Smyrna times., 1895-05-15
Correspondence to the Times.
A Word With Signers of Liq-
our Licenses.

is admitted by all thoughttuI people
the world over, without regard to their
occupation or country. No employer
wants his force to drink even if he be
saloon-keeper. But in this country
this habit and the free ballot and dema-
gogery combined has set up a power
that is beyond all calculation for evil
and for evil only. If it has a single
redeeming feature it has failed TO set it
forth and that power is the modern
saloon, with the liqOur leagues back of
it and backing it with unlimited capital
and resources for controlling legisla-
ton, both State and national in its own
interests.
In very few large cities, towns and |
even States will political party select |
for Office, a man openly opposed to the
continuance of the saloon. How many
of its manly, outspoken opponents have |
been appoited to any Office, either by
the people or by the governor or court
since 1860 in the State of Delaware?
The fingers on one hand will count
them. How many we'll known to be
Outspoken friends of the saloon have
been thus chosen, many of them even
signers of liquor licenses? The fingers
and toes would have to be counted sew
eral times over to enumerate them.
These are facts as plain as daylight,
and l speak of it without malice, but
sadly that these clever Office e-holders
and gentlemen should permit them
selves to be thus enrolled. / know
many of them to be excellent citizens
of the State Otherwise-occupying high
social and political positions and have
families.
How many pages of the legislative
journal would it take to record all laws
passed since 1860 adverse to the wishes
of the "whiskey ring?" 1t would take
very large type to cover one page, and
5 the petitions in favor Of either Prohibi-
0 tion or more restriction would go many
: "a mile around The globe, if it would
g Got reach all the way round-and
a there would have been ten times as
e many license petitions except it was
e known to be hopeless and useless.
! The law Of this State is in harmony
e with those of other States under the
d license system, that is throwing the
d continuance of the saloon year by yeal
( upon a small number of people il
Is each town or small section signing ar
u application to the court etc.-and it il
O. to you signers that appeal. Year By
4, year you deliberately give them al
ty an existence.
u NJ The law does not do it without you
aid-refuse and their doors cannot b.
=. opened by any power in the State; ant
your responsibility to God and to so
Giety is not lessened either by division
or by that old satanic argument, IF
do not somebody will and they vii
get it any how" Accomplces of
crime are always punished just tn
same whether one man or fifty; an
iUhdt do yOu signP Many of you ar
fathers and all citizens of a common
wealth,
1 was present at conversation bC
tween two very prominent bushes
men of Dover, in which one Of theI
was advising the other to send h
peaches to the distillery, in the cOurs
of which he said: "You are involve
badly and this peach crop you hope
would bring you out, yet here's th
glut and they are rotting unsOld and
does not pay to ships others are doing
and this is a way out for your family
sake if not for your own, think yo
ought to do it." This man knew WI
D. on his paper. Thoroughly aware of 8
the circumstances and that he who ga
4 the advice was at that time perha
u. the most influential man financially
Kent county. thought then and ha'
1s ever since that it was the most powe
ful appeal ever knew to be presents
to man to violate his conscienC
3 IL and eagerly listened for his concl
way sion, it came in the following sentenc
"a man that has boys cannot afford
put himself on the side OF that which
morally wrong"
And his answer ought to be the 8
swer Of every father when petit
fora liquor license is presented to b
to sign. And nobly have his sons he
ored the memory of his decision
their own lives, although cannot lea
out Of their lives or of his decision
influence of noble mother.
BY your own act you give the sale
the legal right to ruin other peopl
children. Will you have the right
utter one word in condemnation If
cup be put to your own lipsP ]
: gambling, the lewd conversation,
steady slurs at religion and religi'
people and churches, the degrading
!, sociations of the saloon do as much
o Jury to manhood as the liquor tina
II dispensed. This statement has b
made to me over and over again
hotel-keepers, bartenders and drink
men by the scores. All this is y
bestowal and cannot exist in Delaw
without your aid. lived two ye
amidst a colony of mechanics getl
from $500 to 1890 year and pay
-. $65 year rent, and few Of them
~. decent furniture or clothing for Il
families,
Many Of the wives out Of their
Omen have told me that as much as I
meet dreaded the drinking, the gaming
p'' - worse. In Massachusetts, and O.
states games of all kinds are forbid
Del In saloons. In Delaware the hoFE