The Louisiana populist. [volume] (Natchitoches, Natchitoches Parish, La.) 1894-1898, 1895-02-22
There Are Two Sides to The
Liquor Question.

EDITOR PoPULIST:-IS see that
you say you would have been glad
to publish Bishop Durier's Or Char
tiles articles which went to the
Enterprise; perhaps you would
publish one from your humble ser
want who LAYS no claim to be as
able as either of those correspond
ents, yet one who can see, and
know of much of the evil that is
brought on orr country through
the liquor traffic. L do not blame
the POpuliSts for fearing every
thing that will tend to disrupt and
divide them as n political family,
but | think a man has to draw
largely on imagination to be
able TO see anything in the submis-
sion Of the question at this time.
There is no election of any kind
pending, except this one question.
If there were, | might take side
glance at the chip to see if there
were not a bug under it myself.
Now | have known this question
submitted time and again before
there was any Populist party in
the State, and L never knew any
one to accuse the opposition party
of using the question for political
capital. The liquor question les
pecially submitted at this time)
can be no more than a social ques-
ton, having moral and political eft
fects on the future, according as it
is decided. No man of my knowl-
edge has ever attempted to defend
liquor selling from moral stand
point, therefore it may be accepted
as fact that the Withholding of
license will add to the morality of
our people.
Next, no man of my knowledge
has ever attempted to prove that
our people can better themselves
financially by the use of liquor, as
the only parties who are financial
ly bettered are the retail dealer
here in our community, and the
wholesale dealer who resides in
some Western State, and is usual
ly member of the cursed whiskey
trust, which cuts such a figure in
our national politics. The saloon
keeper, if he is n good business
man, could engage in some other
business I'D which he could make q
good living, and not drag down
his customers Ito a level, in many
cases with the brutes), but upbuild
them by selling them articles that
would make their families happier
and more cOntented. If he is not
a good business man, he had better
retire to soma farm and make an
honest living, where the sight of
barefOOted children in winter would
not suggest the question, ''Did |
not sell liquor to the father for the
money that should have shod those
poor unfOrtunates ~
1 see that one OF your cores
pondents figures OH the amount of
license paid by the parish, and
seems to think that is one reason
why men should vote for a cOntinu-
alton of the business. 1t seems to
me to be a very poor investment
for the poor whiskey drinker to vote
for its continuation, for it only
shows what a heavy burden he is
carrying, besides the headaches
and the shame he must feel when
he thinks of the comforts he could
have given his family with the
money he has sqnandered on his
own selfish stomach. You know
that the saloon keeper does not go
down into his own pocket and take
out the money and turn it over to
the parish for the pleasure of as
sisting in bearing its expenses, but
it must first come ont of the peck
cts of the poor drink ers, who make
his business profitable. The men
who do the drinking do the paying
of the license, pay the freight, pay
the internal revenue, pay the sd
lOon-keeper, and then have all the
miseries of conscience and the
physical suffering to bear alone
and unassisted. The only argu-
ment now used is the personal lib
erty and the inability of the poor
to get drink when they want it.
They are told that if they want a
little bottle of whiskey in case of
sickness, it will be impossible for
them to get it. This is a tlimsy
argument for any one who will keep
liquor for sickness can always be
accommodated, for several neigh
bOrs could go together and get a
case shipped to them and divide it
after it came. Another argument
very common is, that liquor in a
town draws trade. | know of