which i not beueii
eial to all parties engaged in it. In this
lies to a large extent the sin ct gam
=
sound Judgment can fail to see and say
flIat the liquor trallie as it actually
exists is "A violation OF the law of God rs,
in Maine, it is also II violation of the
laws Of the State. Herein the Maine
laws aud the divine law are at one.
Being useless. disastrous, Immoral and
Illegal the men engaged II II ought OF
their own accord to abandon 1t at once,
aud forever, everyone OF them Ihcy
are doing that which they themselves
see and know to he wrong. They are
sacrificing righteousness and their Tel
low men for gain I'd there are no men
IN this world that know this better IMAM
they do themselves. unless it may be the
wives and children of those whom they
are -laughtering by their Internal and
Internal fires.
As they will not willingly give up the
traffic they should be compelled to give
1t up. The best way to compel them
wOull be to win over to total abstinence
the entire community 50 that no man
would buy and drink their stun. This
means must always be used just so Tar
IA possible. Every man, woman aud
child in Watervlle and vicinity who
cares for the fair name of the city and
the welfare of the people should be en-
listed in this holy mode Of warfare on
the saloons, whether they are known as
hotels or the pockets of the rowing ped
dler.
By this means alone the traffic cam It
be suppressed and hence the law must be
invoked and used. No man is acting the
part OF good citizen who counenancps
The violation of the laws OF this State
against this ruinous business. 1t is hard
" worth while to say that they cannot
he enforced until respectable effort has
been made to enforce them-an effort
that begins the first day of every January
aud continues to the last day of the sue
ceeding December.
The suppression of the traffic by law
is certainly extremely difficult. For this
reason the officers of the law whom the
law requires TO enforce the la", should
have the hearty cooperation of all in
their efforts should be encouraged and,
| if necessary, urged to the enforcement
of the law. An organized expression of
the wish and will of the people to this
end should be given. All questions of
party politics, Of business advantages
aud of social relation are as as nothing.
| The supreme interest of Watervillc, as
of every other city, is to have charact-
er and consequent reputation for tenn
perance, for righteousness and for con-
sequent thrift and prosperity In every
right line. Such character and reputa-
tion we can have If we will. We have it
already in large measure and are justly
proud of our city. We may have 1t in
far higher degree. We may If we will
viii we?-GEo. ID. b. PEPPER, in Va
terrific Mail