The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1897-03-11
J. - = v
Contributed.

Contributed. z -.
S. EDITOR ADVANCE: Permit a few
words in regard to licensing the sale
Eof intoxicating liquor from my stand
point. First what is it to license such
sale? As [ understand it we (the peo
sple) agree, for consideration to allow
certain persons to sell liquor in GER
tain places in our Village, and by the
issuance Of said license and the accept
Eance Of the fee covenant and agree to
protect them in the prosecution of
their business, Now then, let us as.
sumo at the start, that every one of
JUS is a good citizen fully alive to: the
needs, and anxious for the we'll
being of the whole community, and
that he fully understands that what
soever conduces to the good Of the
community, must Of necessity, direct
II benefit each individual who makes
his home therein; that, in the nature
|of things, it is impossible for anyone
toslive to himself alone, but that in.
Ediyidual ACTIONS are bound to be re-
flected in the life Of the community;
hence every good citizen will always
|endeayor to talk, act and espeoiaD;,
to vote to the end that - the
best conditions may obtain, and the
prosperity and happiness r.. the .peo
pie be conserved.
Nell then, in the light of this as
s*mption, (and who wishes to assume
less j: e. that every voter is a good
e!tlzeP' e !et Ys, e0ennsiidqler whether anv
one ,'9:hE ot 9s wishes t9 assume the re-. 3
zpeas!b'htg d ss5co9raS;;;1e i an7
way the use of Intoxicating liquor as
a beverage. No words need be was
ted in attempting to prove, what is
almost universally admitted, that the
use OF such beverages is the prime
source of misery and unhappiness;
only one reason can be alleged. and
only one is alleged by the vender
sI |shIl!mself: as an excuse for the traffic,
and that is ''the money in it. We
are told that we must have the reve-
nue. from the saloon with which to
pay village expenses, but surely no
:sgood" citizen would advocate the
conducting a saloon as a source of
revenue. Again, we are told, ''if you
vote against license you will be re.
sponsible for 'cluh rooms and blind
pigs" It is not so; the. man who
does the evil and the man who pub
Ideally advocates the theory that lit
cannot be suppressed" are more like
~ to be the ones to be held respon-
sible for the continuance of the evil.
ut am a friend of the saloon keeper
kssn the same sense that / am the friend
Of every human being, but I am op-
posed to his business just the same
as I would be if he were selling di-
seased meat instead of liquid poison.
Coming up on the train one night
with Ed Carnes, he began to talk
of his boy, then few weeks old, and
volunteered this remark: II tell you,
I feel differently about this license
business since have a boy of my
own" Well, all good citizens have
boys, either their own or their neigh
bors', whom they ought to protect.
1 am aware that little that is new
can be said on either side of this con-
troversy, and we are forced to reiterate
what has often been said before.
The license advocate says, we must
regulate; I ask, would you regulate
the sale of diseased meat, or theft, or
murder? if Nor,wHY not? Don't you
quarantine scarlet fever? Don't you
enter upon a mans prsmises and
shoot his dog, known to be mad? in
either case would you allow freedom
of choice for consideration
whether it be $1,000. or $5O00.? Don't
you feel at liberty to establish fire
limits and say to frame buildings
''thus far and no farther'? Don't you
feel at liberty to protect the commun
ity from any and all forms of known
evil, and do not the people sustain
such action? Why then, ask in the
name of humanity, should we be less
arbitrary, or wi y make an exception
in favor of the worst, and most devas-
tating Of all evils. We are told tina
cit will be sold any way" Blind
Pigs will take the place of the sa-
loon;" as to that, they must do it
without aid, assistance, or encourage
ment from me and in spite of my pro-
test; I will haye no part or lot or
partnership with the accursed busi-
ness; ''Ye are your brothers KEEPER"
is this high ground? Well it is safer
when the floods come and the winds
blow to be on high ground. We have
had an object lesson the past year in
the number of drunken men seen on
our streets; man. who Understand,
voted for license last year, told me he
had never seen so many drunken men
Now let us not expect one years trial
to sufficiently y demonstrate the value
Of any measure for public good.