The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-12
nush nam Argnments.


Editor Morning News: L have read with
interest several communications on the
subject of the Bush bill now before the
legislature. In all the various arguments
advanced by its opponents I find nothing
new; they simply advance the same theo-
ries that 1 have heard for years: you
can't enforce it," IT'S Unconstitutional"
"A blow at liberty" LAS much or more
liquor will be sold after its passage as
before" etc. Let me say right here that
If as much or more liquor will be sold af
ter as before its passage, it seems to
me that consistency would impel them to
favor it, because it would be more money
in their pockets, and that's what they
are after whatever they may say. They
claim, moreover, that the whisky that
would be sold through blind tigers would
be very rank and poisonous; liquid IRE,
as it We're; and, of course, it would make
q man very drunk and very ugly and
really endanger his life. Truly, they are
philanthropists of such Jealous nature
as to excite universal admiration, were
1t not for the fact that they have shown
the cloVen hoof. Y e gods! was ever such
a scheme heard of since the world be-
gan? Such devilish covetousness and. de-
voted worshippers Of mammon?LOOk you;
they admit that the whisky habit is a
bad one, and that it viii knock out the
best man in time; they claim that prOhi-
bition would cause a vile sort of stuff to
be sold, which would knock out a man
IN about one-third the time 1t would re-
quire for the good" whisky and so we
are to understand that the liquor dealers
want to kill their customer by slow de-
greeS in order to get that much more
money out of him. OF all the coVetous
people of which there is any record, the
modern whisky man is the ne plus ultra,
so to speak; that is, of course if he is
sincere in his argument; and what must
be said of him if he is insincere? But,
again, they say that the law cannot be
enforced. If not, why not? VIII the anti
barroom people try to evade the law?
Nay, verify; who then? The only infer
ence is that the barrOOm people will. But
they say they are law-abiding people;
good citizens, as our mayor says. Now,
let's take them again at their word. If
they are laW-abiding good citizens they
VIII make no attempt to evade the law.
II they don't eVade 1t, who Willy We have
then the spectacle of twenty-five or thirty
counties saying to 100 countless we will
IeaNe no stone unturned in our efforts to
defeat your proposed law, but if you pass
~ IN spite of our efforts, why, we will not
obey it. Is not this Haunting the red flag
OF anarchy in the face of loyal citizens?
es, gentlemen your claim that this is
tree country, is true, and that every good
cltlzen, mark you, has as much personal
Hbefty as every other good citizen; no
more, no less, is also true; but, if 100
counties of Georgia say that such
Lhlng shall be done, the other thirty or
forty have no moral or other kind of right
10 say it shall not; and if they do, the
minority will not obey the voice of the
majority If this is not anarchy and re-
Dellon, what is it? The writer had some
ttIe experience with local option Athe
~lhlng they are bowling for) in Atlanta
some years ago. They got local option
there; they also got licked but did they
rest contented then? Nay, nay; but they
carried it to the courts to prove that local
opuon (the thing they are crying for to-
day) is unconstitutional, and they fought
me thing for months and TO the court of
last resort before they gave it up. The
milk in the cOcOanut is simply this: The
WHISKY man wants to sell whisky, and he
proposes to do it one way or the other.
As to the legality of the thing, there is
than there is about the laws in regard
20 opium, morphine, etc. What right has
me state to say that 1 shall not get
drunk if I want to? The same right that
1T has to say that I shall not 20 to an
opium Joint and get drunk smoking opium;
lhey are on exactly the same footing as
regards common sense. s. H