The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1895-04-06

Fer the Democratic Aavoea'c.f


The Court Of Appeals eu March S5ih, ID lhe
case Of the Mayor and City Council Of balsl-
more -. keelv Institute q Maryland su--
tanned the ooasiitu,ionali;y Of the AiNereti
Inebria;e Act. passed iy ihr Legislature iB
1894 Judge Roberts delivered the opinion
Of the Court. This law provides ioT the treat.
ment of habitual drnnsauis. who ar unable
To- pay for the emame. az the Nicely Institute.
and the costs 0T this treatment or . part Of
them. are 10 b. furnished at the pslbiic ex-
pense. Wiihuut questioning ior a moment
the fact that toe decision Was fairly and ina.
partially rendered. and Was evolved from
careful aud unbiased consideration ct the sub
jeci vet the las itself Is such Eiaungly I'M
consistent piece Of legislation that Ne cannot
refrain FROM expressing our condemnation q
il 10 she most emphatic terms. That dTuns
enness s. one Of the greatest aBd most iujufi-
Gus curses that alfict. humanity, leading A. y
does To poverty crime paHperisus. insanity.
debanchery and the death Of lGae0 human
beings annually IN this country alone. 80 one
who Is al ail observaut viii doubt a. attempi
TO deny The learned Judge. referring 20 the
subject, in as opinion, Fery clearly points oai
the effects Of this curse IN the following lnag
uage. -'lt l. enc Of the gTayest conditions 10
the century ia which ne 1--we. and ot which
Legislators have been compelled 30 take ob
servalion. That the victims ~ the excessive
use Of alcoholic stimulants, narcotics, ETC.
have grown % hg legion; not ~ the healthy,
robust manhood, but Of broken. dehanched
aud deerepit men. cqaiBsi whom and for
whom, O. a class. public sentiment has right
to appeal to the Legislature for protection.
Lord Bacon bias said that all the crimes oq
earth do not destroy many Of the huinsn
race nor ALLEVIATE so much property as drunk
ness. Such being the results ~ drauken-
ness. we can but heartily sanction the sent
ment 81 ,hai part Of the opinion which refers
to drunkards rs a class Tor whom public
sentiment has n righr 10 appeal 70 the Legs
laiure for protection. and there Is class
for whom We base deeper sympathy than the
poor unfortunate who IS addicted 30 drink.
The fault We lnd with the Aiverest law b that
il Is the application Of q remedy TO the effect
rather than % the cause. IL l. an utter I'M
possibility 10 cure indigestion hy an external
headache remedy applied to relieve the head
ache which results from the indigestion. The
Legislature Of Maryland legalizes that which
directly promugates drunkenness, in the shape
of the saloon; allows the state 10 accept Ger.
tain per centage of the saloon business which
perpetuatss drinking aud is the Institution by
which men are made drunkards; fosters and
encourages the business and then. after legal
izing and permitting such traffic which con
yerfs men from health to disease and reduces
them 10 poverty so that they are unable 70 pay
for their own treatment. passes Law rcqulr-
ing that tax PAYERS furnish the money 10 treat
those poor individuals, whom the Saloon.
backed up by the law of the state, has reduced
to their pitiful condition. God help such
charity as this. We think that If our legisla-
tors really desire to protect our people from
drunkenness. they should strike al the root Of
the matter, instead Of sanetioning, or allow
ing existing laws 70 sanction the cause and
then try TO doctor the effects.
IN Baltimore city, where the above case
originated, there are 200 saloons. made as
tempting and attractive as possible, IA order
10 tempt men TO Patronize them, and these
saloons are turning out day after day moral
aud physical wrecks, who are not only made
miserable themselves. but are burden to the
community in which they live. aud yet every
one Of these internal saloons has a printed
or written permission and authority from the
State. hung up somewhere in a conspicuous
place, indicating TO all the world that they
are under the protection of the law. When
we have Legislature composed Of men who
( have back bone enough 50 meet this question
! face TO face and exterminate the cause Of the
evil. then and only then viii We reach the
tr,,a snlntinn NJ the nrohlpm OBSERVER