Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1899-01-27
Annual Statement.

|
years of existence, and we can look back
and count up what 1t has accomplished and
look forward and forecast what is still to be
done The results of these two aspects will
determine whether there was need for 1t 8
existence in the past and whether there is
work still to be done that requires its per
petuation.
FIRTs, THE RETRosPECT.
The birth of this movement in this county
was one of those spontaneous things that
can happen only in free country where
the people are the rulers For long time
the good citizens of the county had been
chatting under lax administration OF some
laws which had been placed upon the stat
ute books at their especial bequest. They
had also been viewing with increasing anx'
ety the multiplication OF places in the coun
ty where intoxicating liquors were sold in
open defiance of law. The administrators
of the law had been lax in the execution OF
it, and the violators of the law who had been
allowed to go on unmolested did not hear
the murmurings of the people, or il they did
hear them occasionally they disregarded
them. They did not go to the churches,
aud schools and societies where the solid
citizens congregate and hear at those places
the comments OF thu men and of the women
| as TO the increasing drunkenness and the
lack of effort on the part of the officials to
stop the evil. They did not hear the signs
and prayers of the mothers and wives as
sons and husbands were entrapped and
ruined, or il they did hear them they
treated those breaking hearts with iudifer
ence. Neither did they hear the consulta
tons among the true men and women OF
this county as word was passed from mouth
to mouth that something must be done TO
save us from reproach and from demorali-
cation. But so 1t is in all such movements,
and we need not consider 1t strange when
the hone is threatened that there are men
and women who will come together for its
| protection without regard to politics or re-
| ligious sect. There Is IA good deal OF talk
about the whskey power, but God forbid
that we shall be obliged to admit that it is
more potent than the home power.
A few items that may be OF interest in this
retrospect:
When this League was organized two
years ago there were in Montgomery coun
ty nearly one hundred known places where
all kinds Of intoxicating liquors were sold
and about fifty additional places that were
not supposed to be known. The known
ones were those who paid the Internal Rev
euue tax to the United States Government,
and who hal sworn in recorded oath that
| It was their purpose to sell. The ones not
supposed to be known were those who bad
evaded the search of the United States in
spcctors. What a commentary was this on
the vigilance and iaithlulness of the exec
utors of the law. For the fiscal year ended
June Both, 1898, the number who paid the
Internal Revenue tax was SO, but Tor the
present fiscal year which ends June Both,
1899, the number who have paid that tax is
only 10, This is a remarkable and "a very
peculiar state OF affairs, for we know there
are u number OF prominent places IN the
county more than the 10 who are still In the
business but have not paid the United States
tax. They have thus laid themselves liable
| to the penalty Of violating the county local
option law and the stringent United States
law, in the latter case the maximum penal
ty being a fine OF 5000 and imprisonment
Tor three years. Already action has been
begun requiring an answer In regard to this
feature which we believe will render eva
sion hopeless.
We believe the number of liquor sellers
| in the county has been materially reduced,
and in order to get positive Information on
this subject we now ask all the persons pres.
ent at this meeting 10 write on slip oil
paper the names aud locations OF any per-
sons in the county known to be selling aud
hand them into the secretary before the
close OF the meeting to-day.
The second item of retrospect is what we
see in the change in public sentiment. The
first cases brought by the League to the at
tention OF the administrators of the law were
at the session of the Court in November
1897 We were warned before hand that il
would be difficult to get the Grand Juries
to indict and Petit Juries, especially, u
convict We found this 10 be the case 10
some extent, for out OF more than 100 in
dicted cases at that term only six were
tried and only two convicted, although In the
opinion OF the lawyers the evidence was
clear and sufficient. But at the March Term
in 1898 the seriousness of the business was
evidently more apparent for there were ten
cases tried and six were convicted, fines be-
ing imposed aggregatlng about $l5OO, more
than one half going into the county treasury
and one-haf the fines in the cases in which
the League W g interested going into the
League treasury, according to the law CIV
ing one half the fines 70 the infOrmer.
We congratulate the people Of this county
on the fact that the Judge who presides over
the Court here declares that so long as the
local option law remains on the statute
books and he remains on the bench he will
enforce the law TO the fullest extent We
believe this is the model course which
should govern all the officials and the only
sale course, and we further believe the SEN
timent OF large majority OF the people of
the county IL in favor Of that course. la
proof Of the latter statement we refer TO the
several instances in which that sentiment
has been Enthusiastically demonstrated, first
in 1880, when large majority OF the voters
declared at the polls In favor Of local option /;
second in 1892, when petitions were clrcu-
lated for and against the repeal Of the laws,
|
Communicating the number for repeal third
at the elections in November 1897. when
the issue was clearly made and fourth In
the winter of 1893, when petitions were cir
culated by the liquor people at great OK
pense and labor to them, at which time they
claimed they would secure 1000 signatures
for repeal Of the law, but alter hard ell Jrts
they secured 80 few, less than 500 we be-
IIeye that the petitions were never prese nted
TO the Legislature Thus four times, three
of which times being recent have the PEG
ole OF this county shown their sentiments on
this subjects, and we believe that with
proper information placed before them from
time 10 time this sentiment will grow
stronger.
The third item OF retrospect is the part the
League felt obliged to take Ia politics in the
first year Of it's existence. As this has been
referred 10 IN FORMER TePoIb u" eA'onuou
statement need be made Of it now except 10
allude to some Of the consequences resulting
from its action. II is or ought to be we'll
known that the League is bound to no party,
but occupies the position that requires OF all
parties to nominal men for the office who, II
elected, will faithfully preserve The interests
and will of the citizens, throwing It's voting
influence at the polls in favor Of that party
which has no minated its best men for ofiice ..
For what 1t accomplished ia THIS direction IN
the November election ls97, the League has no
regrets, but feels that It's action was wise and
ben eficial. During the past year, 10 the con-
gressional election 10 November, 1898, no issue
was apparent connected with that canvas and
every member Of the League voted according
to bis party predictions.
THE PROSPECT.
First, AZ to the item last mentioned in the
retrospect, namely, the political features. A