Washington sentinel., 1899-07-15
Some Evils OF IntemPcrance.

We have received several letters
Of laCe inviting us to attend the
public meetings of the Anti Saloon
League Of Leesburg, Va, and
Rockville, Md, where local op-
ton predominates. The SENTINEL,
on account OF its opposition to such
hypocritical laws, has been the
theme ofthese socal ed temperance
speakers. AT Leesburg, Va, we
have demonstrated bV indisput-
able facts that local option was
a failure and instead ot decreasing
drunkenness, had the tendency to
increase it. Although this place
on a previous occasion went local
option by a safe majority, the tenn.
perance advocates last time barely
won out-the town of Leesburg
itself giving tie vote Of go for
and $40 against the law. Cores
vile, a part Of the district, decided
the contest by giving 10 majority,
thanks to a liquor dealer who en-
Joys a lucrative trade outside OF
the Sown. This individual who is
the proprietor ut distillery finds
that as long as the restaurants and
hotels are forbidden the sale Of
liquors in Leesburg, his trad. in
creases. This accounts for his
extravaganza in coming to the aid
of the Arti-Saloonisis, about cleo
tion time, by liberal campaign con-
tributions of whiskev, money, etc,
which is lavishly distributed
among the negro element to help
the cause oftrue temperance. We
challenge any man in that town to
deny th s statement. We may
truthfully say that we did much to
change the feeling of the people on
this question. That this is true
was demonstrated by the reading
OF the SENTINEL editorials on this
question at a public meeting in
that town, and a vote of thanks
which was forwarded to US by its
citizens.
To come back to our theme, we
wish to thank the officers Of these
Anti-Saloon organizations for
their courteous invitations. We
understand that our paper has been
read and commented upon by
many OF these Christian gentlemen.
We have no objection to that; on
the contrary,we sincerely wish that
our temperance speakers would
read the SENTINEL to their audi
ences at every meeting they hold.
For il ANYBODY is in favor OF true
and sincere temperance IL is the
WASHINGTON SENTINEL. But there
is one thing we would like TO re-
mind these gentlemen oi-some Of
them being personal irienos-and
that is, that it is not becoming their
dignity to appear in public as "ab-
horrent examples" We have no
objection to see those battle Scared
warriors OF King Alcohol and the
most Of them are old topers-drink
water and talk temperance. In
deed we are really glad that they
have quit and seemingly relIn-
quished the bad habits that have
so often degraded them. For we
are in favor OF real temperance, and
utterly opposed to the evil OF
drunkenness. In fact, we are say
ing not too much five openly pro-
claim that the WASHINGTON SEN
TINEL was started for the very pur-
pose OF opposing the spread oil
drunkenness, unfortunately so pre-
valent in this country. But we
protest against these individuals
coming forward, in the Y. M Z. A,
and other temperance rooms
some OF them with the traces o.
intemPerance still marked on their
faces.
They are not the proper person:
to teach our youth to abstain iron
the intemperate use OF Intoxicating
drinks. Their teachings, theii
humiliating confessions in public
of their own weakness, will be o
little value for the rising genera
ton. Their advocating Temperance
to our young men is just as inef
iectiye and useless as the essay
on ethics and morality of falleI
women, who can carry on NJ
longer their dissolute lives, woul'
be improper and injurious il deliV
cred before innocent school girls
We know that many OF these me