Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-06-23
"NlTION'S CURSE
Master Stacy WarburtOn'S
Suppressed Essay.
STRONG PR0HIBlTIVE VIEWS
Complete Text Of the Paper by the
High School Graduate.

Following will be found a complete text
OF the paper by Stacy Reuben Warburton
which he was not allowed to read at the
High School graduation exercises.
"our Nations Curse"
There are many evils which might be
mentioned as,thresteniDg the peace and
prosperity OF our nation today bossism
greed for power, social evils, etc.; but the
greatest OF all Is the liquor traffic. This
nefarious business is the most tremendous
power for evil that has ever existed In this
land. II Is the source of niDe-tenths OF
| the poverty and crime In this country.
| IL is responsible for most OF the misery
and woe. Its victims I'LL our isils, our
penitentiaries, our prisons, and our asy-
lums. During the four years OF our ClVil
War three hundred thousand men lald
down their lives In defence OF their coun'
try; but today, In an equal period OF time,
as many are being destroyed by ibis inl-
1 quitous drink evil. As great number In
| time OF peace as In time of war More
| than this, the liquor traffic dictates TO
parties, IL controls our cities, our states,
| and our nations; and holds, as It were,
t0c very uebtlulcb Oh iohu ih ~"
hand OF wickedness and crime
And yet the liquor traffic Is sanctioned
by the lawi True, we have license sys-
TENS, but do they restrain the trainer Is
less liquor sold under license regulations
than when no restrictions are placed upon
the trafficH Statistics show that this is
not the case rs much liquor Is sold under
license law ss when The traffic Is under no
4 a Il. =. k.N aaN 4
for license systems simply restrict the
traders to those licensed 10 sell, placing
no limit upon the buyers.
Besides not checking liquor selling, the
license system places the State and nation
in a dlsgraceiul position, for In licensing
the traffic, the law protects social evil.
Think OF It That flag, for which
so many brave men fought
and bled,-in defence OF which
80 many yielded up their lives
that flag which We all love, the glorious
banner of the stars and stripes, protects
this iDiquitous trafficl What a disgrace
When think OF the misery and woe
caused by this LIQUOR business, when
read OF tho horrible crimes committed by
its victims, In wonderment | ask, "Why
does our nation permit this Internal
liquor traffic 10 be carried on?" The
blame rests upon every citizen who votes
for this infamous business. Aud the
citizen must bear a greater responsibility.
The blame for all crimes rests upon every
citizen Who shares in any system which
makes them possible. And since the
liquor traffic is the source ot SO much OF
the crime, any man who votes Tor Law
which makes such things possible, must
share the responsibility for those crimes.
A few months ago we read In he papers
of a woman In the city OF Pittsburg, who,
in drunken frenzy, seized her little
child. and held IL upon the red hot stove.
The little one, screaming In its agony,
writher CGt OF the MOI hers hands aud fell
to the floor. Angrily the woman picked
the child up again, and once more placed
II upon the heated stove. The screams of
the child brought In the father, who was
Obliged TO choke the mother BLACK in the
face before she would release the babe.
o, you who voted for license, how dare
you assume so great a responsibility?
What was II that robbed that woman of
the most precious thing on earth-a
mothers love, and made her a iend in
csrnatei Know you not ii was license
votesf q men, be truel Let not your
ballot be cast for such a system.
But 1t is asked. al tie license system is
so obnoxious, how may the liquor evil
be lessenedf" answer, "Make the traffic
a crime, and elect officers who will enforce
the law"
But II IL claimed thar prohibltive law
canpot be enforced, And why notf We
must not take our own state as an exam.
pie, for although prohibition law was
passed, was very strong attempt made
TO enforce it' The very man whom the
citizens OF Rhode Island chose to enforce
the law, was the one who, by his own
statement, "managed the repeal of our
State Prohibitive Amendment" In 1889.
Will any one claim, In view OF these facts,
that the Prohibitive Amendment had
fair trial In this Statef Does anyone sup
pose that by such a course the common
wealth could be freed from the liquor
curse3
But Prohibition has had fair trial in
Kansas, and what are the resultsp
THE LIQUOR LAW PROHIBITS.
The habit OF drinking Is
dying out. Stigmstized by the law
II Is out OF fashion. The consumption Of
liquor has decreased ninety per cent.
The temptation to drink being removed
from the young, a generation Is growing
up with no knowledge OF the open saloon
and It's attended evils. The liquor dealer,
prescribed by the law, is an outlaw, and
his business Is considered disreputable.
Crime has diminished To an extraordi .
nary degree. The city prisons ana county
iails are almost empty, many being IN
deed without single tenant. The ten
years and more which have past since the
enactment OF the prohibitiye law, have
formed a period OF prosperity and devel-
opment unexampled I'm the history OF the
State. The prediction OF disaster so freely
expressed at the outset, have all proved
luln LIZ. a