Washington sentinel., 1899-07-22
To Our MARYLAND and Virginia
Friends,

To Our MARYLAND and Virginia
Friends.
1t is all in VAIN for you to hope
that by your present inactivity,
not to say cowardice, you will sue
ceed in overcoming the temper
ance ianaticism of the day. You
may perhaps consider it beneath
your dignity to oppose those hypo-
critics, relying entirely upon the JUS
tice Of your cause. This, we are
sorry to say, will DO no longer.
You have to give up passive re-
sistance and take the offensive.
YoL must object, or you will be
crushed, as you ought to be, II you
continue to play the sluggard any
longer. The so-callei temperance
men are not so numerous as you
imagine. At different elections,
where they have run tickets of
their own, they have never polled
vote worth speaking OF. But they
are very active and energetic.
They never rest, and day and night
continue their work Increasingly.
1t is not brotherly or Christian love;
it is not the misery Of their fellow
beings that stiTs them up; it is not
temperance, true temperance, which
incites the Montgomery County
prohibitionists to further aggres-
siVe acts against the orderly con-
Quoted hotels, clubs and such
places OF national repute as Cabin
Johns. Rock Spring Hotel, etc; it
is no more and no less than the
rage after power The cry OF
temperance is mere shield behind
which these puritanlcal zealots
screen themselves. Morality or
religion have just as little to do
with their present movements as
the Connecticut "Blue Laws" or
the burning of the witches in those
benighted New England States,
had centuries ago.
The friends Of liberty and toler-
alton have to defend themselves.
They must no longer submit to
the tyranny which makes them
despised and the laughing stock Of
the civilized world. Let them imi-
tate the example Of Delaware, o.,
where local option, at a recent
election. received great setback,
toward which the STATE Record OF
our able friend Mr.. Joe Miller, one
OF the leading advocates OF per-
sonal liberty in the country, con-
tributed in no small degree. This
worthy contemporary has done
much to subdue fanaticism by ed
ucatIng the people OF Ohio not to
bend their necks submissively to
the childish dictates OF crowd Of
"strong minded" women led on by
scheming hypocrites. 1t is our
intention to educate the citizens Of
Maryland and Virginia in the same
manner, by showing them that
local option neither prohibits the
sale OF liquor nor decreases drunk
enness. AS long as liquor is made
meu will drink it. Have it they
will, whether they secure il openly
or secretly. This being so, why
should 1t not contribute its share
by the Legitimate sale OF the article
so as to Tighten the burden of tax.
alton which at present lies moi
lightly upon the shoulders OF the
people Of those communities. A
law which works a hardship upor
the people is bad law and should
be abolished, and with il would &C
the lying and perjurY which it pro
vokes, and which is so commoR IN
those localities,
II will be the work OF the SEN
rINEL to speak boldly on thi
question. the more so since we ar,
aware that advocacy OF repeal o
local option is not a popular stanC
to take just Row in this neighbor
hood. This NAV smother oper
opposition for awhile, but ligh
can and will be thrown upon thi
subject at times by the SENTINEL
with the result, we feel sure, tina
the injurious measure will soon b
wiped out.
PERHAPS the people who wer
- A. - Z. 4; ~-a 81 aJaruy D; ~,