The Opelousas courier., 1894-06-16

What more has whiskey done2 What
moreq You are silent. Your silence
is discreet. But put the question to the
! prisons that stand out as cancerous
excrescences upon the fair beauty OF
the fairest land on earth bid the stone
walls break their stolid silendb and
mutter the deep curses, the despairing
prayers, Of men whom the liquor fiend
has bound tilere-sad captives and
hopeless.
Go to the insane asylunls, while the
eroans, tho cries, the shrieks "a of lost
| souls in torment bring paIlor to yonT
cheek and pity to your heart, count the
number of those directly or indirectly
brought by drink to this living death;
Step softly now, sad and mourntul the
place, tits a refuge for poor lnnocents 10
whom King Alcohol has denied the light
of reason; in their slow footsteps ana
vacant glances read another OF the lnsa-
tiate monsters freakish %tyrannles.
Visit now the home for the old and IN
| digent, listen to the stories or tne IN
mates of the poorhouse-ah, the tale
grows tame from repetition, It's drink,
drink, drink, here, there, ana every
where.
Roam the wide world over, see tue
| strong ma bowed to the dust by the
tyrant the proud intellect BUNDLED, its
bower for accomplishing great things
| relinquished at the command OF Alcohol
| the Great look, how society bows be-
fore the usurper's throne +; how his min
ions invade even the church itself
priest, poet, statesman, ali feel the fet-
teFs about their feet.
Now, seek the pure wOman-;earts
who, because nf the c~nslavement of IA
Their, husband, on, are made "%acquaint-
ed with grief" Seek them in palace
and hovel, in society's proudest realms
and in the launts Of the pUorand lowly;
ga sad, pale sisterhood' are they, who
through years OF glIei, pain and des-
pair, have preserved their holiness of
life-hear their meek testimony. And
the fallen-ah, what ueed have We of
further witnesses"
Alcohol is a:ralsied as the enemy of
woman, the >teaiel away of mans no.
bility, the foe o. little children, the
Brighter Of bome-lt4ppiuess, the patron
of prisons and ineaue a~syluns, tie cause
of more than one hat Ut the vice, crime,
distress and poverty ii all the world.
Alcohol stands convicted of these
many crimes. What shall his sentence
be- Shall Ii" live or dieP Shall the
dragon OF drink continue tp iced upon
our natioD, our state, our parish, Or shall
he be pe,petually banisled? What will
you do about it? The matter lies with
you.
But liquor has been incorporated into
our political life by the ballot; only by
the ballot can it be cast out. Prohibit
ton is the only remedy for the evil.
But prohibition does not prohibit
yon say. What is the TcAsnnf It is the
same that permits these salnnus-con-
| gregatei abont the parish and Federal
conrthouseS ns their natural protectors
to have lights shining forth, through
closed glass doors, every Sunday night,
in direct violation vi the law. Our men
neglect their duty. \ vote, is under
moral obligation 10 cast his ballot for
good measures aud also for good men to
enforce the measures. II YOU declare
that law mast be rGforced, it WU be.
One man OF Opelousas said lately to
another "Votc 10: p]soFibitionq Not
|. I'm non OF your white iihhan ME
And then, II yOu pass "a prohibition law
in St. LamhIy Parish. Thea" will bp m,.,e
whisky snii her" thsn lriur".a Then
replied the other. ii sou'rr IA favor OF
the sale OF whisky, you'd better vote fn,
prohibition"
There's just this much to it: ii whisky
is sold after the passage of ii prohibltory
statute ii is sold in violation of law, The
seller is liable to Il penalty and must to
some extent, at least, preserve" secresy.
These giided saloons with their bright
lights and glitter of cut glass, giving at
Effectiveness and Il sembiaEce of respec-
liability to vice, must be done away with,
They will 10 longer attract the young in
the evenings by q promise Of light and
cheer and Dead Sea apples of pleas,
| Iprn fhaf Ef,pr r., lStp. ,. s1", nc }
Those who seek secret dens OF vice,
those who frequent the blind tigers
it seems to me that the tigers are awake,
their victims blind-those who will ge,
whisky IN spite of law, are men whose
taste for it has already been formed
who have. through their long bondage
TO drink, learned to love his service and
to wear with d sort Of pride the livery
of disgrace and d%epravity. "Ephraim
is welded to his idols, let him alone ;
but save the innocent, save the young
whose lives are as yet untouched, the
young with whom lies the future OF
everything!
But, you say, a prohibition law vic.
lates the rights of American citizenship
A man has the right to drink or not to
drink as he chooses, and "A law which
takes from him the choice destroys free.
dom of action. Why hasn't a ma the
right to carry in his pocket il pistol oil
other weapon9 Whose business is it, il
he pays for the weapon? Yet the law
inquiries into the matter aud iDfiicts
punishment for an act in itself harmless
but which may lead to harm. The law
forbids our druggists to sell poison ex-
cept upon q physicians prescription
Alcohol is q poison, yet the law permits
men to sell it by wholesale or retail, OIL
to give it away yea, it permits a man
to treat another, to tempt him to par
take of the poison. Druggists, why not
assert your right to sell what you
choese9 Pay a license as saloon keep.
ers do and deal out your poison to all
who wish to buy. To curtail your privi.
lege in this respect is a violation of the
rights OF American ci~tlzeBship!"
Why hasn't Il man ID right to endIhis
life by quick means, Instead OF prolong-
ing the misery 2 We have a law against
theft yet men may with impunity sell
or give to their neighbors that which
" steals away the brains" Surely brains
are more valuable than material posses
sions, however rare ard costly. Alec
hol does more; it steals mind, health,
wealth, happiness for time and eternity;
it is the prince Of thieves.
We have laws against murder. The
accomplice in a crime is liable To pun
ishment if he do no more than place a
weapon in the hands Of the assassin.
Yet whisky which causes numberless
murders is licensed by law, and the man
who deals out the drink is exempt from
punishment MS an accomplish in the
crime.
All laws prescribe the liberty Of hui
man action and deny man the right of
| chnira hnt law il admitted To he a ne.